Critical Thinking and Watson Glaser II – Lecture Notes

Global Importance of Critical Thinking in Business and Education

• Business leaders and educators around the world recognize that managers and employees must be able to question, analyze, reason, and think critically in order to be successful.
• Educators identify critical thinking as one of the most important twenty-first century skills today.
• The US Department Of Labor identified critical thinking as the raw material that underlies fundamental workplace competencies, such as problem solving, decision making, planning, and risk management, and they say it's in short supply.
• There is a sense of urgency to ensure students and employees think critically, think independently, and make judgments; if not, other countries are investing time and energy and we could fall behind.

The Watson Glaser II: A central instrument for critical thinking

• Ed Reilly, President and CEO of the American Management Association, uses the Watson Glaser II to help organizations assess and develop critical thinking skills.
• The Watson Glaser II has become a central piece of the newly designed course in critical thinking.
• It is described as the best instrument available to assess where people are and where they're going.
• Scott Nelson, Executive Vice President at MDA, asserts that organizations that attract, retain, and develop the best critical thinkers have a huge competitive advantage.
• Nelson calls Watson Glaser II a "gold standard" and notes that it is very research based, and it is very short and easy to use.
• Andrea Schilling, Global Director of Human Resources at Vardet, states: "We have everybody who comes to Vardet globally take the Watson Glaser II."
• The rationale for adoption at Vardet is that critical thinking skills are important at any level.
• The program has broad, global adoption and is valued for its efficiency and effectiveness.

Endorsements and organizational perspectives

• The Watson Glaser II is praised by practitioners across organizations for its practicality and research foundation.
• It is used as a standard instrument for assessing critical thinking in professional settings.

The relationship between critical thinking and education/workforce development

• There is broad recognition that critical thinking underpins essential workplace competencies (problem solving, decision making, planning, risk management).
• The emphasis is on developing these skills across students and employees to maintain competitive standing.

Leadership, judgment, and wisdom

• Judy Chartrand, consultant and chief scientist at Pearson Talent Assessment, helped develop the Watson Glaser II.
• Chartrand asserts a fundamental relationship between critical thinking and leadership success.
• Leadership is described as being about judgment and wisdom, and critical thinking is essentially the practice of sound judgment and wise decision making.

Implications for education, workplace, and global competitiveness

• The need to ensure that students and employees think critically, think independently, and make judgments.
• A warning that if critical thinking is not cultivated, other countries investing in these skills could lead to a competitive lag.

Practical and ethical implications for organizations

• The Watson Glaser II serves as a tool to assess and develop critical thinking at scale.
• Its attributes—short, easy to use, research-based—make it attractive for talent assessment and development.
• Global firms (AMA, MDA, Vardet) use it to identify top talent and to support ongoing development.

Connections to foundational principles and real-world relevance

• Critical thinking is linked to core capabilities that drive performance in problem solving, decision making, planning, and risk management.
• The emphasis on 21st-century skills aligns with workforce needs in a global economy.
• The emphasis on leadership and judgment ties cognitive skills to organizational outcomes and leadership effectiveness.

Ethical, philosophical, and practical implications discussed

• Philosophical: Leadership is framed as a function of judgment and wisdom, which are grounded in critical thinking.
• Practical: Organizations invest in standardized assessments to benchmark and develop critical thinking across global workforces.
• Ethical: Emphasis on fair assessment and development of employees worldwide; reliance on a research-based instrument to guide talent decisions.

Numerical, statistical, or mathematical references

• No explicit numerical data, statistics, formulas, or equations are provided in the transcript.

Summary of key takeaways

• Critical thinking is presented as a core, universal capability essential for success in business and education.
• The Watson Glaser II is positioned as a gold-standard, efficient, research-based tool for assessing and developing critical thinking skills.
• There is a perceived global shortage of critical thinking that organizations aim to address to maintain competitive advantage.
• Leadership success is described as closely tied to critical thinking, with judgment and wisdom being central components.

People, organizations, and sources mentioned

• Ed Reilly — President and CEO, American Management Association (AMA)
• Pearson — provider of the Watson Glaser II
• Scott Nelson — Executive Vice President, MDA
• Andrea Schilling — Global Director of Human Resources, Vardet
• Judy Chartrand — consultant and chief scientist, Pearson Talent Assessment
• Vardet — privately held investment firm
• MDA — Minneapolis-based leadership consulting firm