Engaging Your Team in Critical Thinking

It is our nature to think—we all do it, obviously. However, a good share of our thinking is biased, distorted, or incomplete. Critical thinking is an essential skill for both managers and employees. Few of us are effective critical thinkers though research suggests that leaders believe they think quite well. Critical thinking ensures we pose the right questions, view others’ viewpoints with merit, and challenge assumptions in strategic thinking, decision making and problem solving. Non-critical thinkers shoot down ideas before they are understood, or take action based on faulty assumptions resulting in a business disaster. Teams, as well as individuals, must learn to think critically which requires a work atmosphere that is conducive to challenging others’ perspectives. Critical thinking enables teams to develop positive insights and ideas that lead to effective action. It focuses on reframing and rethinking issues so that the right problems are addressed, and requires challenging conventional wisdom. Using the process of critical thinking leads to reasoned conclusions, better decisions, fewer mistakes, and improves collaboration among team members.

Learning Objectives

• Define critical thinking
• List characteristics of critical thinkers
• Examine the critical thinking process
• Explore the elements of reasoning
• Discuss critical thinking techniques
• Identify organizational, team, and individual critical thinking barriers

Who should Attend?

• HR
• Management
• Any Employee