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strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Learning & Development, Talent

Why critical thinking is so important.

Updated: Oct 16, 2020

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What Is Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action. In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness.

Value of Critical Thinking

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Helen Lee Bouygues

Reboot Foundation

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Improving the workplace through critical thinking

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

A lot of the problems in business — and in human resources — can be traced back to a single root: bad thinking. Over the course of my career as a consultant, I’ve seen business leaders make abysmal decisions based on faulty reasoning, and I’ve seen HR managers fail to recognise their own innate biases when addressing employee complaints and hiring decisions.

Let me give you an example. I was once asked to help turn around a large, but faltering, lingerie company in Europe. It didn’t take too long for me to see what the problem was: the company’s strategy assumed that all their customers everywhere pretty much wanted the same products.

Company leaders hadn’t done their research and didn’t really understand how their customers’ preferences varied from country to country.

In the UK, for example, lacy bras in bright colours sold the best; Italians seemed to prefer beige bras without lace; and Americans opted for sports bras in much, much larger numbers.

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Without realising it, they were making business decisions on faulty assumptions and bad information. However, a new strategy based on market-dependent research quickly helped turn things around.

Using feedback to get outside of your own head

One huge advantage consultants have over internal employees is simply that they are outsiders. Consultants obviously won’t know the ins and outs of the business as well as internal managers, but because of that, they also haven’t developed the biases and assumptions that can constrain employee thinking. In short, employees are sometimes too close to the problem.

Now, there are a lot of exercises and routines you can employ to make sure you don’t have blinders on when you’re confronting new problems or challenges.

Perhaps the easiest way to do this is through feedback. Of course, feedback can be tricky. No one likes to be evaluated harshly, and without the proper mechanisms in place the value of feedback may be lost amid negative interpersonal dynamics.

One of the best things an organisation can do is to implement clear and explicit practices and guidelines for feedback between managers and employees.

Feedback should be cooperative rather than antagonistic. It should give both parties the opportunity to reflect on, explain, and refine their reasoning. And it should be explicit, preferably using both written and oral communication to find flaws in reasoning and tease out new solutions.

Making conflict productive

Conflict is inevitable in a workplace. It’s how conflict is managed that can determine whether an organisation thrives. The key to good decision-making in group settings is productive, rather than destructive, conflict.

The best decisions emerge from a process in which ideas have to do battle with one another and prove their worth in group discussions. Without some conflict, organisations fall prey to group-think , where everyone goes along with the consensus.

Again, process is crucial here. The best organisations have clear guidelines and structures in place to ensure decision-making proceeds productively.

Decision-making practices should also include mechanisms for avoiding groupthink, by, for example, soliciting opinions in writing before a discussion and by composing groups with a diverse range of backgrounds and opinions.

Finally, leaders must truly value dissenting opinions. Special consideration should be given to ideas that go against the grain. Even if they lose out in the end, dissenting opinions make the final decision stronger.

Dissenters will also be more likely to buy into a decision that goes against their views if they feel their voice has been genuinely heard.

Thinking through individual goals critically and creatively

A key component of workplace happiness is employees’ sense that they are working toward something , both in terms of overall organisational goals and in terms of personal and professional growth.

Regular reflection on individual goals is vital to sustaining a healthy workplace culture. It also encourages more thoughtful work and allows employees to see day-to-day tasks in a broader context, helping them avoid burnout and monotony .

HR professionals can implement regular systems that allow employees to intentionally formulate these types of goals and understand how their work can be integrated more fully into achieving those goals.

Organisations can also grant employees time to pursue passion projects, like Google has, to give workers the freedom to develop ideas and products beneficial to both themselves and the company.

Creative and critical thinking is integral to organisational success, but it is too often assumed that employees and organisations either have it or they don’t.

The truth is that good thinking can be fostered with intentional, structured systems in place for feedback, argument, and reflection.

Helen Lee Bouygues is founder of the Reboot Foundation

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Allianz Partners

  Critical Thinking in HR 

Although we may not have been aware of it, critical thinking has always played an important role in business. Have you ever been in a meeting with senior management making a business case for a HR policy only to find your sound case was derailed? Someone in the room may relate it to something that didn’t work in the past, causing your valid arguments to be lost? If this sounds familiar, that person may have applied their critical thinking skills to the situation to your detriment. 

Opportunities to share ideas with senior management or outside stakeholders may not present themselves regularly. To make the most of them it is important people professionals can identify and employ critical thinking skills. 

It is also an area employers surveyed by the World Economic Forum identified as essential to the future of work across many industries. Critical thinking and analysis topped a list of ten skills  employers believed would be required in 2025. 

What are critical thinking skills?

Before we delve into why critical thinking matters for people professionals and how you can develop your critical thinking skills, it is important to define the term. Critical thinking is a process of conceptualising, analysing and evaluating information gathered from observation, experience or communication to guide belief or action. For people professionals there are three key areas relating to the skill:  

  • Critiquing the ideas and arguments of others
  • Constructing our own ideas and arguments
  • Identifying when others are using critical thinking 

Critical thinking helps people professionals make decisions in a more reflective way. These decisions are less likely to be biased , crucial for HR leaders.

Why is critical thinking important in HR?

HR and People management involves solving a multitude of problems for your business. Critical thinking is important in people management because it helps us avoid making decisions based on:

  • Incorrect assumptions
  • Unreliable sources
  • Unconscious biases 

Having strong critical thinking skills enables HR professionals at all levels to collect and process information in a structured way aiding the problem solving process. 

Critical thinking also helps people managers engage in strategic conversations with internal business partners from professions where critical thinking is a central part of their role like legal professionals, engineers or C Suite management. HR teams are often asked to facilitate meetings around complex or difficult strategic issues amongst other parts of the business. With critical thinking knowledge you are likely to be in a better position to do this but also to facilitate stakeholder thoughts in a more structured way.

How to develop critical thinking skills?

Fortunately, critical thinking skills are not inherent, it is something that can be learnt or improved upon. If you feel your skills need some improvement we have found 6 ways HR professionals can improve critical thinking skills :

1. Question your own thinking

It is natural for all human beings to develop a pattern of thinking that we use to navigate life and work. As a HR leader it is easy to believe something must be correct because it has ‘always been done that way’. Critical thinking helps us to break out of those patterns of passive thinking where little changes. Instead, it asks us to question how we think and look for problems that could be solved to make a situation or process better. 

2. Discern relevant data

The digital age means we are often overwhelmed by data. It is important that people managers remember that not all data is useful or relevant. As critical thinking skills improve it should become easier for you to divide information into what to ignore and what to pay attention to.

3. Explore new ideas

It can sometimes be intimidating or threatening when you are faced with new ideas, especially in such a regulated area. In order to grow as a professional, it is important to explore new ideas. Speak to colleagues or people in other departments for input on how things could be done. Take a professional development course in an area of interest or read up on new developments in the industry that your business might be able to employ.

4. Encourage alternative views

Often businesses get stuck in a cycle of short-term thinking. Getting things done to reach immediate goals at the expense of the bigger picture. Developing an organisational culture that is open to alternative views is an important part of facilitating critical thinking. Don’t just wait for colleagues to challenge the status quo, actively encourage it through:

  • Informal conversations
  • Brainstorms

When provided with the space to do so, you and your colleagues may come up with many alternative ideas that challenge existing processes and procedures across the organization.

5. Take time to decide

A quick decision is the enemy of critical thinking. If you regularly make decisions on the fly, take time to reflect on whether with the benefit of hindsight they were always the right one. As a people manager it is important to take time to think about important decisions. Particularly those that are going to impact the entire organisation.

If you love a proposal, take some time to think about potential negative implications. Try to look at it from a number of different viewpoints, put yourself in the shoes of someone of a different:

  • Level in the organisation

How will your decision impact each of them? If it is a very significant change, it might be worth interviewing a spectrum of people for their opinion before you make a final decision. Take a similar approach to decisions you don’t like, just because you don’t like an idea does not mean it is not the right thing for the wider team or organization as a whole. 

6. Avoid assumptions

The old adage making an assumption makes an ass out of you and me is most certainly true when it comes to critical thinking. Before you unintentionally jump to a conclusion ask yourself:

a.            What are the facts?

b.            Is there a relationship between cause and effect?

c.            Is the language used to describe the issue is ambiguous or clear?

          These questions will help you avoid falling back on something you believe to be true without any proof. 

TedTalks to improve your critical thinking skills

Prefer to learn by watching or listening? The experts at TED have created some useful talks on the subject of critical thinking:

1.  5 tips to improve your critical thinking

Samantha Agoos takes us through a five step process we can apply to decision making in any area of life.  

2.  Encourage critical thinking with these 3 questions

Eric Wilberding shared the Socratic Method of critical thinking developed by Socrates one of the founding fathers of philosophical thought.  

3.  How can you change someone's mind

Hugo Mercier demonstrates how critical thinking skills can be used to change the minds of others. Particularly useful for people managers who have to influence others within the business. 

The most important thing to remember when it comes to using critical thinking effectively is there is no one right answer. You can use this skill to create a number of options, all of which may work well.  Although people management may be fraught with difficult decisions. International health insurance for your expat employees does not have to be one of them. We offer tailor made solutions for businesses of all sizes. Get in touch with us today to discover more. 

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When Critical Thinking Skills are a Must to Hire For

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Home / Media / Blog / When Critical Thinking Skills are a Must to Hire For

What is Critical Thinking?

In order to understand the importance of hiring a critical thinker for your business, let’s start by defining “critical thinking.”  Critical thinking can be defined as the ability to objectively identify, analyze, and solve a problem and/or situation through thorough research and understanding.

Critical thinkers follow the “Who, What, When, Why, and How” approach when addressing problems and/or situations.

When Are Critical Thinkers Important in the Workplace?

Most every position within a business requires a certain degree of critical thinking.  For example, an accountant must be able to thoroughly analyze and interpret financial data of the business and successfully communicate the outcome of the analysis, while a marketing manager must be able to collect and evaluate information about the business’ target market and communicate the offerings to potential clients.

Critical thinkers ask all of the hard questions, they identify the strengths and weaknesses of the business, identify problems, and provide creative ideas and solutions to fix them. They think outside the box and look for important details. Many businesses find that hiring employees who have strong critical thinking skills is important and beneficial to their business; therefore, they are identified as assets to any business when aligned with the right roles.

Although many people are very good at thinking critically, not everyone has the ability to think in this manner. Experts state that critical thinking skills are developed over time and not all individuals are designed to be critical thinkers. Therefore, the challenge is to identify which specific critical thinking skills are required for a position.

If everyone is NOT a critical thinker, how do you know if you are hiring the right person?

There are several different categories of critical thinking skills. However, let’s focus on the top six types to look for in a potential candidate:

  • Analytical: All critical thinkers have the ability to thoroughly analyze, dissect, and interpret information using logical reasoning. They are looking for “why” as they review specific information.
  • Interpreter:  Another trait of a critical thinker is the ability to interpret and understand the information that was analyzed. They are looking for the “what.”  What is the meaning of the information?
  • Evaluator:  Critical thinkers have the ability to evaluate information to determine the accuracy and credibility of the information. They are looking for “how” the information was obtained and what facts are being considered.
  • Problem Solver:  A critical thinker is also known as a problem solver. A problem solver has the ability to synthesize information to form a reasonable solution. They are looking for “how” do you find the solution to the problem and/or what is the best resolution? They also determine if there are other solutions available.
  • Communicator:  A critical thinker has the ability to effectively communicate the results and final conclusion of the information reviewed, both through oral and written communication.

Now that we have identified which skill types to look for, how do we determine if a potential applicant has them?

Start by putting together a complete list of interview questions prior to the interview.

  • The questions you choose must be designed to address specific requirements of the position and the type of critical thinking skill(s) needed.
  • To uncover actual skill sets, behavioral questions are ideal. Behavioral questions present a sample situation/problem that most candidates can relate to, and asks how the interviewee has addressed them in past experiences while providing specific memories and examples from those experiences. The goal is not to imply a right or wrong answer, but rather the question is to be open-ended, forcing the interviewee to share their story honestly, rather than provide a designed answer they think you want to hear.
  • Drilling for details keeps the interviewee from bluffing out with a generic answer, and reveals if they in fact had these experiences. It tells you a lot about their work styles and skills in how they dealt with the situation. More importantly, if the situation did not go well, behavioral questions ask what they learned or what they would do differently.  The ability take past lessons and adapt because of them can be an important aspect of critical thinking and potential.
  • Allow the interviewee the opportunity to ask clarifying questions if needed. This will help you assess not just their answer, but how resourceful they are in getting information when they need it.

Here are a few sample critical thinking / behavioral interview questions and how to drill for details if you don’t hear them right away:  

Tell me about a time when you were the first to identify an error or problem in data, a process or a system you were working with. 

  • How did you address the situation?
  • In follow up: What struck you as wrong when you came across it? Should others have noticed? Who did you tell? What was the result of your actions?

Tell me about a time when you had to make a critical decision with little information.

