Critical Thinking

 Critical Thinking

By OffRoadPilots

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the

logical connection between opportunities and options. Critical thinking is also

known as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. In essence,

critical thinking requires a person to use your ability to reason. It is about being an

active learner rather than a passive recipient of information. Critical thinkers

rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face

value. Critical thinkers seek to determine whether conditions, ideas or findings

represent the entire picture and are open to discover other opportunities. Critical

thinkers identify, analyse, and solve problems systematically rather than by

intuition or instinct. Critical thinking is thinking about things in certain ways as to

arrive at the best possible solution in the current circumstances. In other words, it

is a way of thinking about whatever is presently occupying a mind so that a person

comes to the best possible conclusion.

Critical Thinking is a way of

thinking about particular

things at a specific time and

is not the accumulation of

facts and knowledge but is

about the mindset

discovering options in a 3D

environment. A 3D

environment is a mindset

analysing opportunities in

time (speed), space

(location), and compass

(direction). Someone with critical thinking understands links between options, determine the

importance and relevance of options, and recognize, build, and analyse themdifferent avenues available. A person with critical thinking skills identifies inconsistencies and errors in reasoning, approach problems in a consistent and systematic way, and reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs,

and values.

The skills a person needs for critical thinking are varied and include observation,

analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem

solving, and decision making. Specific skills are to be able to think about a topic or

issue in an objective and critical way, identify the different options there are in

relation to a particular issue, evaluate a point of view to determine how strong or

valid it is, recognize any weaknesses or negative points that there are in the

evidence or argument, notice what implications there might be behind a

statement, and provide structured reasoning and support for options available.

Characteristics of critical thinking are open-mindedness, respecting evidence,

respecting reasoning, being able to consider different perspectives and points of

view and having cognitive flexibility, not being stuck in one position, develop

skepticism, and having clarity and precision.

Decision making skills are

required for critical thinking,

and there is a fine line

between a decision-making

process and a critical thinking

process, and critical thinking

is therefore different from

decision-making. Decision

making is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions. Using a step-by-step decision- making process can help a person to make more deliberate, thoughtful decisions by organizing relevant information and defining alternatives. This approach increases the chances to choose the most satisfying, or appropriate alternative

possible. Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and

skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating data

generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as

a guide to an action.

There are seven steps to both a decision-making process and a critical thinking

processes.

Without a non-punitive policy, critical thinking is incompatible with aviation safety,

airline and airport operations, and the safety management system (SMS). One

reason that it is incompatible is that a certificate holder is required to appoint an

individual as accountable executive (AE) to be responsible for operations and

accountable on behalf of the certificate holder for meeting the requirements of

the regulations. Interpreting regulations does not allow for independent, or critical

thinking, but requires the accountable executive to follow a pre-established

compliance path. However, a functional SMS must accept resilience and

independent actions, and every person within an SMS organization are authorized

by the non-punitive policy to apply their critical thinking skills and action

accordingly. There is a difference between regulatory compliance and conforming

to regulatory requirements. Regulatory compliance, which is only available in a

static environment, and there is a regulatory compliance gap at the first movement

of an aircraft or airport operation. E.g., an airport receives an airport certificate

prior to accepting their first scheduled flight, and an airline receives their operating

certificate prior to launching their first flight. Regulatory compliance is about

technical, and tasks performed compliance, while conforming to regulatory

requirement is about work processes and how the work is done.An easy trap to fall into for an inexperienced AE is to apply regulatory requirement compliance to work practices. When applying regulatory compliance to operations, 100% of all personnel must comply with standard operating procedures 100% of the times, and to a level of 100% satisfaction. If one item is unsatisfactory, it is impossible to go back in time since there is motion in operations, and the person, pilot, or airside worker, failed. A failed person, causing regulatory non-compliance, cannot continue their operational tasks for the same reason that they are not able

to go back in time and fix their mistake. They are still able to redo their task, but it

is already too late since the non-regulatory compliance already has occurred.

When applying the principle for processes to conform to regulatory requirements,

e.g. performance-based regulations, then it becomes practical and work related to

maintain a healthy operation conforming to regulatory compliance.

Critical thinking is

incompatible with a

regulatory requirement for

airlines and airports to

operate with a process for

setting goals for the

improvement of aviation

safety and for measuring the

attainment of those goals

unless an SMS enterprise

operate with a non-punitive

policy. Determining goals

that improve aviation safety are subjective goals, and goals that fit inside the box.

Critical thinking becomes the outsider an unacceptable within an SMS system,

which is about consensus. The non-punitive policy itself must be without biased to

allow for critical thinking to flow freely.

Critical thinking is incompatible with a regulatory requirement to operate with

procedures for involving employees in the implementation and ongoing

development of the safety management system. At first sight this sounds like a great idea, and helpful to a healthy safety management system. Procedures are one-fit-all and established by management. Pilots or airside workers do not have the authority to establish their own preferred procedure. Procedures are ridged and all workers are required to follow establish procedures when conducting their work-related tasks. Critical thinking becomes an asset to operation when procedures allow for resilience, and independent evaluations when a task departs from the normal path. For critical thinking to be accepted, and SMS enterprise

must operate with, and apply without hesitation, a non-punitive policy.

Critical thinking is

incompatible with a

regulatory requirement to

operate with a system to

monitor the concerns of the

civil aviation industry in

respect of safety and their

perceived effect on the

holder of the certificate.

This regulatory requirement

requires an interpretation of

what the aviation industry

perceive, and open for a

wide range of interpretations. An airline may interpret an airport to be dangerous,

or unsafe since they operate differently than other airports without evidence of

fact. Perception is an exceptional evaluation tool, but it is necessary to know that perception is biased and filled with a ton of assumptions. This regulatory requirement is incompatible with critical thinking, since an airport must adapt to a customer's need to stay in business, which might not always be a path to safety in operations. An example is when the airport operator chose to operate with an

oscillating runway to satisfy one customer’s need to operate without being

interrupted by airport construction.

Critical thinking is an essential part of a healthy SMS, but the AE must accept the

non-punitive policy and that actions taken, whether it is a perfectly performed

checklist, complete procedure compliance, decisions by a committee after long

discussions, or by critical thinking do not always produce the expected outcome.

OffRoadPilots