During the last three decades, the corporate world has undergone great transformation as the humans are no more living in an industrial age but the information age. Currently, the pace of change has quickened for culture as well as technology that keeps on evolving on daily basis. Since the beginning, those businesses have been deemed successful that have focused on staying ahead of others and providing the consumers with goods/services that match the emerging trends. But this skill has gained significance in the current scenario where the change seems to be the only constant element hence, the need to think critically becoming imperative. In the global world with rapidly changing trends, only those businesses will succeed that can “think outside the box” which means that the managers have the ability to foresee the different opportunities for the future (Watson and Arp).
Critical thinking in itself makes sure that the management as well as the workers weigh all possible options while considering a scenario before reaching a conclusion. Critical thinking is partly a learned skill which the individual learns from experience while partly it reflects own aptitude. In the workplace, a decision is being made every other moment. Sometimes prior experiences may be helpful but mostly, as the dynamics of business keep evolving, the application of the prior experience seems to lose its impact (FORRESTER). So, to survive in the complex and uncertain world, we need to apply our intelligence along with the learned and acquired skills while keeping in focus the experiences too; this means that to solve a problem, the possible solutions should be weighed and analyzed.
The biggest advantage of applying critical thinking skill to management and organization is that generalizations and prejudices are removed as assumptions based on past classifications are not used. The employees and the managers think critically beyond the traditional solutions and eventually bring new ideas that may enhance the level of efficiency in the business. Along with brainstorming and creativity, a significant benefit of thinking critically is that teamwork is promoted as the entire workforce has a chance to get involved (Natale and Ricci). By engaging more people in the process, the company can come up with more solutions. People belonging to diverse backgrounds get a chance to interact and work together in a friendly atmosphere while also giving everyone a chance to explore their skills and play a significant role in the organization.
Globalization, ease in information exchange and constant changes in the corporate environment require possessing skills of critical thinking so that the employees can quickly adapt to change in their job roles, identify the issues while they are still emerging and provide graceful solutions. It has become necessary to empower the employees and managers so that they can make use of their intuition and brainstorm possible solutions by asking Socratic questions. Accepting the past experiences and relying on the data collected earlier would only hurt the organization as managers need to work according to the changing situations (FORRESTER). The external forces have been changing with time and the conditions of business today are completely different from what was three decades ago.
Concluding, I believe to survive in the rapidly emerging global economy, it has become imperative to apply critical thinking skills to managing organizations. This not only helps to motivate and engage the workforce, but also fosters teamwork and sharpens their creative and critical thinking skills leading to identifying numerous possible solutions. Not only the current issue at hand is solved easily, but the organization gathers information and multiple solutions which can otherwise be used for future innovations.
Works Cited
FORRESTER, Julie C. 'Thinking Creatively; Thinking Critically'. ASS 4.5 (2009): n. pag. Web.
Natale, Sam, and Frederick Ricci. 'Critical Thinking in Organizations'. Team Performance Management: An International Journal 12.7/8 (2006): 272-277. Web.
Watson, Jamie Carlin, and Robert Arp. Critical Thinking. London: Continuum, 2011. Print.