  • How did you approach the decision making process? How long did it take to make the decision? What steps did you take and why? Who did you involve, if anyone? What was the result?
  • If it did not go well, looking back, what did you learn and would have done differently?

Tell me about a time when you were the one presented with a problem that you had to solve in order to complete a project, launch an initiative, or to meet a deadline / objective.

  • Describe the problem, your approach, and the outcome.
  • Did you succeed? If not, what would you do differently if presented with the situation again?

As you can anticipate, the responses to the interview questions will be different for every applicant; however, the use of the same questions in search of specific behaviors allows you to evaluate and score their answers equitably.

That moves us to the second step: Analyzing the interview question responses.

It is important to look for responses that demonstrate strong critical thinking skills… analytical, interpretation, evaluation, problem solving, and communication. Did the interviewee successfully demonstrate strong critical thinking skills? Was their thought process methodical or haphazard? Did they maximize resources or work within a bubble? Did they present a solution or just ask for help?

There’s a benefit to tailoring interviewing to uncover critical thinking skills for those roles that need them to save time, money, and resources through more efficient, on-going problem solving. If you haven’t already assessed where you need these assets, it’s time to dust off the job descriptions, update them accordingly, and start purposefully hiring critical thinkers where they make the most sense.

Written by Julie Morgan, SHRM-CP and Valerie Juarez SPHR, SHRM-SCP

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What is Critical Thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally, understanding the logical connection between ideas.  Critical thinking has been the subject of much debate and thought since the time of early Greek philosophers such as Plato and Socrates and has continued to be a subject of discussion into the modern age, for example the ability to recognise fake news .

Critical thinking might be described as the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking.

In essence, critical thinking requires you to use your ability to reason. It is about being an active learner rather than a passive recipient of information.

Critical thinkers rigorously question ideas and assumptions rather than accepting them at face value. They will always seek to determine whether the ideas, arguments and findings represent the entire picture and are open to finding that they do not.

Critical thinkers will identify, analyse and solve problems systematically rather than by intuition or instinct.

Someone with critical thinking skills can:

Understand the links between ideas.

Determine the importance and relevance of arguments and ideas.

Recognise, build and appraise arguments.

Identify inconsistencies and errors in reasoning.

Approach problems in a consistent and systematic way.

Reflect on the justification of their own assumptions, beliefs and values.

Critical thinking is thinking about things in certain ways so as to arrive at the best possible solution in the circumstances that the thinker is aware of. In more everyday language, it is a way of thinking about whatever is presently occupying your mind so that you come to the best possible conclusion.

Critical Thinking is:

A way of thinking about particular things at a particular time; it is not the accumulation of facts and knowledge or something that you can learn once and then use in that form forever, such as the nine times table you learn and use in school.

The Skills We Need for Critical Thinking

The skills that we need in order to be able to think critically are varied and include observation, analysis, interpretation, reflection, evaluation, inference, explanation, problem solving, and decision making.

Specifically we need to be able to:

Think about a topic or issue in an objective and critical way.

Identify the different arguments there are in relation to a particular issue.

Evaluate a point of view to determine how strong or valid it is.

Recognise any weaknesses or negative points that there are in the evidence or argument.

Notice what implications there might be behind a statement or argument.

Provide structured reasoning and support for an argument that we wish to make.

The Critical Thinking Process

You should be aware that none of us think critically all the time.

Sometimes we think in almost any way but critically, for example when our self-control is affected by anger, grief or joy or when we are feeling just plain ‘bloody minded’.

On the other hand, the good news is that, since our critical thinking ability varies according to our current mindset, most of the time we can learn to improve our critical thinking ability by developing certain routine activities and applying them to all problems that present themselves.

Once you understand the theory of critical thinking, improving your critical thinking skills takes persistence and practice.

Try this simple exercise to help you to start thinking critically.

Think of something that someone has recently told you. Then ask yourself the following questions:

Who said it?

Someone you know? Someone in a position of authority or power? Does it matter who told you this?

What did they say?

Did they give facts or opinions? Did they provide all the facts? Did they leave anything out?

Where did they say it?

Was it in public or in private? Did other people have a chance to respond an provide an alternative account?

When did they say it?

Was it before, during or after an important event? Is timing important?

Why did they say it?

Did they explain the reasoning behind their opinion? Were they trying to make someone look good or bad?

How did they say it?

Were they happy or sad, angry or indifferent? Did they write it or say it? Could you understand what was said?

What are you Aiming to Achieve?

One of the most important aspects of critical thinking is to decide what you are aiming to achieve and then make a decision based on a range of possibilities.

Once you have clarified that aim for yourself you should use it as the starting point in all future situations requiring thought and, possibly, further decision making. Where needed, make your workmates, family or those around you aware of your intention to pursue this goal. You must then discipline yourself to keep on track until changing circumstances mean you have to revisit the start of the decision making process.

However, there are things that get in the way of simple decision making. We all carry with us a range of likes and dislikes, learnt behaviours and personal preferences developed throughout our lives; they are the hallmarks of being human. A major contribution to ensuring we think critically is to be aware of these personal characteristics, preferences and biases and make allowance for them when considering possible next steps, whether they are at the pre-action consideration stage or as part of a rethink caused by unexpected or unforeseen impediments to continued progress.

The more clearly we are aware of ourselves, our strengths and weaknesses, the more likely our critical thinking will be productive.

The Benefit of Foresight

Perhaps the most important element of thinking critically is foresight.

Almost all decisions we make and implement don’t prove disastrous if we find reasons to abandon them. However, our decision making will be infinitely better and more likely to lead to success if, when we reach a tentative conclusion, we pause and consider the impact on the people and activities around us.

The elements needing consideration are generally numerous and varied. In many cases, consideration of one element from a different perspective will reveal potential dangers in pursuing our decision.

For instance, moving a business activity to a new location may improve potential output considerably but it may also lead to the loss of skilled workers if the distance moved is too great. Which of these is the more important consideration? Is there some way of lessening the conflict?

These are the sort of problems that may arise from incomplete critical thinking, a demonstration perhaps of the critical importance of good critical thinking.

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In Summary:

Critical thinking is aimed at achieving the best possible outcomes in any situation. In order to achieve this it must involve gathering and evaluating information from as many different sources possible.

Critical thinking requires a clear, often uncomfortable, assessment of your personal strengths, weaknesses and preferences and their possible impact on decisions you may make.

Critical thinking requires the development and use of foresight as far as this is possible. As Doris Day sang, “the future’s not ours to see”.

Implementing the decisions made arising from critical thinking must take into account an assessment of possible outcomes and ways of avoiding potentially negative outcomes, or at least lessening their impact.

  • Critical thinking involves reviewing the results of the application of decisions made and implementing change where possible.

It might be thought that we are overextending our demands on critical thinking in expecting that it can help to construct focused meaning rather than examining the information given and the knowledge we have acquired to see if we can, if necessary, construct a meaning that will be acceptable and useful.

After all, almost no information we have available to us, either externally or internally, carries any guarantee of its life or appropriateness.  Neat step-by-step instructions may provide some sort of trellis on which our basic understanding of critical thinking can blossom but it doesn’t and cannot provide any assurance of certainty, utility or longevity.

Continue to: Critical Thinking and Fake News Critical Reading

See also: Analytical Skills Understanding and Addressing Conspiracy Theories Introduction to Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)

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How HR Executives Rank Their Top Strengths and Weaknesses

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In recent years, the business landscape has undergone significant changes, leading to an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) working environment. The COVID-19 pandemic, rapid technology advancements and geopolitical tensions have introduced unprecedented disruptions to organizations and, thus, to the HR function. An organization's success is dependent on its C-suite successfully navigating this ever-evolving environment.

So how well are HR executives handling these turbulent times? And which skills do they see themselves as mastering … and muddling? SHRM Research conducted a new survey that asked 258 U.S. HR executives to evaluate their own leadership.

While HR executives acknowledge that their jobs are more difficult in this current VUCA environment, a majority show confidence in their current leadership abilities. Nearly a quarter (23 percent) say they are "thriving" when asked to assess their own leadership in the current VUCA environment. More than half (52 percent) say they are "comfortable, but not thriving" and 24 percent say they are "coping, but it is difficult." Only 2 percent say they are "struggling to adapt."

These HR executives were also asked to assess their leadership effectiveness. They were given a list of 16 leadership behaviors and asked to rank how effective they are at engaging in each behavior, with 1 being their most effective behavior and 16 being their least effective. In the chart at the bottom of this article, you'll see the full list of 16 behaviors and the percentage of HR executives who ranked each behavior among their top five (strengths) and their bottom five (weaknesses), as well as the percentage who ranked each behavior as their absolute top strength or biggest weakness.

The survey findings reveal that HR executives feel they excel in a few key areas of importance that directly relate to their ability to evolve in these turbulent times. But they also see opportunities for improvement, particularly in building a network to expand their skills and careers.

( Jump to interactive chart .)

HR Strengths

HR executives reported high effectiveness in their abilities to strategize and quickly adapt to changing circumstances (51 percent and 44 percent, respectively, ranked these in their top five most effective behaviors). In the VUCA environment, strategic thinking and adaptability are crucial characteristics for leaders to thrive in their roles. In fact, in a separate question in this survey, HR executives identified the same two abilities—to strategize and to adapt—as crucial for their organizations' success, both currently and in the year 2030.

Leaders who successfully weathered the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and emerged stronger were likely the ones who demonstrated exceptional strategic thinking and adaptability. Strategic thinking equips leaders to analyze complex situations, anticipate challenges and make well-informed decisions. And adaptability enables leaders to respond swiftly to unexpected developments, ensuring the ability to seize emerging opportunities.

More than 4 in 10 HR executives (42 percent) also cited among their top five strengths the ability to collaborate. This essential HR skill became even more important during the past three years as HR leaders have had to work together with various internal and external groups to navigate the pandemic's many twists and turns. C-suite collaboration is also an increasingly important skill for CHROs in the post-pandemic workplace.

TOP 5 STRENGTHS Percentage of HR executives who listed each behavior among their top five leadership skills (out of a list of 16)

Strategize …………………51%

Adapt ……………………….44%

Collaborate ………………42%

Be Accountable ………..40%

Deliver ……………………...38%

HR Weaknesses

Despite these strengths in strategic thinking and adaptability, the survey revealed that HR executives perceived networking and delegation as their main areas for potential improvement, with 67 percent and 54 percent, respectively, ranking them among their bottom five leadership attributes.

Networking has become an essential aspect of modern leadership, enabling leaders to gain diverse perspectives, share knowledge and foster collaborative partnerships. Yet, SHRM Research previously found that only 58 percent of HR executives frequently discuss current HR issues with an external network of leaders ( Evolving Role of the CHRO, SHRM Research, 2022).

The weakness in networking might be influenced by the significant amount of time and energy that networking requires, and by HR executives' preference to focus their time and efforts within the organization rather than outside. However, it is critical for leaders to build social capital both inside and outside of their organizations. Leaders who invest in networking stand to benefit significantly, gaining valuable insights, seizing opportunities and learning from other successful organizations. Effective networking can bridge knowledge gaps, enhance the organization's understanding of market dynamics and foster innovation. ( Tips on networking .)

The identification of delegation as a potential area of improvement by more than half of HR executives is noteworthy. Effective delegation is critical because it can impact a leader's overall effectiveness and performance in other areas, including strategy and networking. When leaders fail to delegate effectively, they might find themselves with little time or mental capacity for strategic thinking or building relationships with others inside or outside the organization. ( Tips on delegating effectively .)

5 BIGGEST WEAKNESSES Percentage of HR executives who listed each behavior among their bottom five leadership skills (out of a list of 16)

Network ………….…67%

Delegate ……………54%

Innovate …………….43%

Facilitate …………...43%

Advocate …………...37%

The bottom line: As the business landscape evolves, strategic prowess, adaptability, delegation and the power of connection—both internally and externally—remain at the heart of leadership. HR executives who develop these competencies are better positioned to navigate the complexities of the VUCA environment.

Ragan Decker, Ph.D., is a researcher at SHRM. 

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strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts

2023 Update Peter A. Facione, Ph.D.

The late George Carlin worked “critical thinking” into one of his comedic monologue rants on the perils of trusting our lives and fortunes to the decision-making of people who were gullible, uninformed, and unreflective. Had he lived to experience the economic collapse of 2008 and 2009, he would have surely added more to his caustic but accurate assessments regarding how failing to anticipate the consequences of one’s decisions often leads to disastrous results not only for the decision maker, but for many other people as well.

After years of viewing higher education as more of a private good which benefits only the student, we are again beginning to appreciate higher education as being also a public good which benefits society. Is it not a wiser social policy to invest in the education of the future workforce, rather than to suffer the financial costs and endure the fiscal and social burdens associated with economic weakness, public health problems, crime, and avoidable poverty? Perhaps that realization, along with its obvious advantages for high level strategic decision making, is what led the Chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to comment on critical thinking in his commencement address to a graduating class of military officers.

