Critical Thinking in Action

Notably, critical thinking is purposeful and involves a comprehensive analysis of the situation following a manual or set framework. This paper discusses the Panera bread situation, including a brief mention of how critical thinking and VUCA factored into the resolution as well as a discussion of the challenge in another company. The paper will apply the framework for critical thinking as outlined by Kallet to the identified problem. Further, the article will recommend an evidence-based solution to the situation as well as explain how VUCA affects the situation and the recommendation. Panera Bread Situation and Identified Problem The Panera Bread Company clients had to queue for about eight minutes before placing an order. Notably, the ordering process, kitchen display revamping, and rapid delivery system were settled on based on the prevailing situations in the market.

Similar to critical thinking, VUCA leadership requires an individual to see through the chaos and have a clear vision for the business. Clearly, the Panera Bread company leadership applied these concepts by articulating a vision, with a clear understanding of the ability of the firm. The managers courageously stepped up to these challenges and realigned the service delivery system (George, 2017). Contrary to the success of Panera bread company technology adoption, Starbucks has experienced challenges as clients migrate to the mobile app. Finally, Panera Bread Company tested and evaluated each solution and confirmed its viability before scaling it up to all restaurants (Paul & Elder, 2006). Notably, there is a need to clearly understand the situation and make rapid and accurate conclusions that will eliminate the current client experiences.

Moreover, it is a basis through which Starbucks can identify new business strategies and implement them so as to enhance their competitive advantage (Baertlein, 2018). Notably, there are perceived dead-ends in the current mobile app usage at Starbucks, hence early elimination warrants success of the business and benefits for all stakeholders. Through the critical thinking framework applied at Panera Bread Company, the intervention proposed or decided will be based on working concepts and ideas that have been tested and proven. Conclusions From the discussion, critical thinking is a manual for thinking that allows leaders to purposefully and without partiality address the core issues affecting a business. Critical thinking is beneficial because it allows clarity in understanding problems as well as facilitates making faster and accurate decisions.