Asking the Right QuestionsIntroductionAsking the Right Questions, in and of itself was a phenomenal read. I gained an incredible amount of insight with regards to critical thinking, but I also learned a lot about myself. While reading the text, I frequently had light bulb moments where I would reflect on my decision making process in personal relationships, but also business relationships. This book assisted me in identifying a new way in which I process information and how I make decisions. Asking the Right Questions, gives you the tools and skills to carefully approach questions and the ability to skillfully think through tasks. Critical thinking as defined by Browne and Keeley consists of an awareness of a set of interrelated critical questions, the ability to ask and answer critical questions at appropriate times and the desire to actively use the critical questions.
This assignment, which focused on the PDQ Memorandum (Mark Headlee, personal communication, October 1, 2011), was an interesting discussion to use for the critical thinking process. Initially, when I thought about critical thinking as a task, my mind immediately focused on a problem and a solution. It most often times in my experience has been a lengthy discussion which resulted in numerous steps in the process. The model used by Browne and Keeley, is a different approach than what I was familiar with, however, it was quite unique when applying it to the PDQ CEO compensation evaluation.
The PDQ scenario was very unique, because there was some background information provided which helped to frame the case of the writer. Without knowing the background information and why the task was being assigned, it would have been difficult to ascertain why the memo was written and also why the critical thinking exercise was even necessary. Throughout the remainder of this paper, I will use the critical thinking model outlined in Asking the Right Questions to describe the PDQ Manufacturing CEP compensation evaluation.
Issues and ConclusionsAfter reading the PDQ memo, it was quite clear very quickly what the issue with the memo was. The Human Resources (HR) Department were charged with the task of reviewing the current CEO’s compensation plan. The issues that were evident to me were, whether the compensation level for Raymond James was appropriate for the position with relation to the current industry standards. The second issue, identified by HR was the fact, that for six years ‘the company experienced only 3% overall growth while the CEO salary increased by 48%’ (Mark Headlee, personal communication, October 1, 2011). Thirdly, the HR Department identified the respect of union workers had been lost due to the flyer being circulated that taunted an unflattering Raymond James as CEO. According to the HR representative, ‘once the respect of other employees had been lost it would be too difficult
It turned out the flyer was the product of a “campaign” that was launched out of solidarity with Raymond James that included a section on his “sister company.” The HR representative asked the HR employee how to be supportive of Raymond James, and she responded that this was a “campaign”. The HR representative then asked how to be able to “understand the needs of each organization and how to plan ahead”. The HR representative then made the following remark: “So if the question was ‘wouldn’t this have worked as well as it should’, and if so it would have, does the HR employee remember this, and are you certain that there would have been some agreement and cooperation between us to make this happen?”‡ Well, after the fact, I was shocked. I had thought the HR employee was a little too dismissive. What she was saying was that, if the CEO compensation would not have risen with the promotion, the “sister company” would have fallen, which is true. The HR representative, who was in contact with the HR representative, said, “but you’re not sure about this one. That really doesn’t answer some of the question.
There is one other point that I don’t agree with. The answer is absolutely incorrect. Not only are some of our top executives responsible for managing their companies, but they have been accountable to a system that they are not. The fact that the CEO was being paid so much less does not make any logical sense because a system in place for the CEO to manage companies is based on a very large percentage of a CEO. To me, for example, the reason that I see in HR is not because some employees are not very loyal to them, but rather because they are underpaid. The HR personnel at HR can do some of the most difficult things in the management system; even when they have so many talented people at their disposal who get to be the most accountable people in the job. Those who have worked in the “new” company management system have found a lot of success from all this work, even though it includes many aspects not considered necessary within the old system. Not only that, but it also contains many of the things people have already said about other people who have also worked in the old system.
In general, the HR personnel at HR have their say regarding the future terms of their employment. These decisions are made by them, and if any problems developed, they are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, according to them. Sometimes the decision for a manager to let someone in is based on very high stakes. Sometimes the CEO may even go so far as letting them go as much as he pleases, which isn’t how they operate. It takes some discretion. Unfortunately, with little flexibility in the organization, I have found myself not only doing all this wrong and still failing to understand what I’m doing wrong, but now I find myself having to take some very hard hard decisions that I believe really hurt my bottom line.
On one side of this debate are the people I love so dearly. Many HR professionals are quite a bit less concerned with their own well-being. I know this isn’t just because I’m doing well, I know it’s because I’m putting my career at the forefront of my life through my profession. I know it’s because my life is just getting better. My son, who is