Critical Thinking Skills in Talent Management

Arguably THE most important competency in today’s world

What is Critical Thinking

what is critical thinking

In its widest context, critical thinking is the process of actively making sense out of  information that we receive from our observations and experiences,  and from a vast range of information media across our personal, work and political lives.

Rather than just passively accepting information, critical thinkers question the validity of the data, the context in which it is presented an the possible motivations for producing it.

It is a vital part of problem solving and decision making.

The precise definition of critical thinking is still debated.  Most experts agree that it is a collection of cognitive and meta cognitive abilities.

Some definitions include problem solving and creative thinking – but the most usual components are interpretation, analysis, evaluation, and inference.    Problem solving and creative thinking have their own distinct steps.

Meta cognition means the practice of being aware of our own thinking and thinking patterns – thinking about thinking.

Many experts suggests people must also have the disposition to critical thinking.  It is not enough to have the cognitive abilities, there must also be an inclination to actively use them when receiving information.

Why is critical thinking so important today?

The digital age,  and especially the rise of social media,  has brought an explosion of information and unprecedented access to it. But this is  an environment rife with misinformation, ‘fake news’,  bias, and unverified claims.  See our article on mis and disinformation.

People need critical thinking skills in order to identify what is credible and what is not.

Many current political and global challenges such as economic issues, healthcare, education and climate change, are complex problems with many variables,  interactions and hidden agendas.  Critical thinking skills help us to evaluate these issues in depth, gather and review evidence,  and apply logic rather than emotion in coming to a position.

In the workplace activity and problems are more complex and specialised than in the pre digital era.  Staff need critical thinking skills especially in high stakes industries such as healthcare, engineering and technology where the consequences of mistakes are serious.

Then too our personal lives are more complex today with a huge increase in laws, regulations and information.  Decisions on relationships, finances and health  are no longer straight forward – thay require the ability to evaluate information and alternatives and come to rational conclusions.

challenge - critical thinking

Critical Thinking Models

There are many well known models of thinking that are used to help people develop critical thinking skills.

Blooms taxonomy - thinking

Blooms Taxonomy is used in Competency Development and the development of learning materials.  Benjamin Bloom was an educational psychologist who developed the taxonomy to help teachers prepare material better suited to the strage of learning.

The taxonomy is presented as a pyramid.

At the Foundation for Critical Thinking Richard Paul and Linda Elder identify the elements of thought as

  • a problem or issue
  • purpose – objective
  • information – data, facts, observations and experiences
  • concepts – categories, principles, models
  • interpretation and inference
  • assumptions
  • implications, consequences
  • Perspectives, points of view

elements of critical thinking

They list the objectives of critical thinking as to achieve/identify

  • Clarity
  • Accuracy
  • Precision – specifics
  • Relevance
  • Depth – consideration of complexities
  • Breadth – of perspectives
  • Significance – what really matters
  • Fairness – expose bias and hidden agendas
  • Logic – considering all what follows.

Critical Thinking Disposition

People who don’t have the disposition for critical thinking tend to;

  • Show little interest in getting to the facts
  • be disorganised and simplistic in their thinking
  • jump quickly to conclusions or procrastinate in making decisions
  • to be close minded and inflexible and deny their own bias
  • be unwilling to reconsider their opinion
  • be ineffective at judging the quality of arguments
  • not value reasoning as a way of solving problems
  • apply unreasonable criteria to decisions
  • give up at the first sign of difficulty
Critical Thinking disposition

People who have the disposition for critical thinking tend to;

  • be inqusitive and concerned to be well informed
  • be open minded and flexible in considering alternatives and opinions
  • be willing to reconsider their own opinions when warranted
  • show honesty in recognising own bias and stereotypical views
  • exercise clarity and precision in working with information and identifying priorities
  • be diligent in working to gather relevant information
  • show fairness in selecting and applying judgement criteria
  • value scientific and reasoned inquiry and feel competent using it
  • display persistence when difficulties are encountered

Critical Thinking Assessment

There are many psychometric tests of  critical thinking –  most of them assess ability to

  • Define complex problems and situations clearly and objectively
  • Readily identify subtle and obvious information needed to enhance decision making or Problemsolving effectiveness
  • Apply sound logic and reasoning when analyzing information
  • Consistently draw accurate conclusions from information
  • Develop strong arguments for the support of ideas

The California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) assesses problem analysis, interpretation, inference, evaluation of arguments, explanation (providing evidence, assumptions, and rational decision-making), induction, deduction, and numeracy (quantitative reasoning).
The Cornell Critical Thinking Test (CCTT) assesses induction, deduction, credibility, and the identification of assumption
The Test of Everyday Reasoning (TER) looks at abilities for analysis, interpretation, inference, evaluation, explanation, numeracy, deduction, and induction.

The Watson–GlaserTM II Critical Thinking Appraisal (W-GII) assesses

  • inference – the ability to discriminate among degrees of truth or falsity of  inferences drawn from given information,
  • assumptions – recognition of unstated assumptions or presuppositions in given statements or assertions.
  • deduction – determining whether certain conclusions necessarily follow from information in given statements or premises.
  • interpretation – weighing evidence and deciding if generalisations or conclusions based on the given data are warranted
  • argument evaluation – distinguishing between arguments that are strong and relevant, and those that are weak or irrelevant to a particular question at issue.

To review critical thinking disposition;

The California Critical Thinking Dispositions Inventory (CCTDI) assesses truth-seeking, open-mindedness, analyticity, systematicity, critical thinking confidence, inquisitiveness, and maturity of judgment

The California Measure of Mental Motivation (CM3) assesses learning orientation, creative problem solving, mental focus, and cognitive integrity.

Can Critical Thinking be learned?

We aren’t born with critical thinking skills.  In the past they have been learnt tacitly by those in tertiary education where research, interpretation and evaluation of information, concepts and theories is the core activity.

Today with the increasing compexity of everyday life and the workplace cricial thinking is regarded as a fundamental life skill. Cambridge University has a basic guide for exploring these skills at school and in the workplace

There is no consensus on how to go about teaching critical thinking skills.  One theory is that they can be taught in a general way and then applied to different contexts.  However the evidence is that this has limited success. Most likely because research shows knowledge and skills learnt in one context are not reliably transferred to a different situation – unless a link is provided.

Others believe critical thinking skills can only be taught in a particular context or specialisation.  For example evaluating political arguments is quite different than evaluating scientific rsearch reports which  use the scientific method of hypothesis, data gathering and analysis and conclusions on validity of the hypothesis.  In fact some critical thinking skills may be more general and others more applicable to specific contexts.

One thing seems clear – that to be able to think critically about something one must have a certain amount of knowledge of it.  Experts differ from novices in the extent and depth of domain knowledge they have – enabling them to see the “deep structure of problems” and thus the ability to find solutions to seemingly new situations.