The Importance of Critical Review in Decision Making
By the end of the literature, it solves a misunderstanding of critical review and its use in the decision-making process. It is to ensure the knowledge and outcome of the literature gives a reflective and comprehensive understanding to stress the importance of good quality information in the decision-making process. And this is where the importance of critical review in the decision making comes in. After all, the end goal of the decision making is to choose the most preferred option, in a time restricted and no error bound context. And to bring forward this preferred option, there is a necessity to have a well-documented decision making progress that is build on good quality information.
This literature is going to emphasize the focus of critical review as a key driver in the decision-making process and show the various types of decisions that benefitted from critical review. This literature also helps to understand the use of critical review in decision making by providing the concept and use of critical review. Which in it explained the main use of critical review in decision making. This will provide a solid foundation and rationale for critically analyzing and attempting to improve the quality of decisions. The same approaches are so evolved such as studying the concept of decision making and critical review, highlighting the importance and benefit of critical review and the practical use of critical review in the decision making.
In research, the literature review is an important aspect of highlighting the importance of good quality information in the decision-making process. This is an aspect that has been widely considered and is an important part of the critical analysis in the literature review. Literature reviews are often conducted in the early stages of the research process to help the researcher gain a better understanding of the topic. However, during the literature review as part of the research process, not only is this a great tool in the research process itself, but also a valuable one in the decision making. Critical review and the use of such review in the decision-making process is highly emphasized. It is the focus of continued improvement and assuring a consistent quality and standard in the decision-making process.
Decision making is an important process in our daily lives. We make decisions on various matters – whether big or small – based on different sources of information. It can be based on the knowledge that we have, personal experiences, or information that has been gathered. Before making decisions, we must thoroughly consider and look at the quality of the information that is available.
The most significant aspect of understanding critical review is the realization that it is not just based on negative criticism. Unfortunately, the term critical has been associated with finding fault. But critical review is all about looking at something from different angles; it’s about looking at things in a systematic and analytical way. As soon as you make the link between critical review and learning from your experiences, you start to see how valuable critical review can be. When you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, you can begin to understand where your ability to manage the situation may be improved. This objectivity and structured way of developing options before choosing directions is fundamental to good decision making. Critical review provides a useful and valuable means of gaining a fresh insight into a situation, which may obviously have been arrived at through a number of means. For example, a simple suggestion or perhaps a ‘eureka’ moment may well provide a quick fix, but without critical review there is the danger of, in many cases, solving the wrong problem. So critical review is not just a mechanism to provide an “answer” to a situation, but provides a method of working, a “path” to a better understanding of the situation. On this basis the value as a method for effective decision making is, I think, self-evident.
These include improvements to the learning process, desirability of changes, development of new skills, motivation, increased understanding, clarity and the establishment of a knowledge base and a culture of best practice. I do not plan to dwell on this aspect of the process in this particular series of articles and blogs, although it is an important point. I will consider a number of these issues in the future, most especially those in the field of best practice and knowledge management. This process, especially when done as a team exercise, also provides you with a deep insight into other people’s success strategies and can generate mutual respect between colleagues. This is a powerful side effect of the practice and can improve the rapport among members of a team. For instance, a critical review in a seminar presentation can give everyone in the audience valuable insights as to how to improve their own research and presentation. A critical review in company really demonstrates the value and potential of best practice and knowledge management in that company. By inviting on board the idea that some practices might be better than others, and by engaging with the debate and analysis that is involved, spaces can be created for students and employees to think about and develop and evolve their practices on a continual basis. This will provide evidence for course report about the reflective practices in the samples. Professor Graham gave a very good explanation on benefits of critical review, especially in tertiary education. He said that critical review improves quality of learning, helps students to think independently and motivates engagement with the knowledge. He also added that we need to use and apply knowledge. We cannot just gain knowledge continually. By making change from the better in the study or work, and helping to organize the study environment much better. He also mentioned the potential benefits on our future job. If we know how to develop a critical review, it will help build up different skills as writing, talking, time management and patience. Most of the employers emphasize the culture of the best practice in the company. Knowing and understanding the steps to develop a critical review will definitely assist in knowledge management and possibly making life much easier at work. He said he believes that real advantages might be found when department begins to compare different opinion and progress with critical review. This is the development of a knowledge-based culture, where informed decisions are made based on evidence and where more fruitful exchanges can happen between members of an intellectual community. He concluded that it’s never too early to start on providing support and guidance to develop a best practice culture in a company.
On the other hand, chapter 4 discusses the challenges that organizations may face when implementing critical review into their decision-making processes. One key challenge lies in the change of mindset that is required from the traditional top-down, autocratic approach, where managers make decisions because they ‘know the best’ because they have been doing that for a long time, to a more progressive and open process which allows for critical analysis from all levels, and where evidence and justifications are required for a certain solution proposed. Over many years of practice, some managers may start to believe that they have found a well-polished way for decision-making and quietly resist any potential changes that can pose a challenge to the established leadership. It is natural that they may have developed successful solutions to problems in the past and these solutions may have almost become a second nature for the managers. Asked to put everything under critical review and to examine every decision in detail with reasoning can be a daunting task for many; a common worry is that this can lead to a lengthy, indecisive process and hinder the effectiveness and efficiency of the organization. Therefore, a gradual approach with a clear procedural change and interim targets may help to mitigate the frustration and fear experienced by the members of the organization. This approach could address the concerns that the overall process may become difficult and complex, and would help to convince experienced managers with their own established methods to see the benefits of introducing critical review in decision-making. Also, the change may result in a requirement for additional training for members in the organization. Both the staff having to adopt critical review and produce justifiable, verifiable evidence in support of their recommendations, and the management who will critically test the evidence will likely need a certain level of coaching or mentoring to ensure that the new, transformative process can be successfully implemented. Such additional, quality staff development will undoubtedly incur both indirect and direct costs to the business. The time invested in the staff training and development and the actual efficiency of working under the new process can both be used as a baseline to quantify the cost of change. However, the management needs to appreciate that without investment of both time and money into the critical review and decision making known as “quality management”, the effectiveness and the efficiency of the organization is unlikely to be improved. From another perspective, as Pannirselvam has pointed out that “too often we have seen and reviewed the dramatic aspects of change and seldom enough the far more important process that ultimately determines the outcome of the change efforts. And it is the process of change that provides opportunities for people to learn, grow and develop”. By recognizing the challenges there are and taking a systematic approach in facilitating the change, the introduction of critical review and the facilitative decision-making process that it brings along can be a very rewarding experience.
Non-judgmental and does not provide a final judgement. It is a continuous and reflective practice. It focuses on what we mean by critical review and its possible implications and benefits in decision making. It highlights the clear and specific steps that can be followed to support good critical review in decision making. It also indicates to the readers how the essay has been set up and it is a chance for the readers to look at the essay in a summary paragraph. From this, one can understand the direct relationships between critical thinking and decision making. This is one of the main reasons to conclude. And most importantly, critical review provides you with a conclusion which is based on as many good reasons as you can find. And also, it helps in recognizing quality and value in others; through critically reviewing the literature that is read, that is suggested by an author, and that is explained and supported by good evidence and examples as well. And that capacity to explain and support views can be developed through the sustained analysis and evaluation of others. Also, it provides an opportunity to practice and develop particular transferable skills, rather than it being an end in itself. And those skills include the skills of selection and summary, critique, organization, and argument.
