Critical thinking is the process of analyzing information to get the best answer to a question or problem. By drawing upon your own experience, reasoning, observation and communication with others, you can make informed decisions that yield positive solutions. Learn how to improve your critical thinking skills in the workplace so you can become a more effective employee.
Why critical thinking is important
Critical thinkers are in high demand in the workplace because companies always need better, more informed solutions
- Improve decision-making
- Form your own opinions on a topic
- Engage on a deeper intellectual level with coworkers
- Evaluate your own work to improve quality and efficiency
- Develop better comprehension skills
Evaluate existing evidence
Use previous experience and facts to help you make your current decision
- What did you learn from that experience
- By conducting research, sorting facts and using previous experience as existing evidence you can arrive at a more applicable and effective solution to work with in your present.
Steps of Critical Thinking
Identify the problem or question
- Gather and organize information
- Analyze the data and sources
- Determine the significance of data
- Make a decision
- Communicate your conclusion to stakeholders
- Present your final decision to the stakeholders
Practice active listening
Listen carefully and attentively while coworkers and supervisors are talking, and focus on understanding their perspective(s).
Become more self-aware
Consider your thought process, values, morals, ethics and other beliefs
- Think objectively about your likes and dislikes
- Knowing what your personal preferences, strengths/weaknesses and biases are can help you better understand why you approach situations from a certain perspective
Ask questions
When you’re not sure, always ask questions.
Understand your mental process
How you receive and process information is vital to becoming more mentally efficient in the workplace
- Being a critical thinker means recognizing your own prejudices and how they influence solutions
- Analyzing mental processes before making a work decision can help you act more objectively
Develop foresight
Determine the possible outcomes of a situation and what might change, both positively and negatively
