Critical Thinking Globis

Dated March 3, 2018

Where: Online

Time: 9:30-->10:30+

What: Critical Thinking Online Trial Class

Lecturer: Brian Cathcart

CASE:
JR Kyushu (2013) is considering to launch a luxurious cruise train business to improve performance.

If you were to propose the plan to top management, what questions do you need to answer?

Most people tend to think... So much information that is scattered may or may not directly in the direction of a conclusion.

Important points to cover
*Should our company launch "Business A?"
You want to bring this topic to top management.
Which points should we cover? 3Cs

• Is the market attractive? A market, (Customer)
• Can the company win against competitors? Competitive Advantage (Competitors)
• Is the proposal consistent with the company's vision and management issues? Strengths & Weaknesses (Company)

Customers

• Elderly & wealthy people
• Can attract non-Japanese, leveraging the location of Kyushu

Competitors

• Luxury Bus? No
• Luxury Boat? No
• No other luxury cruise services in Kyushu

Company

• Resources available (trains, tracks, staff, capital)
• Can help improve performance
• Help Improve our brand...

Frameworks help you organize your data, draw a conclusion, and then communicate it clearly.

KEY Points

1. Break problems down into pieces
2. Use frameworks: smartly
3. Add value through interpretation

Exercise: Starbucks' Market Entry into Japan

It's 1999. You're the marketing manager of DOUTOR, the top coffee shop in Japan.

You've learned that Starbucks is planning on entering Japan.

You found the following data:

• 1987      17 stores
• 1990      84 stores
• 1995    676 stores
• 1998 1,900 stores

What would you say to your boss?

Ob-course this information are facts but will not help to solve the problem. 

Every company has a protocol a system to follow an order:

To open new stores, they need to decide a location (potential), conduct market research, find real state, make a contract, install equipment, promote the store, train staff, etc.

1. Extremely quick process for opening new stores
2. Adequate cash & talent to realize that expansion

Based on this data, what actions would you recommend Doutor to take to counter Starbucks?

What DOUTOR did was.....

Determining Best Actions from Information

Information-->Interpretation-->Action

Improving Interpretation

• Makes interpretation based on facts. Many interpretations are possible.
• The quality of  interpretation is determined by:
• Intuition
• Experience
• General Management Knowledge (Frameworks)
• Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking  as a LEADER foundation

• Get an understanding of people
• Make people convinced
• Lead people effectively

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Dated January 24, 2018

Where: Fairmont Makati City

Time: 1:00-->2:00-4:00+

What: Critical Thinking Trial Class

[Kokorozashi] Personal Mission or a Life goal in life.

One of our group activity:

9 in our group

Case: Mr. Smith

You are on assignment to the U.S. for Tayoda Corp. an automotive maker. You must make a recommendation about Mr. Smith, a successful local manager of the Hybrids Division.

1. Your general manager wants to improve the performance of the Trucks Division and wonders if Mr. Smith should move there.
2.  He is concerned that the performance of the Hybrids Division will decline without Mr. Smith.

You must make a recommendation:

Should Mr. Smith STAY in Hybrids Division or GO to Trucks Division?

Instructions: Mr. Smith

1. There are supporting information below, take important notes base on your understanding.
2. Quickly vote as a group (you can change your mind later).
3. Use the Pyramid Structure & whiteboards to support your position by grouping evidence into categories:
• Hybrids
• Trucks
• Smith
4. Write sentences conclusion and reasons and present.

Information:

1. Hybrids performance is growing steadily.
2. Hybrids will be structured for a launch of an innovative product next year to boost sales.
3. Hybrids staff are average sales performance, while Smith is a top performer in the company.
4. Trucks performance has sharply dropped due to innovation products from competitors.
5. Trucks require specialized knowledge and understanding of customers.
6. Trucks do not have any innovation products planned for next year.
7. Mr. Smith has been in Hybrids for 10 years and HR wants to develop him as an executive.
8. Mr. Smith is a quick learner; his sales and managerial abilities are highly rated.
9. Executives are developed by moving between divisions, but no high-level executive has ever come from trucks.

⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳⟳

Should Smith STAY in Hybrids or GO to Trucks?

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Our lecturer says: "YOU are here to be better as a group not to bit each other out."

On of Japanese wisdom and philosophy.

Group 

Our group decides to STAY and point things out on a sheet.

Each of us creates our own point of understanding. And if you will make your own pyramid you may have different answer. You may want Smith to GO, or juggle on both.

On my understanding this affects our decision making:

• Our Life Goal. (Which in this case for me it is him (Mr. Smith) what his principle stand for in life.
• Security/ Relaxing (slowly but surely) STAY
• Ready to take the risk and challenge (If his already secured enough in his lifestyle).    GO

[Kai-zen] "change for better" 

As for me this is my points.

STAY

• Hybrids (3) His the top performer. Losing him a possible decline in the hybrid. (Case 2)
• Trucks (5) He has no specialization knowledge about Trucks
• Smith (7) HR wants to develop him as an executive. Going to the truck he will not be promoted. And security higher pension is essential to enjoy life after retirement.

GO

• Hybrids (1) the performance is going study and in Japan, the company section makes their own standards and continue to improve it base on customer feedback. So there is already a solid system or framework to follow which just needs consistency.
• Trucks (4) Trucks do not have innovation next year. Then he should make one next-next year by creating a survey "What makes competitor trucks competitive, then surpass them" What one of the many things I admire and want to practice about Japanese is; Their long-term thinking and other factors which may involve in it, then when the structure or framework is established. They immediately implement it make things done pronto. There DISCIPLINE.
• Smith (7) His a quick learner; sales and managerial skill is highly rated. For me, everything has the same principle. It may vary at some points but it is almost the same. 

⟳⟳

If I am Mr. Smith in connection with practicality and status in life I will STAY. But if security is not my issue; I will GO and take the challenge. besides the hybrid of already a solid framework that is working base on performance going steady. I can simply be a consultant on the restructuring to boost sales of Hybrid which is easy since I already know the structure and points to improve. And fully focus on Trucks. I am confident in myself that I can do it because I already know the main problem "INNOVATION". Its simply needs to strategically restructure the framework and implement it. DONE!

Why makes things complicated when you can make it simpler.

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Dated December 2017

Where: Online w

Time: 5:00-->6:00

What: Critical Thinking Trial Class

Objectives:
1. Better understanding
which leads to
2. Better solutions

It is not to win an argument but to have a better understanding, better solution together as a team.

Critical Thinking can help logically, realistically minimizing the by knowing the possible occurrence or errors in a long term.

"So in Critical Thinking we layup all the option basically so as much as we can, so that simple factor would reduce the risk of failure. Because of many options to compare with, and you can choose the best option that has less possibility of failure almost possible for a success."-Kenya Yoshino

CRITICAL THINKING IMPROVES
1. Problem Solving- following a process to understand:
a.what is the problem and
b. how to solve it
2. Persuasion- logical explanations so that people can understand your ideas

How do we decide?
*Every decision should be based on criteria tied to an objective we wish to achieve.

*What type of ..... do we want as a result of our decision.

Any of these criteria .... may be more importantthan the other and each with vastly diffrent results.

"Critical thinking subject of being critical our own thinking. Were not trying being critical to others but think ourself more critically our thought critically."-Kenya Yoshino

PERSUASION requires:
*Clear stating your conclusion
All the key reasons, without repitition
Supported by directly relevant evidence

ASSUMPTIONS
that are often left unstated are usually based ondifferentbackgrounds, experience and cultures.
*Be careful how assumptions influence interpretations and conclusions.
*Identifying unstated assumptions clarifies your thinking and helps tounderstand other opinions.