Critical thinking

METHULI MBANJWA, FORETHOUGHT AFRICA

Methuli Mbanjwa is a Co-founder and Director at Forethought Africa and Partner at Embedding Impact. Methuli holds an MBA from UCT, a Master’s degree in Chemistry and a number of professional qualifications, including completion of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership’s Prince of Wales Business and Sustainability Programme for Senior Executives.

Critical thinking is increasingly important in our personal as well as our professional lives. When we consume information (online or in person), we have to be able to discern between what is factual and that which is not. This becomes especially important when you navigate a space that is filled with misinformation and fake news.

Critical thinking aids in your judgement of the information you consume. It helps you to know which advert on your phone is worth checking out. It’s what helps you know whether you have really won 2 million dollars with that random SMS or not. It teaches you to check where the source of a news headline is coming from. And, in a job, it gives you the ability to weigh up information, scrutinise it and form a logical conclusion.

Be active in thinking about information – do not simply follow a take-in and respond approach. There are many examples out there of what happens when an action is taken without deliberately thinking through the information and the potential impact of an action – think, for example, of how decisions made for global economic progress over the years have contributed to negative social and environmental outcomes. A courageous leader needs to be able to examine the facts and come up with lasting solutions.

Although there is substantial evidence on the need for critical thinking as a skill, there is still limited focus on it in education. In my personal experience, fresh graduates tend to be great at researching, absorbing material and reproducing it. The key skill required, however, goes beyond this – it is necessary that a person is able to “process” the information beyond just the superficial and formulate their own conclusions and opinions.

What emerging ideas can you observe from the information? Are they connected with each other or any other information or themes outside of the source? Is there some logical process towards a logical conclusion? In the end, the most valued team member is the one who can solve complex problems. At the very basic level, can you differentiate between idea, fact or opinion? When someone makes a claim about a study, are you able to determine whether it is valid? There are a number of tools and methods that can be used to either guide or ingrain critical thinking processes. Our thinking on a daily basis is not critical, and the opposite is not automatic.

Follow these 7 steps in developing critical thinking

1. Ask basic questions.

Using the basic questioning of What, Why, When, Who, How. There could be simple solutions that could emerge from a simple questioning before getting into complexity.

2. Question basic assumptions

What are assumptions and beliefs that I have premised my approach on? Are these valid under the circumstances?

3. Be aware of your mental processes

What are your departing positions in terms of bias, prejudices or judgements? This objective awareness enables you to self-evaluate whether you negatively influence your approach.

Like any skill or technique, the more you practice, the better you become at it, and you will eventually be more comfortable to shift to critical thinking when dealing with everyday problems. However, whether one is applying the tool for everyday challenges or in the work context, there must be a deliberate intention to be critical.

4. Try reversing it

When stuck, see if you can reverse the relationship. Other causal relationships can emerge when considering things from a different perspective.

5. Evaluate the existing evidence

What other evidence exists to support or provide a different perspective? Other evidence might provide contrasting or supporting data to better understand the factors and context.

6. Remember to think for yourself

Your own perspective is as important as other sources of information or research. Remember that your own thoughts or assessment may hold the right answer.

7. No one thinks critically 100% of the time

Recognise that you do not always have to have your critical thinking cap on. Yes, use critical thinking as a tool when it matters – for important decisions and difficult problems. But it is normal to default to normal thinking now and then.