Critical thinking in the workplace is the habit of basing decisions on concrete evidence rather than gut feeling, so choices can be defended beyond personal instinct. In a survey of more than 400 senior HR experts, it ranked as the most important skill employees would need over the next five years, ahead of innovation and IT skills.
Last updated · Bodhih Insights team · reviewed by Siddharthan VGJ, Founder
“Using a structured thinking process will actually save employees time in the long run because they avoid making mistakes such as jumping to the wrong conclusion or making a decision that others reject down the road.” said Jen Lawrence, co-author of “Engage the Fox: A Business Fable About Thinking Critically and Motivating Your Team” (Greenleaf Book Group Press, 2014). Development in thinking requires a gradual process requiring plateaus of learning and just plain hard work. It is not possible to become an excellent thinker simply because one wills it. Changing one’s habits of thought is a long-range project, happening over years, not weeks or months. The essential traits of a critical thinker require an extended period of development.
How, then, can we develop as critical thinkers? How can we help ourselves practice better thinking in everyday life?
Critical thinkers are open-minded, poised, unequivocal, not dependent on others’ consent and are capable of seeing past their emotions when making decisions, Siebold said. To think critically, he advised asking oneself, how one makes most of their decisions. Is it based on concrete proof, rather than a gut feeling? Can the decision be defended beyond the individual’s instinct, or be upheld by anything that is not emotionally related? If a person can answer “yes” to these questions, he or she is engaging in a critical thought process.
Critical thinking, perhaps more than any other business skill set, can make the difference between success and failure.
Quick answers
How can employees develop critical thinking?
Start by examining how you make most decisions. Ask whether a decision rests on concrete proof rather than a gut feeling, and whether it can be defended by something other than instinct or emotion. Using a structured thinking process saves time by avoiding wrong conclusions, but changing habits of thought is a long-term effort that takes years, not weeks.