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Teach people to make good decisions and you have equipped them to improve their own futures and become contributing members of society, rather than burdens on society. Becoming educated and practicing good judgment does not absolutely guarantee a life of happiness, virtue, or economic success, but it surely offers a better chance at those things. And it is clearly better than enduring the consequences of making bad decisions and better than burdening friends, family, and all the rest of us with the unwanted and avoidable consequences of those poor choices.

Defining “Critical Thinking”

Yes, surely, we have all heard business executives, policy makers, civic leaders, and educators talking about critical thinking. At times we found ourselves wondering exactly what critical thinking was and why it is considered so useful and important. This essay takes a deeper look at these questions.

But rather than beginning with an abstract definition – as if critical thinking were about memorization, which is not the case – give this thought experiment a try: Imagine you were invited to a movie by a friend. But it is not a movie you want to see. So, your friend asks you why. You give your honest reason. The movie offends your sense of decency. Your friend asks you to clarify your reason by explaining what bothers you about the film. You reply that it is not the language used or the sexuality portrayed, but you find the violence in the film offensive.

Sure, that should be a good enough answer. But suppose your friend, perhaps being a bit philosophically inclined or simply curious or argumentative, pursues the matter further by asking you to define what you mean by “offensive violence.”

Take a minute and give it a try. How would you define “offensive violence” as it applies to movies? Can you write a characterization which captures what this commonly used concept contains? Take care, though, we would not want to make the definition so broad that all movie violence would be automatically “offensive.” And check to be sure your way of defining “offensive violence” fits with how the rest of the people who know and use English would understand the term. Otherwise, they will not be able to understand what you mean when you use that expression.

Did you produce a definition that works? How do you know?

What you just did with the expression “offensive violence” is very much the same as what had to be done with the expression “critical thinking.” At one level we all know what “critical thinking” means — it means good thinking, almost the opposite of illogical, irrational, thinking. But when we test our understanding further, we run into questions. For example, is critical thinking the same as creative thinking, are they different, or is one part of the other? How do critical thinking and native intelligence or scholastic aptitude relate? Does critical thinking focus on the subject matter or content that you know or on the process you use when you reason about that content?

It might not hurt at all if you formed some tentative preliminary ideas about the questions we just raised. We humans learn better when we stop frequently to reflect, rather than just plowing from the top of the page to the bottom without coming up for air.

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Back to critical thinking – let us ask ourselves to generate possible examples of strong critical thinking? How about the adroit and clever questioning of Socrates or a good attorney or interviewer? Or, what about the clever investigative approaches used by police detectives and crime scene analysts? Would we not want to also include people working together to solve a problem as they consider and discuss their options? How about someone who is good at listening to all sides of a dispute, considering all the facts, and then deciding what is relevant and what is not, and then rendering a thoughtful judgment? And maybe too, someone who can summarize complex ideas clearly with fairness to all sides, or a person who can come up with the most coherent and justifiable explanation of what a passage of written material means? Or the person who can readily devise sensible alternatives to explore, but who does not become defensive about abandoning them if they do not work? And the person who can explain exactly how a particular conclusion was reached, or why certain criteria apply?

Or, considering the concept of critical thinking from the opposite direction, we might ask what the consequences of failing to use our critical thinking might be. Imagine for a moment what could happen when a person or a group of people decides important matters without pausing first to think things through.

C:\Users\Pete\Documents\writings PAF\What & Why\Images for W&W 2011\Slide1.JPG

Expert Opinion

An international group of experts was asked to try to form a consensus about the meaning of critical thinking. One of the first things they did was to ask themselves the question: Who are the best critical thinkers we know and what is it about them that leads us to consider them the best? So, who are the best critical thinkers you know? Why do you think they are strong critical thinkers? Can you draw from those examples a description that is more abstract? For example, consider effective trial lawyers, apart from how they conduct their personal lives or whether their client is guilty or innocent, just look at how the lawyers develop their cases in court. They use reasons to try to convince the judge and jury of their client’s claim of guilt or innocence. They offer evidence and evaluate the significance of the evidence presented by the opposition lawyers. They interpret testimony. They analyze and evaluate the arguments advanced by the other side.

Now, consider the example of a team of people trying to solve a problem. The team members, unlike the courtroom’s adversarial situation, try to collaborate. The members of an effective team do not compete against each other. They work together, like colleagues, for the common goal. Unless they solve the problem, none of them has won. When they find the way to solve the problem, they all have won. So, from analyzing just two examples we can generalize something especially important: critical thinking is thinking that has a purpose (proving a point, interpreting what something means, solving a problem), but critical thinking can be a collaborative, noncompetitive endeavor. And, by the way, even lawyers collaborate. They can work together on a common defense or a joint prosecution, and they can also cooperate with each other to get to the truth so that justice is done.

We will come to a more precise definition of critical thinking soon enough. But first, there is something else we can learn from paradigm examples. When were you thinking about “offensive violence” did you come up with any examples that were tough to classify? Borderline cases, as it were — an example that one person might consider offensive, but another might reasonably regard as non-offensive. Yes, well, so did we. This is going to happen with all abstract concepts. It happens with the concept of critical thinking as well. There are people of whom we would say, on certain occasions, this person is a good thinker, clear, logical, thoughtful, attentive to the facts, open to alternatives, but, wow, at other times, look out! When you get this person on such-and-such a topic, well it is all over then. You have pushed some kind of button, and the person does not want to hear what anybody else has to say. The person’s mind is made up ahead of time. New facts are pushed aside. No other point of view is tolerated.

Do you know any people that might fit that general description?

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Now, formulate a list of cases — people that are clearly strong critical thinkers and clearly weak critical thinkers and some who are on the borderline. Considering all those cases, what is it about them that led you to decide which were which? Suggestion: What can the strong critical thinkers do (what mental abilities do they have), that the weak critical thinkers have trouble doing? What skills or approaches do the strong critical thinkers habitually seem to exhibit which the weak critical thinkers seem not to possess?

Core Critical Thinking Skills

Above we suggested you look for a list of mental skills and habits of mind, the experts, when faced with the same problem you are working on, refer to their lists as including cognitive skills and dispositions .

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Quoting from the consensus statement of the national panel of experts: interpretation is “to comprehend and express the meaning or significance of a wide variety of experiences, situations, data, events, judgments, conventions, beliefs, rules, procedures, or criteria.” [1] Interpretation includes the sub-skills of categorization, decoding significance, and clarifying meaning. Can you think of examples of interpretation? How about recognizing a problem and describing it without bias? How about reading a person’s intentions in the expression on her face; distinguishing a main idea from subordinate ideas in a text; constructing a tentative categorization or way of organizing something you are studying; paraphrasing someone’s ideas in your own words; or, clarifying what a sign, chart or graph means? What about identifying an author’s purpose, theme, or point of view? How about what you did above when you clarified what “offensive violence” meant?

Again, from the experts: analysis is “to identify the intended and actual inferential relationships among statements, questions, concepts, descriptions, or other forms of representation intended to express belief, judgment, experiences, reasons, information, or opinions.” The experts include examining ideas, detecting arguments, and analyzing arguments as sub-skills of analysis. Again, can you come up with some examples of analysis? What about identifying the similarities and differences between two approaches to the solution of a given problem? What about picking out the main claim made in a newspaper editorial and tracing back the reasons the editor offers in support of that claim? Or, what about identifying unstated assumptions; constructing a way to represent a main conclusion and the reasons given to support or criticize it; sketching the relationship of sentences or paragraphs to each other and to the main purpose of the passage? What about graphically organizing this essay, in your own way, knowing that its purpose is to give a preliminary idea about what critical thinking means?

The experts define evaluation as meaning “to assess the credibility of statements or other representations which are accounts or descriptions of a person’s perception, experience, situation, judgment, belief, or opinion; and to assess the logical strength of the actual or intended inferential relationships among statements, descriptions, questions or other forms of representation.” Your examples? How about judging an author’s or speaker’s credibility, comparing the strengths and weaknesses of alternative interpretations, determining the credibility of a source of information, judging if two statements contradict each other, or judging if the evidence at hand supports the conclusion being drawn? Among the examples the experts propose are these: “recognizing the factors which make a person a credible witness regarding a given event or a credible authority with regard to a given topic,” “judging if an argument’s conclusion follows either with certainty or with a high level of confidence from its premises,” “judging the logical strength of arguments based on hypothetical situations,” “judging if a given argument is relevant or applicable or has implications for the situation at hand.”

Do the people you regard as strong critical thinkers have the three cognitive skills described so far? Are they good at interpretation, analysis, and evaluation? What about the next three? And your examples of weak critical thinkers, are they lacking in these cognitive skills? All, or just some?

To the experts, inference means “to identify and secure elements needed to draw reasonable conclusions; to form conjectures and hypotheses; to consider relevant information and to reason to the consequences flowing from data, statements, principles, evidence, judgments, beliefs, opinions, concepts, descriptions, questions, or other forms of representation.” As sub-skills of inference the experts list querying evidence, conjecturing alternatives, and drawing conclusions. Can you think of some examples of inference? You might suggest things like seeing the implications of the position someone is advocating. Or drawing out or constructing meaning from the elements in a reading. You may suggest predicting what will happen next based on what is known about the forces at work in a given situation. Or formulating a synthesis of related ideas into a coherent perspective. How about this: after judging that it would be useful to you to resolve a given uncertainty, developing a workable plan to gather that information? Or, when faced with a problem, developing a set of options for addressing it. What about conducting a controlled experiment scientifically and applying the proper statistical methods to attempt to confirm or disconfirm an empirical hypothesis?

Beyond being able to interpret, analyze, evaluate, and infer, strong critical thinkers can do two more things. They can explain what they think and how they arrived at that judgment. And they can apply their powers of critical thinking to themselves and improve on their previous opinions. These two skills are called “explanation” and “self-regulation.”

The experts define explanation as being able to present in a cogent and coherent way the results of one’s reasoning. This means to be able to give someone a full look at the big picture: both “to state and to justify that reasoning in terms of the evidential, conceptual, methodological, criteriological, and contextual considerations upon which one’s results were based; and to present one’s reasoning in the form of cogent arguments.” The sub-skills under explanation are describing methods and results, justifying procedures, proposing, and defending with good reasons one’s causal and conceptual explanations of events or points of view, and presenting full and well-reasoned, arguments in the context of seeking the best understandings possible. Your examples first, please… Here are some more: to construct a chart which organizes one’s findings, to write down for future reference your current thinking on some important and complex matter, to cite the standards and contextual factors used to judge the quality of an interpretation of a text, to state research results and describe the methods and criteria used to achieve those results, to appeal to established criteria as a way of showing the reasonableness of a given judgment, to design a graphic display which accurately represents the subordinate and super-ordinate relationship among concepts or ideas, to cite the evidence that led you to accept or reject an author’s position on an issue, to list the factors that were considered in assigning a final course grade.

Maybe the most remarkable cognitive skill of all, however, is this next one. This one is remarkable because it allows strong critical thinkers to improve their own thinking. In a sense this is critical thinking applied to itself. Because of that some people want to call this “meta-cognition,” meaning it raises thinking to another level. But “another level” really does not fully capture it, because at that next level up what self-regulation does is look back at all the dimensions of critical thinking and double check itself. Self-regulation is like a recursive function in mathematical terms, which means it can apply to everything, including itself. You can monitor and correct an interpretation you offered. You can examine and correct an inference you have drawn. You can review and reformulate one of your own explanations. You can even examine and correct your ability to examine and correct yourself! How? It is as simple as stepping back and saying to yourself, “How am I doing? Have I missed anything important? Let me double check before I go further.”

The experts define self-regulation to mean “self-consciously to monitor one’s cognitive activities, the elements used in those activities, and the results educed, particularly by applying skills in analysis, and evaluation to one’s own inferential judgments with a view toward questioning, confirming, validating, or correcting either one’s reasoning or one’s results.” The two sub-skills here are self-examination and self-correction. Examples? Easy — to examine your views on a controversial issue with sensitivity to the possible influences of your personal biases or self-interest, to check yourself when listening to a speaker in order to be sure you are understanding what the person is really saying without introducing your own ideas, to monitor how well you seem to be understanding or comprehending what you are reading or experiencing, to remind yourself to separate your personal opinions and assumptions from those of the author of a passage or text, to double check yourself by recalculating the figures, to vary your reading speed and method mindful of the type of material and your purpose for reading, to reconsider your interpretation or judgment in view of further analysis of the facts of the case, to revise your answers in view of the errors you discovered in your work, to change your conclusion in view of the realization that you had misjudged the importance of certain factors when coming to your earlier decision. [2]

The Delphi Research Method

The panel of experts we keep referring to included forty-six men and women from throughout the United States and Canada. They represented many different scholarly disciplines in the humanities, sciences, social sciences, and education. They participated in a research project that lasted two years and was conducted on behalf of the American Philosophical Association. Their work was published under the title Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction . The executive summary is available from www.insightassessment.com

You might be wondering how such a large group of people could collaborate on this project over that long a period and at those distances and still come to a consensus. Good question. Remember we are talking the days before e-mail.

