India’s new age workforce requires critical thinking skills; here’s how to develop this

In the fast-paced world of business, the ability to think critically and employ analytical skills is becoming undeniably important. While individuals need to equip themselves with skills and knowledge to ensure they are always ahead of the curve, organisations must cultivate a culture that values continuous learning and innovative thinking.

Breaking Down Barriers and Thinking Creatively

At the heart of developing critical thinking is for individuals to broaden their perspectives by reading case studies. Individuals should read a variety of case studies, not limited to just business cases. Stories of success and failure from various fields often follow certain patterns that can be duplicated. Exploring literature from various fields such as sociology, crime, mystery, and anthropology can further expand outlooks, allowing them to become multi-dimensional and allow them to think tangentially.  After all, businesses are not isolated entities- they don’t flourish in silos. Thus, gaining knowledge from diverse sources will certainly go a long way in improving people’s critical thinking and analysing abilities. Moreover, by breaking down barriers and thinking creatively, individuals can apply their acquired insights from different domains to address intricate challenges at the workplace.

Simplifying Complex Ideas with Mental Models

Critical thinking isn't solely about accumulating facts; it's also about simplifying complex information into comprehensible mental models. Individuals need to work towards constructing these mental models or thinking templates and develop the power of abstraction to create mental models. Success is achieved when they can summarise the gamut of knowledge they have gained in a succinct manner.  This approach enables individuals to grasp the bigger picture, draw connections between seemingly unrelated concepts and improve their decision-making skills.

Embracing Risk and Fostering Innovation

Organisations play a vital role in instilling a culture of continuous learning. Most importantly, workplaces should welcome risk-taking and experimentation among their employees. Venturing into uncharted territory carries the possibility of failure, but this should not discourage individuals from thinking innovatively. A high tolerance for failure and ambiguity becomes essential. Employees should be empowered to experiment and learn from setbacks, even if immediate success is not guaranteed. The idea is to keep tinkling with out-of-the-box ideas, fail, shake it off and try again.

Promoting Collaboration Across Disciplines

To allow employees to innovate without hindrance, hierarchies in companies should be dissolved as they can impede innovation. Allowing creative freedom being the byword, companies should strive for flatter organisational structures that promote collaboration across different departments. A matrix level of structure, where employees may report to more than one manager or have multiple channels for communication and collaboration encourages continuous learning. Further, employees should have the autonomy to explore their ideas without being burdened by the need for approval at every hierarchical level. It is a proven fact that it is only collaboration that encourages fresh ideas, and interactions among diverse teams produce valuable insights.

Creating Supportive Work Environments

Physical workspaces and proper infrastructure are imperative for any workplace. Common meeting rooms, comfortable lounges, and collaborative spaces encourage employees to relax, brainstorm, and discuss ideas. These spaces serve as hubs for creative thinking and facilitate critical analysis and problem-solving.

Aligning Goals and Prioritising Team Objectives

Another significant factor in continuous learning is alignment - it is key to effective learning and development. Key Result Areas (KRAs) of an organization should align with its principal objectives. This ensures that individual efforts contribute to the collective vision. Moreover, goal-setting should be a collaborative effort rather than an individual activity. This promotes collective growth and strengthens a culture of teamwork, which results in creative ideas and innovation.

Leadership Backing and Open Communication

For a culture of continuous learning to flourish, it requires support from leadership and transparent communication, which need not always be the top-down method. Leaders should actively participate in workshops and training programs, setting a positive example for others.

Investing in Employee Development

Human Resources (HR) has to play a key role in the skill upgradation of the employees. It can do this by investing in organising workshops, training programs, and Management Development Programs (MDPs) to equip its employees with the tools and knowledge needed to boost their analytical capabilities.

When individuals develop an analytical mindset by thinking like programmers, exhibiting structured and logical thinking and organisations contribute to providing a dynamic and vibrant work environment for their people to think freely, it not only gives the organisation a competitive edge but also a workforce that is equipped to handle the challenges of the future.

Conclusion

While the points discussed here are by no means as exhaustive, but they could be pivotal to steer employee engagement to more collaboration, inclusivity and innovation in workplace.

Views are personal. The author is Program Chair, School of Business Management, NMIMS, Hyderabad campus.