You Don’t Need a Ph.D. to Think

I just signed up for an event that focuses on critical thinking, and just looking at the schedule made me want to slam my head on my desk.  I’m even passionate about the topic of critical thinking and I’m already prepared to be bored to tears.  Do you know why 91% of HR managers surveyed said they do not feel competent enough to train critical thinking? It’s because those in academia make it sound so unattainable; as if you need a Ph.D. in Philosophy in order to understand the key concepts.

Yet, it is absolutely attainable- it just hasn’t been framed properly.  Before I go any further, let me be clear- I’m not knocking a philosophical approach to critical thinking.  I’m just saying that there is a time and place for it.  The business place isn’t it.

If you tell a Director of HR that you have a great course covering the historical significance of Socratic questioning and tips for avoiding sociocentric thinking, you will be laughed out of the boardroom before you can say ROI.

If you want to train critical thinking in the workplace, you have to keep it simple and constantly apply the techniques to the real world.  I can define the Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy all day long but no one will remember the concept unless they experience it in real life.  Give someone a set of data, see how quickly their minds try to find patterns, and then when you name the logical fallacy it will have meaning for them.

That’s the difference between training critical thinking for the business and for academia.  You need to use the skills in your next brainstorm meeting, not define them to pass a quiz.

But wait…why is there a difference?  Don’t we want graduates to be able to apply what they’ve learned.  Perhaps the way we are teaching critical thinking in schools is all wrong.

Here’s a fun exercise- go to Twitter and search for the phrase “critical thinking.”  You will find: a) people engaged in political debates using the phrase as an insult and b) students saying how much they hate their critical thinking classes.   Maybe that’s the real reason why graduates are not showing a significant improvement in critical thinking. We aren’t teaching it properly.

The #1 response I get from people who learn the RED Model of Critical Thinking is “I get it, I can remember it, and I can apply it today.”  My boss’s 8 year-old son uses the RED Model when he realizes a flaw in his thinking.  It’s simple enough for an elementary school kid to remember, but strong enough to guide an executive.

The point is, the model doesn’t have to be fancy and inaccessible to be effective.  We need to train critical thinking for life, not for a quiz.

What do you think?  How would you teach critical thinking in schools or the workplace?

Editor’s Note: Breanne Harris is the Solutions Architect for Pearson TalentLens.  She works with customers to design selection and development plans that incorporate critical thinking assessments and training.  She has a Master’s degree in Organizational Psychology and has experience in recruiting, training, and HR consulting.  She is the chief blogger for Critical Thinkers and occasionally posts at ThinkWatson.  Connect with her on LinkedIn and Twitter for more of her thoughts.