Not only did the group have to rely on snail mail during their two-year collaboration; they used a method of interaction, known as the Delphi Method, which was developed precisely to enable experts to think effectively about something over large spans of distance and time. In the Delphi Method a central investigator organizes the group and feeds them an initial question. [In this case it had to do with how college level critical thinking should be defined so that people teaching at that level would know which skills and dispositions to cultivate in their students.] The central investigator receives all responses, summarizes them, and transmits them back to all the panelists for reactions, replies, and additional questions.

Wait a minute! These are all well-known experts, so what do you do if people disagree? And what about the possible influence of a big-name person? Good points. First, the central investigator takes precautions to remove names so that the panelists are not told who said what. They know who is on the panel, of course. But that is as far as it goes. After that each experts’ argument must stand on its own merits. Second, an expert is only as good as the arguments she or he gives. So, the central investigator summarizes the arguments and lets the panelists decide if they accept them or not. When consensus appears to be at hand, the central investigator proposes this and asks if people agree. If not, then points of disagreement among the experts are registered. We want to share with you one important example of each of these. First, we will describe the expert consensus view of the dispositions which are vital to strong critical thinking. Then we will note a point of separation among the experts.

The Disposition Toward Critical Thinking

What kind of a person would be apt to use their critical thinking skills? The experts poetically describe such a person as having “a critical spirit.” Having a critical spirit does not mean that the person is always negative and hypercritical of everyone and everything.

The experts use the metaphorical phrase critical spirit in a positive sense. By it they mean “a probing inquisitiveness, a keenness of mind, a zealous dedication to reason, and a hunger or eagerness for reliable information. ”

Almost sounds like Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor or Sherlock Holmes The kind of person being described here is the kind that always wants to ask “Why?” or “How?” or “What happens if?”. The one key difference, however, is that in fiction Sherlock always solves the mystery, while in the real world there is no guarantee. Critical thinking is about how you approach problems, questions, issues. It is the best way we know of to get to the truth. But! There still are no guarantees — no answers in the back of the book of real life. Does this characterization, that strong critical thinkers possess a “critical spirit, a probing inquisitiveness, a keenness of mind…” fit with your examples of people you would call strong critical thinkers?

But you might say, I know people who have skills but do not use them. We cannot call someone a strong critical thinker just because she or he has these cognitive skills, however important they might be, because what if they just do not bother to apply them?

One response is to say that it is hard to imagine an accomplished dancer who never dances. After working to develop those skills it seems such a shame to let them grow weak with lack of practice. But dancers get tired. And they surrender to the stiffness of age or the fear of injury. In the case of critical thinking skills, we might argue that not using them once you have them is hard to imagine. It’s hard to imagine a person deciding not to think.

Considered as a form of thoughtful judgment or reflective decision-making, in a very real sense critical thinking is pervasive . There is hardly a time or a place where it would not seem to be of potential value. As long as people have purposes in mind and wish to judge how to accomplish them, as long as people wonder what is true and what is not, what to believe and what to reject, strong critical thinking is going to be necessary.

And yet weird things happen, so it is probably true that some people might let their thinking skills grow dull. It is easier to imagine times when people are just too tired, too lax, or too frightened. But imagine it you can, Young Skywalker, so there must be more to critical thinking than just the list of cognitive skills. Human beings are more than thinking machines. And this brings us back to those all-important attitudes which the experts called “dispositions.”

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

The experts were persuaded that critical thinking is a pervasive and purposeful human phenomenon. The ideal critical thinker can be characterized not merely by her or his cognitive skills but also by how she or he approaches life and living in general. This is a bold claim. Critical thinking goes way beyond the classroom. In fact, many of the experts fear that some of the things people experience in school are harmful to the development and cultivation of strong critical thinking. Critical thinking came before schooling was ever invented; it lies at the very roots of civilization. It is a cornerstone in the journey humankind is taking from beastly savagery to global sensitivity. Consider what life would be like without the things on this list and we think you will understand.

The approaches to life and living which characterize critical thinking include:

* inquisitiveness regarding a wide range of issues,

* concern to become and remain well-informed,

* alertness to opportunities to use critical thinking,

* trust in the processes of reasoned inquiry,

* self-confidence in one’s own abilities to reason,

* open-mindedness regarding divergent world views,

* flexibility in considering alternatives and opinions

* understanding of the opinions of other people,

* fair-mindedness in appraising reasoning,

* honesty in facing one’s own biases, prejudices, stereotypes, or egocentric tendencies,

* prudence in suspending, making, or altering judgments,

* willingness to reconsider and revise views where honest reflection suggests that change is warranted.

What would someone be like who lacked those dispositions?

It might be someone who does not care about much of anything, is not interested in the facts, prefers not to think, mistrusts reasoning as a way of finding things out or solving problems, holds his or her own reasoning abilities in low esteem, is close-minded, inflexible, insensitive, cannot understand what others think, is unfair when it comes to judging the quality of arguments, denies his or her own biases, jumps to conclusions or delays too long in making judgments, and never is willing to reconsider an opinion. Not someone prudent people would want to ask to manage their investments!

The experts went beyond approaches to life and living in general to emphasize that strong critical thinkers can also be described in terms of how they approach specific issues, questions, or problems. The experts said you would find these sorts of characteristics:

* clarity in stating the question or concern,

* orderliness in working with complexity,

* diligence in seeking relevant information,

* reasonableness in selecting and applying criteria,

* care in focusing attention on the concern at hand,

* persistence though difficulties are encountered,

* precision to the degree permitted by the subject and the circumstances.

So, how would a weak critical thinker approach specific problems or issues? Obviously, by being muddle-headed about what he or she is doing, disorganized and overly simplistic, spotty about getting the facts, apt to apply unreasonable criteria, easily distracted, ready to give up at the least hint of difficulty, intent on a solution that is more detailed than is possible, or being satisfied with an overly generalized and uselessly vague response. Remind you of anyone you know?

Someone positively disposed toward using critical thinking would probably agree with statements like these:

“I hate talk shows where people shout their opinions but never give any reasons at all.”“Figuring out what people really mean by what they say is important to me.”

“I always do better in jobs where I’m expected to think things out for myself.”

“I hold off making decisions until I have thought through my options.”

“Rather than relying on someone else’s notes, I prefer to read the material myself.”

“I try to see the merit in another’s opinion, even if I reject it later.”

“Even if a problem is tougher than I expected, I will keep working on it.”

“Making intelligent decisions is more important than winning arguments.”

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

A person disposed to be averse or hostile toward using critical thinking would probably disagree with the statements above but be likely to agree with these:

“I prefer jobs where the supervisor says exactly what to do and exactly how to do it.”“No matter how complex the problem, you can bet there will be a simple solution.”

“I don’t waste time looking things up.”

“I hate when teachers discuss problems instead of just giving the answers.”

“If my belief is truly sincere, evidence to the contrary is irrelevant.”

“Selling an idea is like selling cars, you say whatever works.”

We used the expression “strong critical thinker” to contrast with the expression “weak critical thinker.” But you will find people who drop the adjective “strong” (or “good”) and just say that someone is a “critical thinker” or not. It is like saying that a soccer (European “football”) player is a “defender” or “not a defender”, instead of saying the player’s skills at playing defense are strong or weak. People use the word “defender” in place of the phrase “is good at playing defense.” Similarly, people use “critical thinker” in place of “is a strong critical thinker” or “has strong critical thinking skills.” This is not only a helpful conversational shortcut, it suggests that to many people “critical thinker” has a laudatory sense. The word can be used to praise someone at the same time that it identifies the person, as in “Look at that play. That’s what I call a defender!”

“If we were compelled to make a choice between these personal attributes and knowledge about the principles of logical reasoning together with some degree of technical skill in manipulating special logical processes, we should decide for the former.”

John Dewey, How We Think , 1909. Republished as How We Think: A Restatement of the Relation of Reflective Thinking to the Educational Process . D. C. Heath Publishing. Lexington, MA. 1933.

We said the experts did not come to full agreement on something. That thing has to do with the concept of a “strong critical thinker.” This time the emphasis is on the word “good” because of the crucial ambiguity it contains. A person can be good at critical thinking, meaning that the person can have the appropriate dispositions and be adept at the cognitive processes, while still not being a good (in the moral sense) critical thinker. For example, a person can be adept at developing arguments and then, unethically, use this skill to mislead and exploit a gullible person, perpetrate a fraud, or deliberately confuse and confound, and frustrate a project.

The experts were faced with an interesting problem. Some, a minority, would prefer to think that critical thinking, by its very nature, is inconsistent with the kinds of unethical and deliberately counterproductive examples given. They find it hard to imagine a person who was good at critical thinking not also being good in the broader personal and social sense. In other words, if a person were “really” a “strong critical thinker” in the procedural sense and if the person had all the appropriate dispositions, then the person simply would not do those kinds of exploitive and aggravating things.

What We All Need Most Right Now

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The large majority, however, hold the opposite judgment.

The majority are firm in the view that strong critical thinking has nothing to do with any given set of political or religious tenets, ethical values, cultural mores, orthodoxies, or ideologies of any kind. Rather, the commitment one makes as a strong critical thinker is to always seek the truth with objectivity, integrity, and fair-mindedness. Most experts maintain that critical thinking conceived of as we have described it above, is, regrettably, consistent with abusing one’s knowledge, skills, or power. There have been people with superior thinking skills and strong habits of mind who, unfortunately, have used their talents for ruthless, horrific, and immoral purposes. Would that it was not so! Would that experience, knowledge, mental horsepower, and ethical virtues were all the same. But from the time of Socrates, if not thousands of years before that, humans have known that many of us have one or more of these without having the full set.

Any tool, any approach to situations, can go either way, ethically speaking, depending on the character, integrity, and principles of the persons who possess them. So, in the final analysis most experts maintained that we cannot say a person is not thinking critically simply because we disapprove ethically of what the person is doing. The majority concluded that, “what ‘critical thinking’ means, why it is of value, and the ethics of its use are best regarded as three distinct concerns.”

Perhaps this realization forms part of the basis for why people these days are demanding a broader range of learning outcomes from our schools and colleges. “Knowledge and skills,” the staples of the educational philosophy of the mid-twentieth century, are not sufficient. We must look to a broader set of outcomes including habits of mind and dispositions, such as civic engagement, concern for the common good, and social responsibility.

“Thinking” in Popular Culture

We have said so many good things about critical thinking that you might have the impression that “critical thinking” and “good thinking” mean the same thing. But that is not what the experts said. They see critical thinking as making up part of what we mean by good thinking, but not as being the only kind of good thinking. For example, they would have included creative thinking as part of good thinking.

Creative or innovative thinking is the kind of thinking that leads to new insights, novel approaches, fresh perspectives, whole new ways of understanding and conceiving of things. The products of creative thought include some obvious things like music, poetry, dance, dramatic literature, inventions, and technical innovations. But there are some not so obvious examples as well, such as ways of putting a question that expand the horizons of viable solutions, or ways of conceiving of relationships which challenge presuppositions and lead one to see the world in imaginative and different ways.

The experts working on the concept of critical thinking wisely left open the entire question of what the other forms good thinking might take. Creative thinking is only one example. There is a kind of purposive, kinetic thinking that instantly coordinates movement and intention as, for example, when an athlete dribbles a soccer ball down the field during a match. There is a kind of meditative thinking which may lead to a sense of inner peace or to profound insights about human existence. In contrast, there is a kind of hyper-alert, instinctive thinking needed by soldiers in battle. In the context of popular culture, one finds people proposing all kinds of thinking or this kind of intelligence or that kind of intelligence. Sometimes it is hard to sort out science from pseudo-science – the kernel of enduring truth from the latest cocktail party banter.

“Thinking” in Cognitive Science

Theories emerging from more scientific studies of human thinking and decision-making in recent years propose that thinking is more integrated and less dualistic than the notions in popular culture suggest. We should be cautious about proposals suggesting oversimplified ways of understanding how humans think. We should avoid harsh, rigid dichotomies such as “reason vs. emotion,” “intuitive vs. linear,” “creativity vs. criticality,” “right brained vs. left brained,” “as on Mars vs. as on Venus.”

There is often a kernel of wisdom in popular beliefs, and perhaps that gem this time is the realization that sometimes we decide things very quickly almost as spontaneous, intuitive, reactions to the situation at hand. Many accidents on the freeways of this nation are avoided precisely because drivers can see and react to dangerous situations so quickly. Many good decisions which feel intuitive are really the fruit of expertise. Decisions good drivers make in those moments of crisis, just like the decisions which practiced athletes make in the flow of a game or the decisions that a gifted teacher makes as she or he interacts with students, are borne of expertise, training, and practice.

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Recent integrative models of human decision-making propose that the thinking processes of our species is not best described as a conflictive duality as in “intuitive vs. reflective” but rather an integrative functioning of two mutually supportive systems “intuitive and reflective.” These two systems of thinking are present in all of us and can act in parallel to process cognitively the matters over which we are deciding.

