(Feature image credit: www.gse.harvard.edu)
Critical thinkers can draw reasonable conclusions from a set of information, and discriminate between useful and less useful details to solve problems or make decisions.
We know that critical thinking is necessary and crucial for our work, but how do we get to the
“Oh! I know!” or
“Hmmm, what if we…” moments?
Those “aha” moments don’t always come quickly enough and some specific steps and questions can help us get there
The question is ,What is critical thinking?
It is Simply “Thinking about thinking”
Thus making us able to take charge of our own thinking
Leading researchers defines critical thinking as:
Robert Ennis’s classic definition:
Critical thinking is reasonable, reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do
Matthew Lipman’s definition:
Critical thinking is skillful,responsible thinking that is conducive to good judgment because it is sensitive to context, relies on criteria, and is self-correcting
Richard Paul definition:
Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking, while you’re thinking, in order to make your thinking better
Ultimately all the definitions point towards : An art of analyzing and evaluating thinking with a view to improving it.
As leaders, we use critical thinking to help us make well thought-out evaluations and judgements in tasks such as strategic planning, project management, evaluating business processes, listening to co-workers, mediating conflicts and solving complex problems.
What could be the possible Characteristics of a critical thinker?
- Consider your interactions at work
- Can you answer yes to the following statements?
- I can work with someone new by making a logical plan.
- I can tell the difference between facts and opinions.
- I evaluate evidence to decide whether an opinion is reasonable.
- I change my mind when I find evidence that shows I may not be correct.
- I can look at a problem from different angles.
- I can ask relevant and probative questions.
- I recognize preconceptions, bias, and values in myself and others.
- I can question the bases for my own beliefs and opinions.
Critical thinking processes are most often used with ill-defined problems, i.e., problems that are complex and do not have clear outcomes or an expected solution.
There is no “correct” answer for these problems. However, there are better ways to approach the problem in order to produce the desired results. These types of problems are adaptive and require a systematic approach. Without it the team may fail to reach its strategic goals.
How can you use this systematic process for critical thinking to achieve the best results?
To achieve the best results, it is recommended that you complete the entire process following the steps in order, while diving deeply into the questions provided in the chart below.
All steps are necessary to ensure your team members systematically creates a thoroughly considered solution for the problem.
- PRESENTATION – Team Lead presents the facts of the challenge, problem or situation to the team. Provide previous solutions that have been tried
- INTERPRETATION – Ask Questions, to clarify the problem What is happening?, What is the significance and who is involved?
- ANALYSIS – Discuss the problem, explore each person’s judgement, arguments, opinions, and conclusions. What evidence is provided to backup the team’s experiences, beliefs and opinions shaping the ideas?
- INFERENCE – Brainstorm possible solutions using all data and information available. What facts are used to draw reasonable conclusions? What are the possible alternatives?What are the consequences of these outcomes?
- SLEEPING OVER – Take a break, reflects on it, gather as much additional data possible
- EVALUATION – Have a Recap from previous meeting and lead to ask questions about their reasoning and conclusions. Team members evaluate the validity of their argument or solution
- EXPLAINATION – Formally verbalize and outline their explanation of their proposed decision or solution
- SELF REGULATION – Lead now questions, confirms, validates and connects the proposed decision or solution to ensure a complete process and conclusion
- ACTION PLAN – Lead now outlines specific action steps and assigns a team member to each task with expected deadlines
It can be helpful to use roles during the process and highly recommended to set a time limit for each section. Consider roles like Team Leader, Facilitator, Time keeper, Note-taker etc. to facilitate the best possible outcome during the critical thinking process.
Using this process will not only aid your team in making well thought-out decisions on complex and ill-defined problems, but it will also provide a foundation for your team members to practice their critical thinking skills.
When asking for feedback on any project, your team will learn to pose a series of questions first rather than stating their opinion. This is a reflective practice that creates deeper thinking and a meaningful conversation about the work. Consider this process for strategic planning, project management, evaluating business processes, listening to co-workers, mediating conflicts and solving complex problems. Find the root cause, make informed decisions, and be sure to execute with trackable action steps!
Sources: (Sources: ; http://cdavisengl.weebly.com/ ; https://www.pearsonhighered.com/ ; http://assets.cambridge.org/ ; http://leadership.hr.ufl.edu/ ; http://www.edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ ; https://facultycenter.ischool.syr.edu/ ; https://www.thoughtco.com/)