Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

We have all had this experience.  We were in a meeting where the assembled participants struggled with a problem; progress was slow, frustration high and momentum fleeting.  Then, just when advancement appeared to arrest, a member offers a thought that captured the essence of the prior discussion and posed an elegant solution to the issue at hand.  Our reaction; “I wish I had thought of that.” For that brief moment we were energized to enhance our decision-making.  We pined for this leader/problem solver image.  Following is a brief synopsis of how such decision-making occurs.

Much of human thought is accomplished in a lazy or tired mind fashion. Outcomes are realized with a minimum of mental effort.  Decisions and observations are frequently linear extrapolations from prior experiences or commonly held opinions.  This method of thinking has a “what was” foundation. Henry Sidgwick, the noted author, describes thinking as: We think so because other people all think so; or because – after all we do think so; or because we were told so, and think we must think so; or because we once thought so, and think we still think so; or because, having thought so, we think we will think so. Obvious from this description is that fact that critical thinking is not being realized. (Sedgwick, P1)

Critical thinking is different.  It employs a unique, disciplined approach to problem solving. Critical thinkers concentrate on “what ought to be,” and utilize a structured, evaluative process that probes and investigates to the very basic levels of an issue. Moreover, they synthesize many inputs into comprehensive solutions, when rendering decisions. The Critical Thinking Society, a foundation dedicated to the continued development of critical thinking skills, describe this process as: “Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness. (Critical Thinking Community, P2)

The importance of critical thinking cannot be overstressed, particularly for leaders. Leaders must tender decisions that provide optimum outcomes for a large and varied group of stakeholders. Employees, customers, investors and local communities all have expectations that leaders; when creating strategy, instituting policy, or resolving problems, appropriately investigate all relevant issues and viable alternatives before taking action.  Moreover, these stakeholders hold beliefs that leaders must dispatch this decision-making responsibility in a timely fashion. Fortunately, timeliness and quality are not mutually exclusive, both may be simultaneously realized when the disciplines of critical thinking are employed in a decision-making system.

The key observation here is that quality decision-making is a system. Effective leaders understand and embrace this structured approach, rather than view decision-making as a natural right of position; an approach that results in the issuance of authoritative directives.  The systemic approach, which has critical thinking as its engine, requires that an optimal outcome be defined, that present conditions are fully delineated and that proposed actions, decisions, aptly address the matter at hand.  Critical thinking, as defined above, allows leaders to conduct high quality investigations, which prod to the root causes of issues and the viability of alternative measures. This is not to say that past experience is not valued, it is, but only as one input to this structured process.  This is not saying that personal opinion is not valued, it is, but only as another input to the structured process.  Each input into a decision-making system must be critically questioned, probed, investigated and broken down to its basic elements. Similarly, every potential solution must be critically challenged, all “what ifs” must be completely answered and quantified/qualified modeling of alternatives must be accomplished to ensure desired results will be realized from proposed decisions.

Valued and successful leaders are recognized for doing things right the first time. Such leaders demonstrate decision-making skills that make optimal use of resources and build confidence in organizations. These leaders also exhibit a mastery of the critical thinking system.

by Ted Hatch

Foundation for Critical Thinking (Critical Thinking Community)

http://www.criticalthinking.org

 

Sedgwick, Henry: Personal Communication, January 1940.