One system is more intuitive, reactive, quick and holistic. So as not to confuse things with the notions of thinking in popular culture, cognitive scientists often name this system, “System 1.” The other (yes, you can guess its name) is more deliberative, reflective, computational and rule governed. You are right, it is called “ System 2 .”

In System 1 thinking, one relies heavily on several heuristics (cognitive maneuvers), key situational characteristics, readily associated ideas, and vivid memories to arrive quickly and confidently at a judgment. System 1 thinking is particularly helpful in familiar situations when time is short and immediate action is required.

While System 1 is functioning, another powerful system is also at work, that is, unless we shut it down by abusing alcohol or drugs, or with fear or indifference. Called “ System 2 ,” this is our more reflective thinking system. It is useful for making judgments when you find yourself in unfamiliar situations and have more time to figure things out. It allows us to process abstract concepts, to deliberate, to plan, to consider options carefully, to review and revise our work in the light of relevant guidelines or standards or rules of procedure. While System 2 decisions are also influenced by the correct or incorrect application of heuristic maneuvers, this is the system which relies on well-articulated reasons and more fully developed evidence. It is reasoning based on what we have learned through careful analysis, evaluation, explanation, and self-correction. This is the system which values intellectual honesty, analytically anticipating what happens next, maturity of judgment, fair-mindedness, elimination of biases, and truth-seeking. This is the system which we rely on to carefully think trough complex, novel, high-stakes, and highly integrative problems. [3]

Educators urge us to improve our critical thinking skills and to reinforce our disposition to use those skills because that is perhaps the best way to develop and refine our System 2 reasoning.

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Cognitive heuristics are thinking maneuvers which, at times, appear to be almost hardwired into our species. They influence both systems of thinking, the intuitive thinking of System 1 and the reflective reasoning of System 2. Five heuristics often seem to be operating more frequently in our System 1 reasoning are known as availability, affect, association, simulation, and similarity .

Availability , the coming to mind of a story or vivid memory of something that happened to you or to someone close to you, inclines a person to make inaccurate estimates of the likelihood of that thing’s happening again. People tell stories of things that happened to themselves or their friends all the time as a way of explaining their own decisions. The stories may not be scientifically representative, the events may be mistaken, misunderstood, or misinterpreted. But all that aside, the power of the story is to guide, often in a good way, the decision toward one choice rather than another.

The Affect heuristic operates when you have an immediate positive or a negative reaction to some idea, proposal, person, object, whatever. Sometimes called a “gut reaction” this affective response sets up an initial orientation in us, positive or negative, toward the object. It takes a lot of System 2 reasoning to overcome a powerful affective response to an idea, but it can be done. And at times it should be, because there is no guarantee that your gut reaction is always right.

The Association heuristic is operating when one word or idea reminds us of something else. For example, some people associate the word “cancer” with “death.” Some associate “sunshine” with “happiness.” These kinds of associational reasoning responses can be helpful at times, as for example if associating cancer with death leads you not to smoke and to go in for regular checkups. At other times the same association may influence a person to make an unwise decision, as for example if associating “cancer” with “death” were to lead you to be so fearful and pessimistic that you do not seek diagnosis and treatment of a worrisome cancer symptom until it was really too late to do anything.

The Simulation heuristic works when you are imagining how various scenarios will unfold. People often imagine how a conversation will go, or how they will be treated by someone else when they meet the person, or what their friends or boss or lover will say and do when they must address some difficult issue. These simulations, like movies in our heads, help us prepare and do a better job when the difficult moment arrives. But they can also lead us to have mistaken expectations. People may not respond as we imagined, things may go much differently. Our preparations may fail us because the ease of our simulation misled us into thinking that things would have to go as we had imagined them. And they did not.

The Similarity heuristic operates when we notice some way in which we are like someone else and infer that what happened to that person is therefore more likely to happen to us. The similarity heuristic functions much like an analogical argument or metaphorical model. The similarity we focus on might be fundamental and relevant, which would make the inference more warranted. For example, the boss fired your coworker for missing sales targets, and you draw the reasonable conclusion that if you miss your sales target, you will be fired too. Or the similarity that comes to mind might be superficial or not connected with the outcome, which would make the inference unwarranted. For example, you see a TV commercial showing trim-figured young people enjoying fattening fast foods and infer that because you are young too you can indulge your cravings for fast foods without gaining a lot of excess unsightly poundage.

Heuristics and biases often appearing to be somewhat more associated with System 2 thinking include: satisficing, risk/loss aversion, anchoring with adjustment, and the illusion of control.

CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS MAP ON TO LEADERSHIP DECISION MAKING

Successful professionals with leadership responsibilities, like those in business or the military, apply all their critical thinking skills to solve problems and to make sound decisions. At the risk of oversimplifying all the ways that our critical thinking intersects with problem solving and leadership decision making, here are some of the more obvious connecting points:

  • Analyze the strategic environment, identify its elements and their relationships
  • Interpret events and other elements in the strategic environment for signs of risk, opportunity, weakness, advantage
  • Infer , given what is known with precision and accuracy within the strategic environment, the logical and most predictable consequences of various courses of action
  • Infer , given the range of uncertainty and risk in the strategic environment, the full range of the possible and probable consequences of each possible course of action
  • Evaluate anticipated results for positive and negative impacts
  • Evaluate risks, opportunities, options, consequences
  • Explain the rationale (evidence, methodology, criteria, theoretical assumptions, and context) for deciding on the integrated strategic objectives and for the planning and action parameters that compose the strategy
  • Double Check Everything: At every step review one’s own thinking and make necessary corrections.

© 2013 Measured Reasons LLC, Hermosa Beach, CA. From Jan 2013 briefing “Critical and Creative Thinking” for Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy, MacDill AFB.

Satisficing occurs as we consider our alternatives. When we come to one which is good enough to fulfill our objectives, we often regard ourselves as having completed our deliberations. We satisficed. And why not? The choice is, after all, good enough. It may not be perfect, it may not be optimal, it may not even be the best among the options available. But it is good enough. Time to decide and move forward.

The running mate of satisficing is temporizing. Temporizing is deciding that the option which we have come to is “good enough for now.” We often move through life satisficing and temporizing. At times we look back on our situations and wonder why it is that we have settled for far less than we might have. If we had only studied harder, worked out a little more, taken better care of ourselves and our relationships, perhaps we would not be living as we are now. But, at the time each of the decisions along the way was “good enough for the time being.”

We are by nature a species that is averse to risk and loss . We often make decisions based on what we are too worried about losing, rather than based on what we might gain. This works out to be a rather serviceable approach in many circumstances. People do not want to lose control, they do not want to lose their freedom, they do not want to lose their lives, their families, their jobs, their possessions. High stakes gambling is best left to those who can afford to lose the money. Las Vegas did not build all those multi-million-dollar casino hotels because vacationers are winning all the time! And so, in real life, we take precautions. We avoid unnecessary risks. The odds may not be stacked against us, but the consequences of losing at times are so great that we would prefer to forego the possibilities of gain in order not to lose what we have. And yet, on occasion this can be a most unfortunate decision too. History has shown time and time again that businesses which avoid risks often are unable to compete successfully with those willing to move more boldly into new markets or into new product lines.

Any heuristic is only a maneuver, perhaps a shortcut or impulse to think or act in one way rather than another, but certainly not a failsafe rule. It may work out well much of the time to rely on the heuristic, but it will not work out for the best all the time.

For example, people with something to lose tend toward conservative choices politically as well as economically. Nothing wrong with that necessarily. Just an observation about the influence of Loss Aversion heuristic on actual decision making. We are more apt to endure the status quo, even as it slowly deteriorates, than we are to call for “radical” change. Regrettably, however, when the call for change comes, it often requires a far greater upheaval to make the necessary transformations, or, on occasion, the situation has deteriorated beyond the point of no return. In those situations, we find ourselves wondering why we waited so long before doing something.

The heuristic known as Anchoring with Adjustment is operative when we find ourselves making evaluative judgments. The natural thing for us to do is to locate or anchor our evaluation at some point along whatever scale we are using. For example, a professor says that the student’s paper is a C+. Then, as other information comes our way, we may adjust that judgment. The professor, for example, may decide that the paper is as good as some others that were given a B-, and so adjust the grade upward. The interesting thing about this heuristic is that we do not normally start over with a fresh evaluation. We have dropped anchor, and we may drag it upward or downward a bit, but we do not pull it off the bottom of the sea to relocate our evaluation. First impressions, as the saying goes, cannot be undone. The good thing about this heuristic is that it permits us to move on. We have done the evaluation; there are other papers to grade, other projects to do, other things in life that need attention. We could not endure long if we had to constantly reevaluate everything anew. The unfortunate thing about this heuristic is that we sometimes drop anchor in the wrong place; we have a tough time giving people a second chance at making a good first impression.

The heuristic known as Illusion of Control is evident in many situations. Many of us overestimate our abilities to control what will happen. We make plans for how we are going to do this or that, say this or that, manipulate the situation this way or that way, share or not share this information or that possibility, all the time thinking that somehow our petty plans will enable us to control what happens. We function as if others are dancing on the ends of the strings that we are pulling, when the influences our words or actions have on future events may be quite negligible. At times we do have some measure of control. For example, we may exercise, not smoke, and watch our diet to be more fit and healthy. We are careful not to drink if we are planning to drive so that we reduce the risks of being involved in a traffic accident. But at times we simply are mistaken about our ability to exercise full control over a situation. Sadly, we might become ill even if we do work hard to take care of ourselves. Or we may be involved in an accident even if we are sober. Our business may fail even if we work hard to make it a success. We may not do as well on an exam as we might hope even if we study hard.

Related to the Illusion of Control heuristic is the tendency to misconstrue our personal influence or responsibility for past events. This is called Hindsight Bias. We may overestimate the influence our actions have had on events when things go right, or we may underestimate our responsibility or culpability when things go wrong. We have all heard people bragging about how they did this and how they did that and, as a result, such and such wonderful things happened. We made these great plans and look at how well our business did financially. Which may be true when the economy is strong but not when the economy is failing. It is not clear how much of that success came from the planning and how much came from the general business environment. Or, we have all been in the room when it was time to own up for something that went wrong and thought to ourselves, hey, I may have had some part in this, but it was not entirely my fault. “It was not my fault the children were late for school! Hey, I was dressed and ready to go at the regular time.” As if seeing that the family was running late, I had no responsibility to take some initiative and help.

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different outcome.”

Albert Einstein

Research on our shared heuristic patterns of decision-making does not aim to evaluate these patterns as necessarily good or bad patterns of thinking. I fear that my wording of them may not have been as entirely neutral and descriptive as perhaps it should have been. In truth, reliance on heuristics can be an efficient way of deciding things, given how complicated our lives are. We cannot devote maximal cognitive resources to every single decision we make.

Those of us who study these heuristic thinking phenomena are simply trying to document how we humans do think. There are many useful purposes for doing this. For example, if we find that people repeatedly make a given kind of mistake when thinking about a commonly experienced problem, then we might find ways to intervene and to help ourselves not repeat that error repeatedly.

This research on the actual patterns of thinking used by individuals and by groups might prove particularly valuable to those who seek interventions which could improve how we make our own heath care decisions, how we make business decisions, how we lead teams of people to work more effectively in collaborative settings, and the like.

Popular culture offers one other myth about decision-making which is worth questioning. And that is the belief that when we make reflective decisions, we carefully weigh each of our options, giving due consideration to all of them in turn, before deciding which we will adopt. Although perhaps it should be, research on human decision-making shows that this simply is not what happens. [4] When seeking to explain how people decide on an option with such conviction that they stick to their decision over time and with such confidence that they act on that decision, the concept that what we do is build a Dominance Structure has been put forth.

In a nutshell this theory suggests that when we settle on a particular option which is good enough, we tend to elevate its merits and diminish its flaws relative to the other options. We raise it up in our minds until it becomes for us the dominant option. In this way, as our decision takes shape, we gain confidence in our choice and we feel justified in dismissing the other options, even though the objective distance between any of them and our dominant option may not be very great at all. But we become invested in our dominant option to the extent that we can put the other possibilities aside and act based on our choice. In fact, it comes to dominate the other options in our minds so much that we can sustain our decision to act over time, rather than going back to re-evaluate or reconsider constantly. Understanding the natural phenomenon of dominance structuring can help us appreciate why it can be so difficult for us to get others to change their minds, or why it seems that our reasons for our decisions are so much better than any of the objections which others might make to our decisions. This is not to say that we are right or wrong. Rather, this is only to observe that human beings are capable of unconsciously building up defenses around their choices which can result in the warranted or unwarranted confidence to act based on those choices.

Realizing the power of dominance structuring, one can only be more committed to the importance of education and critical thinking. We should do all that we can to inform ourselves fully and to reflect carefully on our choices before we make them, because we are, after all, human and we are as likely as the next person to believe that we are right and they are wrong once the dominance structure begins to be erected. Breaking through that to fix bad decisions, which is possible, can be much harder than getting things right in the first place.

