The motorcycle plant workers brainstormed many alternatives and made some simple decisions about how their problem could be corrected. Here are the recommendations they gave to management:
- Get rid of the moving line.
- Bring us carts full of the same part.
- Allow us to decide when a part is usable.
- Let us choose another part from the cart when the first one we pick is broken.
- Send all bad parts back together to be repaired.
This company turned around. Now there is a waiting list to buy brand new, top-quality motorcycles. The process of critical thinking and problem solving allowed this team of employees to answer the big question, Companies want to hire people who can identify problems and work out solutions."Why is our company losing money?"
Employers value problem solving skills
If you work already, you’ve learned that employers value good thinking skills. Companies want to hire people who can identify problems and work out solutions. They like to give staff members a problem and say, "Make a recommendation on what we should do."
As you continue reading, you will learn how to use the critical thinking and problem solving process to identify and solve personal and work problems. Use the measuring scale in Activity 1 to rate your current skill in critical thinking and problem solving.
