Critical thinking helps managers work through problems

Critical thinking is the ability to use intelligence, knowledge and skills to question and carefully explore situations and arrive at thoughtful conclusions based on evidence and reason. The critical thinking approach is a powerful analytical method which helps managers and entrepreneurs to consider intended and unintended consequences of behaviors on their teams, organizations and communities.

By Christopher Neck

Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.

— Albert Einstein

Critical thinking is the ability to use intelligence, knowledge and skills to question and carefully explore situations and arrive at thoughtful conclusions based on evidence and reason. The critical thinking approach is a powerful analytical method which helps managers and entrepreneurs to consider intended and unintended consequences of behaviors on their teams, organizations and communities. Organizations need managers who think independently without judgment and bias and predict patterns of behaviors and processes. They ask the right questions: how and why versus just what, in order to make effective and thoughtful decisions.

The latest research shows businesses are desperate to attract employees with critical thinking skills, because organizations are undergoing such rapid change that they need employees to consistently introduce new, fresh ideas to stay ahead of the competition.

Time and again, research has shown the effectiveness of critical thinking in the workplace. A recent article published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, reports that cognitive ability tests, including critical thinking tests ". . . are among the strongest and most consistent predictors of performance across academic and work settings."

The process of critical thinking provides you with the tools to make better decisions as a manager, and help you to predict the effects and consequences of those decisions. Research suggests seven steps to the effective critical thinking:

1. Observe (recognize the behavior)
2. Interpret (understand the cause and effects of behavior)
3. Analyze (investigate the causes and effects of behavior)
4. Infer (propose paths to change behavior)
5. Evaluate (assess the consequences of changing behavior)
6. Explain (justify a change to behavior)
7. Meta-think (consider the process used to propose this behavior change)

For example, suppose that you own a local restaurant. One of your waiting staff has persistently failed to show up for shifts without giving any meaningful reason. As she is one of your most valued workers, you are puzzled by her absenteeism. You become frustrated, but because you don’t have all the facts, you decide to use critical thinking skills to investigate the real source of the problem.

The next time she comes to work, you observe the situation objectively, suspending all bias and judgment. You notice that she is abrupt with customers, doesn’t attempt to communicate with her fellow colleagues and walks across the restaurant with a heavy gait. This helps you to interpret the situation better and you have enough evidence to deduce that your employee is not happy. You might analyze these effects and infer a way to deal with the behavior. The shift manager thinks you should fire her, but she is one of your most competent employees. You decide to evaluate the situation and assess the consequences of trying to change her behavior. You explain to your manager why you believe that an attempt to change the behavior might be justified. Finally, you need to meta-think by arranging a process to instigate this behavior change.

You set up a meeting with the employee to ascertain the reasons behind her unexplained absences. She apologizes and tells you she has become dissatisfied with her job, and would much rather work at the front desk of the restaurant, greeting customers and taking reservations. You decide to give her a trial period in this role, and she immediately becomes more motivated, and her attendance is impeccable.

Of course, there could be many ways to handle this dilemma, but critical thinking helps you find the best solution for each situation when dealing with the complexities of real-life challenges.

Christopher P. Neck is an associate professor of management and author of the soon to be released textbook, Organizational Behavior: A Critical Thinking Approach, SAGE, 2016.