There are more heuristics than only those mentioned above. There is more to learn about dominance structuring as it occurs in groups as well as in individuals, and how to mitigate the problems which may arise by prematurely settling on a “good enough” option, or about how to craft educational programs or interventions which help people be more effective in their System 1 and System 2 thinking. There is much to learn about human thinking and how to optimize it in individuals of different ages; how to optimize the thinking of groups of peers and groups where organizational hierarchies influence interpersonal dynamics. And, happily, there is a lot we know today about human thinking and decision-making that we did not know a few years ago.

Why critical thinking?

Let us start with you first. Why would critical thinking be of value to you to have the cognitive skills of interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation, and self-regulation?

Apart from, or maybe in light of, what we said at the beginning of this essay about the utility of positive critical thinking and about the problems that failures of critical thinking contribute to, why would it be of value to you to learn to approach life and to approach specific concerns with the critical thinking dispositions listed above? Would you have greater success in your work? Would you get better grades?

The answer to the grades question, scientifically speaking, is very possibly Yes! A study of over 1100 college students shows that scores on a college level critical thinking skills test significantly correlated with college GPA. [5] It has also been shown that critical thinking skills can be learned, which suggests that as one learns them one’s GPA might well improve. In further support of this hypothesis is the significant correlation between critical thinking and reading comprehension. Improvements in one are paralleled by improvements in the other. Now if you can read better and think better, you probably will do better in your classes, learn more, and get higher grades. It is, to say the least, very plausible.

Learning, Critical Thinking, and Our Nation’s Future

“The future now belongs to societies that organize themselves for learning… nations that want high incomes and full employment must develop policies that emphasize the acquisition of knowledge and skills by everyone, not just a select few.”

Ray Marshall & Marc Tucker, Thinking For A Living: Education And The Wealth of Nations , Basic Books. New York. 1992.

But what a limited benefit — better grades. Who really cares in the long run? Two years after college, five years out, what does GPA really mean? These days a college level technical and professional program has a half-life of about four years, which means that the technical content is expanding so fast and changing so much that in about four years after graduation your professional training will be in serious need of renewal. So, if the only thing a college is good for is to get the entry level training and the credential needed for a particular job, then college would be a time-limited value.

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

The APA Delphi Report, Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction 1990 ERIC Doc. NO.: ED 315423

Is that the whole story? A job is a good thing, but is that what a college education is all about? Just getting started in a job? Maybe some cannot see its further value, but many do. A main purpose, if not the main purpose, of the collegiate experience, at either the two-year or the four-year level, is to achieve what people have called a “liberal education.” Not liberal in the sense of a smattering of this and that for no particular purpose except to fulfill the unit requirement. But liberal in the sense of “liberating.” And who is being liberated? You! Liberated from a kind of slavery. But from whom?

From professors. From dependence on professors so that they no longer stand as infallible authorities delivering opinions beyond our capacity to challenge, question, and dissent. In fact, this is exactly what the professors want. They want their students to excel on their own, to go beyond what is currently known, to make their own contributions to knowledge and to society. [Being a professor is a curious job — the more effective you are as a teacher, less your students require your aid in learning.]

Liberal education is about learning to learn, which means learning to think for yourself on your own and in collaboration with others.

Liberal education leads us away from naive acceptance of authority, above self-defeating relativism, and beyond ambiguous contextualism. It culminates in principled reflective judgment. Learning critical thinking, cultivating the critical spirit, is not just a means to this end, it is part of the goal itself. People who are weak critical thinkers, who lack the dispositions and skills described, cannot be said to be liberally educated, regardless of the academic degrees they may hold.

Yes, there is much more to a liberal education than critical thinking. There is an understanding of the methods, principles, theories, and ways of achieving knowledge which are proper to the different intellectual realms. There is an encounter with the cultural, artistic, and spiritual dimensions of life. There is the evolution of one’s decision making to the level of principled integrity and concern for the common good and social justice. There is the realization of the ways all our lives are shaped by global as well as local political, social, psychological, economic, environmental, and physical forces. There is the growth that comes from the interaction with cultures, languages, ethnic groups, religions, nationalities, and social classes other than one’s own. There is the refinement of one’s humane sensibilities through reflection on the recurring questions of human existence, meaning, love, life, and death. There is the sensitivity, appreciation, and critical appraisal of all that is good and all that is bad in the human condition. As the mind awakens and matures, and the proper nurturing and educational nourishment is provided, these others central parts of a liberal education develop as well. Critical thinking plays an essential role in achieving these purposes.

Anything else? What about going beyond the individual to the community?

The experts say critical thinking is fundamental to, if not essential for, “a rational and democratic society.” What might the experts mean by this?

Well, how wise would democracy be if people abandoned critical thinking? Imagine an electorate that did not care for the facts. An electorate that did not wish to consider the pros and cons of the issues. Or, worse, had neither the education nor the brain power to do so. Imagine your life and the lives of your friends and family placed in the hands of juries and judges who let their political allegiance, biases and stereotypes govern their decisions, who do not attend to the evidence, who are not interested in reasoned inquiry, who do not know how to draw an inference or evaluate one. Without critical thinking, people could easily be exploited not only politically but economically.

The impact of abandoning critical thinking would not be confined to the micro-economics of the household checking account. Suppose the people involved in international commerce were lacking in critical thinking skills, they would be unable to analyze and interpret the market trends, evaluate the implications of interest fluctuations, or explain the potential impact of those factors which influence large scale production and distribution of goods and materials. Suppose these people were unable to draw the proper inferences from the economic facts, or unable to evaluate the claims made by the unscrupulous and misinformed. In such a situation, serious economic mistakes would be made. Whole sectors of the economy would become unpredictable and large-scale economic disaster would become extremely likely. So, given a society that does not value and cultivate critical thinking, we might reasonably expect that in time the judicial system and the economic system would collapse. And, in such a society, one that does not liberate its citizens by teaching them to think critically for themselves, it would be madness to advocate democratic forms of government.

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Is it any wonder that business and civic leaders are maybe even more interested in critical thinking than educators? Critical thinking employed by an informed citizenry is a necessary condition for the success of democratic institutions and for competitive free-market economic enterprise. These values are so important that it is in the national interest that we should try to educate all citizens so that they can learn to think critically. Not just for their personal good, but for the good of the rest of us too.

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

Look at what has happened around the world in places devastated by economic embargoes, one-sided warfare, or the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Or, consider the problem of global climate change, and how important it is for all of us to cooperate with efforts to curtail our use of fossil fuels to reduce emissions of harmful greenhouse gases.

Consider the “cultural revolutions” undertaken by totalitarian rulers. Notice how in virtually every case absolutist and dictatorial despots seek ever more severe limitations on free expression. They label “liberal” intellectuals “dangers to society” and expel “radical” professors from teaching posts because they might “corrupt the youth.” Some use the power of their governmental or religious authority to crush not only their opposition but the moderates as well — all in the name of maintaining the purity of their movement. They intimidate journalists and those media outlets which dare to comment “negatively” on their political and cultural goals or their heavy-handed methods.

The historical evidence is there for us to see what happens when schools are closed or converted from places of education to places for indoctrination. We know what happens when children are no longer being taught truth-seeking, the skills of good reasoning, or the lessons of human history and basic science: Cultures disintegrate; communities collapse; the machinery of civilization fails; massive numbers of people die; and sooner or later social and political chaos ensues.

Or, imagine a media, a religious or political hegemony which cultivated, instead of critical thinking, all the opposite dispositions? Or consider if that hegemony reinforced uncritical, impulsive decision making and the “ready-shoot-aim” approach to executive action. Imagine governmental structures, administrators, and community leaders who, instead of encouraging critical thinking, were content to make knowingly irrational, illogical, prejudicial, unreflective, short-sighted, and unreasonable decisions.

How long might it take for the people in this society which does not value critical thinking to be at serious risk of foolishly harming themselves and each other?

The news too often reports about hate groups, wanton shooting, terrorists, and violently extreme political, ideological, or religious zealots. Education which includes a good measure of critical thinking skills and dispositions like truth-seeking and open-mindedness, is a problem for terrorists and extremists of every stripe because terrorists and extremists want to control of what people think. They are ideologists of the worst kind. Their methods include indoctrination, intimidation, and the strictest authoritarian orthodoxy. In the “black-and-white” world of “us vs. them” a good education would mean that the people might begin to think for themselves. And that is something these extremists do not want.

History shows that assaults on learning, whether by book burning, exile of intellectuals, or regulations aimed at suppressing research and frustrating the fair-minded, evidence-based, and unfettered pursuit of knowledge, can happen wherever and whenever people are not vigilant defenders of open, objective, and independent inquiry.

Does this mean that society should place an extremely high value on critical thinking?

Absolutely!

Does this mean society has the right to force someone to learn to think critically?

Maybe. But, really, should we have to?

EXPERT CONSENSUS STATEMENT REGARDING CRITICAL THINKING AND THE IDEAL CRITICAL THINKER

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Tactics for Training, Triggering, and Teaching Critical Thinking

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. Images in this white paper are copyrighted from keynote presentations and professional development workshops.

Contact the author at Measured Reasons LLC for more information.

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“Critical Thinking for Life: Valuing, Measuring, and Training Critical Thinking in All its Forms,” describes the work of Drs. Peter A. and Noreen C. Facione. The essay can be found in the Spring 2013 issue of Inquiry (Vol. XXVIII, No.1).

They and their co-investigators have been engaged in research and teaching about reasoning, decision-making, and effective individual and group thinking processes since 1967. Over the years they developed instruments to measure the core skills and habits of mind of effective thinking, these instruments are now in use in many different languages throughout the world. Since 1992 they have presented hundreds of workshops about effective teaching for thinking and about leadership, decision-making, leadership development, planning and budgeting, and learning outcomes assessment at national and international professional association meetings, business organizations, military bases, healthcare agencies, and on college and university throughout the nation.

READINGS and REFERENCES

American Philosophical Association, Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction. “The Delphi Report,” Committee on Pre-College Philosophy. (ERIC Doc. No. ED 315 423). 1990

Brookfield, Stephen D. : Developing Critical Thinkers: Challenging Adults to Explore Alternative Ways of Thinking and Acting . Josey-Bass Publishers. San-Francisco, CA. 1987.

Browne, M. Neil, and Keeley, Stuart M.: Asking the Right Questions . Prentice-Hall Publishers. Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 2003.

Costa, Arthur L., & Lowery, l Lawrence F.: Techniques for Teaching Thinking. Critical Thinking Press and Software. Pacific Grove, CA. 1989.

Facione, Noreen C, and Facione Peter A..: Critical Thinking and Clinical Judgment in the Health Sciences – An International Teaching Anthology . The California Academic Press, Millbrae CA. 2008.

Facione, Noreen C. and Facione, Peter A.: Critical Thinking Assessment and Nursing Education Programs: An Aggregate Data Analysis . The California Academic Press. Millbrae, CA 1997.

Facione, Noreen. C., and Facione, Peter A., Analyzing Explanations for Seemingly Irrational Choices, International Journal of Applied Philosophy , Vol. 15 No. 2 (2001) 267-86.

Facione, Peter A and Noreen C.: Thinking and Reasoning in Human Decision Making. The California Academic Press. Millbrae CA, 2007

Facione, Peter A and Giddens C. A.: Think Critically , Pearson Education: Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 2016.

Facione, P.A., Facione, N.C., Talking Critical Thinking, Change: The Magazine of Higher Education , March-April. 2007.

Facione, P.A., Facione N. C., and Giancarlo, C: The Disposition Toward Critical Thinking: Its Character, Measurement, and Relationship to Critical Thinking Skills, Journal of Informal Logic, Vol. 20 No. 1 (2000) 61-84.

Gilovich, Thomas; Griffin, Dale; and Kahneman, Daniel: Heuristics and Biases: The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment . Cambridge University Press. 2002.

Goldstein, William, and Hogarth, Robin M. (Eds.): Research on Judgment and Decision Making . Cambridge University Press. 1997.

Esterle, John, and Clurman, Dan: Conversations with Critical Thinkers . The Whitman Institute. San Francisco, CA. 1993.

Janis, I.L. and Mann, L: Decision-Making . The Free Press, New York. 1977.

Kahneman, Daniel; Slovic, Paul; and Tversky, Amos: Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases . Cambridge University Press. 1982.

Kahneman Daniel: Knetsch, J.L.; and Thaler, R.H.: The endowment effect, loss aversion, and status quo bias. Journal of Economic Perspectives . 1991, 5;193-206.

King, Patricia M. & Kitchener, Karen Strohm: Developing Reflective Judgment. Josey-Bass Publishers. San Francisco, CA. 1994

Kurfiss, Joanne G., Critical Thinking: Theory, Research, Practice and Possibilities, ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report # 2, Washington DC, 1988.

Marshall, Ray, and Tucker, Marc, Thinking for a Living: Education and the Wealth of Nations , Basic Books. New York, NY. 1992.

