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Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It's Important
Indeed Editorial Team
Updated July 31, 2023
Critical thinking is a key soft skill in the workplace. After all, critical thinking helps employees solve problems and build strategies that make them better at their jobs. For this reason, employers may look to hire employees who have strong critical thinking skills.
In this article, we'll talk about the importance of critical thinking in the workplace and what it means for you as an employee.
What is critical thinking?
People exercise critical thinking by using rationality to determine what to do or believe in a specific situation. Employees who can engage in critical thinking are reflective, independent and competent.
If you practice critical thinking, you logically connect ideas, scrutinize and evaluate arguments, find inconsistencies and errors in your work and the work of others, solve complex problems and engage in reflection.
A critical thinker doesn’t only accumulate information well, but they also know how to use the information to deduce facts and determine outcomes. By conceptualizing outcomes, critical thinkers tend to be better at solving problems than people who simply memorize information.
Because of this, employers value critical thinking—especially in roles where preparing strategy is an essential part of the job. Critical thinking is considered a soft skill, which means it's a skill inherent in a person’s personality. That said, it is possible to develop this skill.
Critical thinking in the workplace
Here are some of the ways critical thinking is important to the workplace:
Some professions require it
For career success in law, education, research, medical, finance and many other career fields, it's important to display critical thinking skills. It's an essential facet of any profession where the goal is to deduce information objectively without bias, analyze the context, solve creative problems and come up with realistic solutions.
Decision-making improves
Applying critical thinking helps you make decisions that require a lot of thought. Big, life-changing decisions, like whether or not to make a career move, are aided by critical thinking, which encourages you to research and favor objective logic over your initial emotional response.
Read more: 12 Decision-Making Strategies
Critical thinkers are happier
Critical thinking helps people better understand themselves, their motivations and goals. When you can deduce information to find the most important parts and apply those to your life, you can change your situation and promote personal growth and overall happiness.
Being well-informed is a bonus
In an age when people have more access to information than ever before, critical thinkers excel at research and finding the most important pieces of information that make them well-informed on any given topic. This is helpful in workplace discussions and when positioning yourself as a thought-leader in your industry.
It encourages self-reflection
Critical thinkers have the inherent ability to see challenges from several perspectives. By deflecting the reaction to defend their personal beliefs, critical thinkers are more self-reflective and can change their minds and opinions in light of new information.
How to improve critical thinking skills
Here's how to improve your critical thinking skills:
1. Evaluate new information
The first step to thinking critically is to accept information only after evaluating it. Whether it's something read or heard, critical thinkers strive to find the objective truth. In doing this, these employees evaluate by considering possible challenges and solutions. This process of vetting new information and considering outcomes is called evaluation.
2. Consider the source
Next, you should consider where you are getting your information from. For example, if the new information comes from an advertisement, understanding that the ad is a marketing technique designed to sell a product will help you evaluate potential bias.
Each piece of information you receive was given to you by someone with the motivation to exchange knowledge. Critical thinkers evaluate the source by considering their motivation for providing information.
3. Ask lots of questions
Asking questions is an important skill to master if you are trying to perfect your critical thinking skills. When presented with information, you need to decide what questions will help you evaluate it better. Some examples include:
In what ways can this problem be solved?
Who is providing this information?
Why is this information being provided?
What other perspectives exist on this topic?
What research exists on the issue?
4. Follow up with research
Before you can form your own opinion using critical thinking, you need to do your own research. Once you've brainstormed a list of questions that need answers, you can use resources like the internet, to learn what you can about the issue.
If you decide to look online, look for reputable information from sources like syndicated news sites, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations. Other options are to use resources like the encyclopedia, or review materials at your local library.
5. Form an opinion
With answers to critical questions, you can form your opinion. In this step, you can be confident that you are basing your opinion on logical, factual information because you've followed the steps to thinking critically.
Critical thinking skills on a resume
If you want to highlight your critical thinking in the skills section of your resume, consider using terms like the following:
Observation skills: These skills are important to critical thinking overall because observation is a primary way people receive information. When employees see how to complete a task or observe the actions of their coworkers in a staff meeting, that serves as a starting point for evaluation.
Analytical skills: Evaluation and analysis are synonyms. Analysis implies the technical review of information and the ability to draw educated inferences from it.
Communication skills: When it comes to critical thinking, it's important to be able to communicate ideas and strategies that help you do your job better or make your team stronger.
Problem-solving skills: After identifying an issue, critical thinkers come up with solutions and outcomes. This process is commonly known as problem-solving on a resume.
Frequently asked questions
Can critical thinking help you solve problems?
Critical thinking can help you solve problems because it enables you to analyze a problem and determine potential solutions. You can also use critical thinking to determine the benefits and challenges of each potential solution so you can choose the best one to implement.
What are the principles of critical thinking?
Critical thinking involves several principles, including identifying a problem, asking questions and determining a logical answer or solution. Some other steps you may take to think critically include:
Perform research
Gather evidence
Evaluate the credibility of evidence or research
Use objectivity
Consider various possible solutions and outcomes
What's an example of critical thinking in the workplace?
An example of critical thinking in the workplace is performing a self-evaluation. You can use critical thinking to analyze your performance and your contributions to a team or organization. For example, you may examine your performance reviews and collect information about the impacts you've made to help you assess your own work fairly.
Contact Georgia Lee Arts, founder of Elysian Dream at georgia.elysiandream@gmail.com or elysiandream.net if you have questions.
Article by Indeed: Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It's Important | Indeed.com
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