A Primer on Critical Thinking and Business Ethics

The post-pandemic world presents leaders with unprecedented levels of dynamism and uncertainty, leaving top management teams no choice but to engage in critical thinking—higher order analyses in which assumptions are questioned and disconfirmation is no less important than confirmation. With critical thinking coming to the forefront of leadership development, we as educators need to reflect on our present MBA curriculum in terms of both content and delivery. These three monographs are a must-read for anyone interested in developing graduate-level critical thinking skills and teaching future corporate leaders how to take a more nuanced perspective on the paradigm-shifting challenges they are likely to face when transitioning into their managerial career.

-- Peter Bamberger, Prof. Simon I. Domberger Chair in Organization and Management, Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, Israel

Organizational leaders continually tell us that what they need most are employees that know how to think and learn. Such skills are necessary for identifying problems, collaborating on solutions, and driving organizational change. Including these monographs on critical thinking in the MBA curriculum will go a long way to providing this essential need for the market.

-- Dr. Kevin Rockmann, Professor of Management, George Mason University, USA

As someone who teaches business leadership and human values and courses introducing and providing frameworks for analyzing healthcare markets, critical thinking is essential for me and my students. These authors clearly motivate the importance of critical thinking and present techniques to encourage students’ development. I could envision these books enhancing my preparation of students, who will become business leaders so they sharpen interpretations and decisions regarding the production and delivery of healthcare services, to create value for those with a financial stake in their organizations’ successes and for stakeholders including suppliers, patients, employees, and the community in which healthcare organizations operate.

-- Kevin D. Frick, Professor, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School,