Resnick, L. W., Education and Learning to Think, National Academy Press, 1987.

Rubenfeld, M. Gaie, & Scheffer, Barbara K., Critical Thinking in Nursing: An Interactive Approach . J. B. Lippincott Company. Philadelphia PA, 1995.

Siegel, Harvey: Educating Reason: Rationality, CT and Education. Routledge Publishing. New York. 1989.

Sternberg, Robert J.: Critical Thinking: Its Nature, Measurement, and Improvement. National Institute of Education, Washington DC, 1986.

Toulmin, Stephen: The Uses of Argument . Cambridge University Press, 1969.

Wade, Carole, and Tavris, Carol: Critical & Creative Thinking: The Case of Love and War . Harper Collins College Publisher. New York. NY 1993.

GOVERNMENT REPORTS

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) Documents National Assessment of College Student Learning: Getting Started, A Summary of Beginning Activities. NCES 93-116.

National Assessment of College Student Learning: Identification of the Skills to Be Taught, Learned, and Assessed, A Report on the Proceedings of the Second Design Workshop, November 1992. NCES 94-286.

National Assessment of College Student Learning: Identifying College Graduates’ Essential Skills in Writing, Speech and Listening, and Critical Thinking. NCES 95-001.

  • The findings of expert consensus cited or reported in this essay are published in Critical Thinking: A Statement of Expert Consensus for Purposes of Educational Assessment and Instruction. Peter A. Facione, principal investigator, The California Academic Press, Millbrae, CA, 1990. (ERIC ED 315 423). In 1993/94 the Center for the Study of Higher Education at The Pennsylvania State University studied 200 policymakers, employers, and faculty members from two-year and four-year colleges to determine what this group took to be the core critical thinking skills and habits of mind. The Pennsylvania State University Study, under the direction of Dr. Elizabeth Jones, was funded by the US Department of Education Office of Educational Research and Instruction. The Penn State study findings, published in 1994, confirmed the expert consensus described in this paper. ↑
  • The California Critical Thinking Skills Test , the Test of Everyday Reasoning , the Health Science Reasoning Test , the Military and Defense Reasoning Profile , The Business Critical Thinking Skills Test , and Educate Insight Series for K-12, and the INSIGHT Series for employers and business, health, legal, first responder, educator, science and engineering, and defense professionals and executives. along with other testing instruments authored by Dr. Facione and his research team for people in K-12, college, and graduate / professional work target the core critical thinking skills identified here. These instruments are published in English and several authorized translations exclusively by Insight Assessment. ↑
  • Chapters 10 and 11 of Think Critically , Pearson Education, locate critical thinking within this integrative model of thinking. The cognitive heuristics, which will be described next, and the human capacity to derive sustained confidence decisions (right or wrong), — known as “dominance structuring,” – are presented there too. There are lots of useful exercises and examples in that book. You may also wish to consult the references listed at the end of this essay. The material presented in this section is derived from these books and related publications by many of these same authors and others working to scientifically explain how humans make decisions. ↑
  • Henry Montgomery, “From cognition to action: The search for dominance in decision making.” In Process and Structure in Human Decision-Making , Montgomery H, Svenson O (Eds). John Wiley & Sons: Chichester, UK, 1989. For a more accessible description along with reflective exercises on how to avoid becoming “locked in” to a poor decision prematurely, see chapter 11 of Think Critically . ↑
  • (Findings regarding the effectiveness of critical thinking instruction, and correlations with GPA and reading ability are reported in “Technical Report #1, Experimental Validation and Content Validity” (ERIC ED 327 549), “Technical Report #2, Factors Predictive of CT Skills” (ERIC ED 327 550), and “Gender, Ethnicity, Major, CT Self-Esteem, and the California Critical Thinking Skills Test” (ERIC ED 326 584). These findings remain consistent in research using the tools in the California Critical Thinking Skills Test family of instruments published by Insight Assessment.) ↑
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3 Examples of HR Strengths and Weaknesses: How to Be a Great HR Leader

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Performance Management, Supercharged

Human resources professionals are there for all of the ups and downs of people management. We get to make job offers and help employees understand benefits, but we are also responsible for giving bad news and enforcing changes at work. Working in HR is a rewarding and gratifying career, but it’s not without challenges.

Despite the challenges, most in HR find their job to be rewarding. According to SHRM , an incredible 95% of HR employees surveyed had high “meaningful work” scores, which means they responded positively to questions about their happiness at work.

To be a successful practitioner, you should be aware of some common HR strengths and weaknesses. Learn some of the actions that make great HR leaders and common weaknesses that can hinder success. First, let’s take a quick look back at the history of human resources.

HR History, Explained

In the early 1900s, companies were doing essentially what we’re doing today — figuring out how to retain employees and improve performance. Like today, reducing turnover , additional compensation structures, and collecting grievances were their focus.

“By the 1930s, human resources started to become and be seen as advocates for employees and the reason for that, frankly, was because companies were trying to keep unions out. The idea of being able to tell people at the top of the company: ‘Hey, the workers are unhappy about this’ really mattered because they cared whether workers were unhappy because they thought they might unionize otherwise. In that period, HR developed this kind of reputation as being the workers’ advocate and that’s probably true up to 1970.” - Peter Cappelli, Professor of Management at The Wharton School

But as the federal government began to adopt union policies as legislation, post-war unions saw a decrease in power and as a result, HR’s role started to shift. Rather than the protector of the employees, they became more like the defender of the company. After all, there were regulatory issues, compliance matters, and plenty of worker protections passed in the interim decades. Enforcement and compliance became HR’s main job.

Today’s HR leaders find themselves struggling to bridge the gap between fulfilling their employee guide and manager role while also ensuring the company is compliant with labor laws. Perhaps that’s why we dissect the qualities that make great HR leaders so frequently.

Though they vary individually, the strengths and weaknesses of HR leaders do have similarities. There are also clear patterns when it comes to weaknesses. Let’s dive into examples of HR strengths and weaknesses.

HR Strengths for Successful Leaders

Hr strength #1: prioritize learning and development.

Great HR leaders value learning and development — both for themselves and for the employees they manage. Those that want to grow in the industry look for organizations that offer HR-specific leadership development programs. They join professional associations, attend conferences, take classes, and maintain their certifications. They also keep up with HR news, including changing requirements and trends.

Strong HR departments spearhead learning strategies that encourage employee growth, like mentoring and coaching. Your team can advocate for organizational mentorship and coaching programs that help employees excel and increase engagement.

HR Strength #2: Advocate for Employees

HR was built to bridge the gap between the employer and employee. When a worker has an issue with coworkers, leadership, or employment terms, they are directed to HR. The same is true for executives. When a decision is made, it is HR who will navigate the communication and anticipate the backlash.

A great HR leader understands that advocating for employees, whether in the form of more autonomy, sick leave, or other benefits, is an investment in both the employees and the company. This may be your HR team’s greatest strength if your strategies include getting employee feedback on benefits and policies and listening to their suggestions and concerns.

HR Strength #3: Understand Compliance

HR professionals specialize in everything from compensation and benefits to employment law because employment is filled with rules and nuances. The HR team is the knowledgeable resource executives trust to keep company hiring and management processes compliant and secure.

Employers lean on HR to ensure the organization is meeting regulations and remaining current on local and national expectations. Legislation regarding work and employees are constantly changing at both federal and state levels. Great HR managers stay on top of these changes and ensure their workplace and their people are compliant.

Common Weaknesses of HR Professionals

Hr weakness #1: ignore the “finance part”.

Only 25% of HR departments would say they have a “collaborative” relationship with their finance team. While finance and HR don’t seem to have much in common, they’re actually closely related. Both teams manage important business assets and maintain balance — whether across business finances or its workforce.

For HR, it is important to understand how financial data and analytics should influence hiring and management decisions. Yes, you have to spend money to produce productive employees, but the efficiency of funds is key for both the business’s bottom line and the satisfaction of workers.

“COVID has certainly highlighted the importance of the role of human resources in a business. What HR has had to navigate through has been nothing short of the biggest challenge the profession has faced in history, to the phenomenal opportunity it provided to shine a light on the impact of the role of HR leader.” - HRD

HR Weakness #2: No Strategic Foundation

Human resources are absolutely a strategic function, and the future of work trends point to its increasing importance. That’s why it’s important that your HR strategies have a solid foundation.

To be effective and get support from other departments, HR strategies must be:

  • Aligned with company objectives
  • Supported by people management data

HR data and analytics can help make the connection between data and goals. Aligning strategy with goals is not only useful for furthering those goals but also shows the rest of the company exactly how HR plays a role. Data informs better strategy within HR but also speaks a more common language throughout departments, especially operations.

Data and goal alignment is especially important as HR leaders are in charge of change management, whether it’s rolling out a new health plan or adding a policy to the employee handbook. With a data-backed strategy, HR leaders can explain more about the why of a new policy, procedure, or plan and get everyone on board.

Easing that disconnect and simplifying data collection is exactly what propelled the creation of ClearCompany’s Talent Management solution . Our platform eases the administrative burden and each module from Applicant Tracking to Onboarding to Performance and Engagement also increases transparency. Every HR solution is powered by a core Talent Management System that uses the company mission, competencies, and goals to engage employees at every level.

HR Weakness #3: Less Customer-Focused

HR professionals have two main audiences to please, the employer and the employees. Due to their internal focus, there’s often a disconnect between HR and the customer. But we have to maintain that connection and consider the impact of HR strategy on our customers to be great HR leaders .

For example, HR KPIs often revolve around hiring and managing metrics like time to hire, retention, and productivity. To stay connected to customer needs when developing HR strategies, consider the impact of these metrics on the client:

  • Faster time-to-hire ensures organizations are fully staffed and can support customers’ needs.
  • High retention means that customers interact with employees who have a great depth of knowledge and high levels of satisfaction and engagement.
  • Productive employees generally mean more satisfied customers. But HR should monitor this alongside customer satisfaction metrics to ensure that increased productivity doesn’t result in neglecting their needs.

Use these common HR strengths and weaknesses to find what your team is great at and where they may be vulnerable. Great HR leaders are not born, they are made from years of practice, training, and dedication. Whether you are an HR professional or an organizational executive, grasping the strengths and weaknesses of HR can help you understand some of the challenges your company will need to overcome together.

Develop HR strengths and bolster weak spots with ClearCompany’s comprehensive Talent Management System, built with HR best practices in mind. Sign up for your personalized demo of our award-winning platform today .

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strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

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How to Design a Better Hiring Process

  • Alex Haimann

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

It’s time to move past “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?”

Many standard interview processes rely on outdated behavioral questions like “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?” to evaluate prospective hires. But more often than not, these types of questions fail to reveal useful information about a candidate’s competencies. A better approach is to immerse job candidates in unconventional scenarios to gather the most useful insights about their critical-thinking abilities, tech savviness, and interpersonal skills. For example, if you want to test their ability to prepare, let them know the questions you’ll ask beforehand. If you want to test their technical skills, give them a problem to solve in real-time. And if you want to see if they’ll be a good cultural fit, have them play an interactive game with your employees.

Shortly after we started hiring for our business, we recognized that most traditional interview processes  are flawed , at best. At the time, we had a goal of growing our CRM software company from six to 18 employees. Our objectives were simple: Find talented people to contribute to our culture, generate great work, and stay with us for the long term. To avoid retention issues, we decided to focus on optimizing our interview process early on as opposed to relying on outdated behavioral questions to guide us.

strengths and weaknesses of critical thinking in hr

  • Alex Haimann is a partner and the head of business development at  Less Annoying CRM , a simple CRM built from the ground up for small businesses. Over 10,000 small businesses worldwide use LACRM to manage contacts, track leads, and stay on top of follow-ups. LACRM continues to grow by engaging customers and finding new opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships.

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What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? It is one of the most popular interview questions that most candidates have encountered at some point in job interviews.

To help you excel in this crucial part of the interview process, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide with the best strengths and weaknesses examples that will help you stand out.

In this article, we will cover commonly asked questions, provide actionable answers, and even offer a comparison table to simplify your understanding to help you prepare for your HR interview..

How to Answer Strengths and Weaknesses in an HR Interview?

Answering strengths in an interview:.

When discussing your strengths in an interview, it’s essential to focus on qualities that align with the job requirements and demonstrate your value to the potential employer. Here’s a concise approach:

Identify Key Strengths: Highlight two or three strengths directly related to the job. For example, if the job requires leadership, emphasize your leadership skills .

Provide Specific Examples: Backup your strengths with concrete examples. Share accomplishments or situations where your strengths played a crucial role.

Be Concise: Keep your responses brief and to the point, ensuring you don’t ramble or provide unnecessary details.

Sample Answer for Strengths in an Interview:

“My key strengths include strong problem-solving abilities and excellent project management skills. In my previous role as a project manager, I successfully led a cross-functional team, resulting in a 20% increase in project efficiency. I’m also known for my ability to identify and resolve complex issues, as demonstrated when I streamlined our customer support process, reducing response times by 30%.”

Answering Weaknesses in an Interview:

Addressing weaknesses is a delicate task, as you want to demonstrate self-awareness and a commitment to self-improvement. Here’s a concise approach:

Acknowledge the Weakness: Choose a genuine weakness, but one that is not a critical aspect of the job you’re applying for.

Show Improvement: Mention steps you’ve taken or are taking to overcome this weakness, such as training or seeking feedback.

Stay Positive: Frame the weakness in a positive light and emphasize how it’s an opportunity for growth.

Sample Answer for Weaknesses in an Interview:

“I’ve noticed that I tend to be overly critical of my work at times, striving for perfection. While this attention to detail is generally beneficial, it can sometimes slow down projects. To address this, I’ve been working on finding a balance between high-quality work and meeting deadlines, and I’ve found that setting clear project milestones has helped me manage this better.”

List of 25 One-Word Strengths for HR Interviews:

Best Strengths for HR Interviews

  • Problem-Solving
  • Adaptability
  • Communication
  • Time Management
  • Detail-Oriented
  • Organization
  • Decision-Making
  • Dependability
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Resourcefulness
  • Strategic Thinking
  • Multitasking
  • Accountability

List of 25 One-Word Weaknesses for HR Interviews:

Weaknesses Job Interview Examples

  • Procrastination
  • Perfectionism
  • Inflexibility
  • Disorganization
  • Overcommitment
  • Overthinking
  • Over-critical
  • Overly self-critical
  • Stubbornness
  • Micromanagement
  • Over-trusting
  • Indecisiveness
  • Over-apologizing
  • Impulsivity
  • Inability to say “no”
  • Introversion
  • Forgetfulness
  • Lack of assertiveness

10 Best Answers to “What is your Greatest Strength?” 

Knowing how to answer “what are your greatest professional strengths” is vital in making a strong impression during a job interview.  Let us go through some of the best answers to ace this commonly asked interview question.

1. Adaptability:

“ My greatest strength is my adaptability. I thrive in dynamic work environments and easily adjust to new challenges and changing priorities .”

2. Leadership:

“I would say my greatest strength is leadership . I enjoy guiding teams towards a common goal, fostering collaboration, and achieving results.”

3. Communication:

“My strong suit is effective communication. I’m able to convey complex ideas in a simple and understandable manner, facilitating smooth collaboration within teams.”

4. Problem-Solving:

“I excel in problem-solving. I approach challenges with a solution-oriented mindset, breaking down complex issues into manageable steps.”

5. Time Management:

“My greatest strength is time management. I’m skilled at prioritizing tasks and managing my time efficiently to meet deadlines and ensure high-quality work.”

6. Teamwork:

“I thrive in a team setting. I believe that a collective effort often yields the best results, and I enjoy collaborating with others to achieve common objectives.”

7. Creativity:

“Creativity is my strong suit. I have a knack for thinking outside the box and coming up with innovative solutions to problems.”

8. Problem Analysis:

“I’m particularly strong in problem analysis. I have a methodical approach to dissecting complex issues and finding root causes.”

9. Empathy:

“My greatest strength is empathy. I’m skilled at understanding and relating to the needs and concerns of colleagues and clients, which fosters stronger relationships.”

10. Technical Proficiency:

“I excel in technical proficiency. I have a deep understanding of the latest industry tools and technologies, which allows me to adapt quickly to new software and processes.”

10 Different Aspects to Answer “What are your Strengths” – Examples

1. leadership skills.

Question 1: “Can you describe a situation where you demonstrated strong leadership skills?”

Answer 1: “In my previous role as a team leader, I led a project that resulted in a 20% increase in team productivity. I motivated and guided my team to success, ensuring everyone was aligned with our goals.” Question 2: “How do you inspire and lead your colleagues or team members?”

Answer 2: “I lead by example, demonstrating a strong work ethic, and I’m always available to support and provide guidance when needed.”

2. Problem-Solving Abilities

Question 1: “Tell us about a complex problem you encountered and how you resolved it.”

Answer 1: “In my previous job, I faced a challenging issue related to customer satisfaction. I analyzed the problem, involved the team in brainstorming solutions, and implemented a customer feedback system that increased satisfaction by 15%.” Question 2: “How do you approach difficult situations or decisions?”

Answer 2: “I take a systematic approach, breaking down the problem into manageable parts, considering all available options, and making informed decisions based on data and feedback.”

3. Adaptability

Question 1: “Can you share an example of a situation where you had to adapt to unexpected changes in a project or task?”

Answer 1: “In a previous role, our project scope suddenly changed due to new regulations. I quickly adapted our strategy, reassigned tasks, and met the new requirements without any delays.” Question 2: “How do you handle shifting priorities or unexpected challenges?”

Answer 2: “I stay flexible and prioritize tasks based on urgency and importance, making sure I can pivot as needed while staying focused on our overarching goals.”

4. Communication Skills

Question 1 : “Describe a situation where your communication skills played a vital role in a successful project.”

Answer 1: “I once coordinated a cross-functional team where clear communication ensured that everyone was on the same page. This led to a 30% reduction in project completion time.” Question 2: “How do you handle misunderstandings or conflicts within a team?”

Answer 2: “I believe in open and honest communication. I address issues promptly, encourage constructive feedback, and work towards finding mutually beneficial solutions.”

5. Time Management

Question 1: “How do you prioritize and manage your tasks efficiently to meet deadlines?”

Answer 1: “I use a combination of time management tools and techniques, such as the Eisenhower Matrix and the Pomodoro Technique, to ensure I meet all my deadlines.” Question 2: “Can you provide an example of a time when your time management skills significantly impacted a project’s success?”

Answer 2: “In my previous role, I organized a project schedule that allowed us to complete a critical project two weeks ahead of schedule, resulting in substantial cost savings.”

6. Teamwork

Question 1: “What is your approach to collaborating with team members with different backgrounds and perspectives?”

Answer 1: “I believe diversity of thought is essential for innovation. I actively seek input from team members, respect their perspectives, and collaborate to reach consensus.” Question 2: “How do you handle conflicts or disagreements within a team?”

Answer 2: “I mediate and facilitate discussions, encouraging team members to express their viewpoints and working towards a solution that benefits everyone.”

7. Creativity

Question 1: “Can you provide an example of a time when your creative thinking led to a breakthrough or innovative solution?”

Answer 1: “In a marketing campaign, I came up with a unique concept that increased customer engagement by 40%, demonstrating the power of creative problem-solving.” Question 2: “How do you foster creativity in your work or team?”

Answer 2: “I create an environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their ideas and experimenting with new approaches, which often leads to fresh perspectives and solutions.”

8. Resilience

Question 1: “Tell us about a challenging situation you faced at work, and how you persevered through it.”

Answer 1: “During a company-wide restructure, my position was at risk. I remained focused, upskilled, and eventually transitioned into a new role within the organization.” Question 2: “How do you handle setbacks or failures?”

Answer 2: “I view setbacks as learning opportunities. I assess what went wrong, make necessary adjustments, and come back stronger and more determined.”

9. Attention to Detail

Question 1: “How do you ensure accuracy and precision in your work, even when dealing with a high volume of tasks?”

Answer 1: “I rely on checklists, quality control processes, and regular reviews to maintain a high level of accuracy in my work.” Question 2: “Can you provide an example of a project where your attention to detail made a significant impact?”

Answer 2: “In my previous role, my meticulous approach to data analysis helped the company identify cost-saving opportunities, resulting in a 10% reduction in expenses.”

10. Empathy

Question 1: “How do you demonstrate empathy towards colleagues, clients, or team members?”

Answer 1: “I actively listen to others, try to understand their perspectives, and offer support when they’re facing challenges, both professionally and personally.” Question 2: “Can you share an example of a situation where your empathy contributed to resolving a conflict or improving team dynamics?”

Answer 2: “I once mediated a conflict between two team members by showing understanding and empathy. This not only resolved the issue but also strengthened their working relationship.”

10 Different Aspects to Answer “What are your Weaknesses” – Examples

Here are 10 aspects of weaknesses that HR professionals often inquire about, along with sample questions and answers for each:

1. Time Management

Question 1: “Can you tell me about a time when you struggled with time management in a previous role?”

Answer 1: “In my previous job, I occasionally had difficulty managing my time efficiently. I was working on a project with tight deadlines and found it challenging to prioritize tasks. To overcome this, I began using time management apps and adopted the Pomodoro technique to stay focused and organized.”

Question 2: “How have you improved your time management skills since then?”

Answer 2: “I’ve made significant progress in my time management skills by setting clear daily priorities, creating to-do lists, and delegating tasks when necessary.”

2. Public Speaking

Question 1: “Are there any areas in which you believe you could improve your public speaking abilities?”

Answer 1: “Yes, public speaking has been a challenge for me in the past. To address this, I joined a Toastmasters club and have been working on improving my communication skills . I’ve also taken courses in effective presentation techniques.”

Question 2: “Can you share an example of a time when your public speaking weakness impacted your work, and how did you handle it?”

Answer 2: “I recall a presentation I gave to senior management where I felt my nerves got the best of me. However, I immediately sought feedback, practiced extensively, and gave a much stronger presentation the next time.”

3. Delegation

Question 1: “Have you ever encountered difficulties in delegating tasks to your team members?”

Answer 1: “Delegation was an area where I struggled initially. I wanted to handle everything myself to ensure it was done right. However, I realized this wasn’t sustainable. I’ve since learned to trust my team and delegate tasks based on their strengths.”

Question 2: “Could you provide an example of a situation where you successfully delegated tasks and achieved a positive outcome?”

Answer 2: “Certainly. In my previous role, I delegated a project to a colleague who excelled in data analysis. It allowed me to focus on strategic planning, and we completed the project ahead of schedule.”

4. Perfectionism

Question 1: “Do you consider yourself a perfectionist? How has this impacted your work in the past?”

Answer 1: “Yes, I am a bit of a perfectionist, and it has occasionally led to over-analyzing and taking longer to complete tasks. I’ve learned to strike a balance by setting realistic expectations and timelines.”

Question 2: “Could you share an example where your perfectionism had a positive influence on a project or task?”

Answer 2: “My attention to detail and pursuit of excellence helped improve the quality of a marketing campaign. We received excellent feedback from clients and saw an increase in customer engagement.”

5. Assertiveness

Question 1: “Have you ever faced challenges in being assertive in the workplace?”

Answer 1: “In some situations, I’ve struggled with assertiveness. I tend to avoid conflicts and sometimes hold back my opinions. To address this, I’ve been working on assertiveness training and practicing effective communication.”

Question 2: “Can you provide an example where you successfully became more assertive and the impact it had on your work?”

Answer 2: “I was in a team where we had differing opinions on a project’s direction. I applied my assertiveness training to facilitate open discussions, leading to a more well-rounded project plan that everyone supported.”

6. Patience

Question 1: “Do you consider yourself a patient person? How has this trait affected your work?”

Answer 1: “I tend to be impatient at times, especially when waiting for results. This impatience can lead to frustration. To address this, I’ve been practicing mindfulness techniques to stay calm and patient.”

Question 2: “Could you share an example of a situation where your patience paid off in a professional context?”

Answer 2: “There was a project where we encountered unexpected delays. My patience helped me maintain a positive attitude, and eventually, the project was successfully completed without compromising quality.”

Question 1: “In what ways do you believe your creativity could be improved?”

Answer 1: “I’ve found that my creativity sometimes gets stifled by routine tasks. I’m working on exploring new ways of thinking, taking inspiration from various sources, and experimenting with fresh ideas.”

Question 2: “Can you provide an example of a time when your creativity led to innovative solutions in your work?”

Answer 2: “In a marketing campaign, I introduced a unique creative concept that resonated with our target audience, resulting in a significant increase in sales and customer engagement.”

8. Adaptability

Question 1: “Have there been instances where you struggled to adapt to change in your work environment?”

Answer 1: “Yes, I’ve faced challenges when unexpected changes occurred. I’m working on being more adaptable by staying open to new ideas and embracing change positively.”

Question 2: “Could you share an example of a time when your adaptability made a significant difference in a work-related situation?”

Answer 2: “During a merger, my ability to adapt and integrate seamlessly into the new company culture played a crucial role in ensuring a smooth transition for our team.”

Question 1: “Are there any areas where your attention to detail could be improved?”

Answer 1: “I can sometimes get caught up in minor details, which can slow down project progress. To address this, I’ve learned to identify key priorities and allocate time accordingly.”

Question 2: “Can you provide an example where your attention to detail led to a successful outcome in your work?”

Answer 2: “In a quality control role, my keen attention to detail helped identify and rectify critical defects in a product, ensuring that it met industry standards.”

10. Communication

Question 1: “Do you believe there are aspects of your communication skills that need improvement?”

Answer 1: “I’ve noticed that I sometimes struggle with concise communication. I’ve been taking courses in effective communication to enhance my ability to convey complex ideas clearly.”

Question 2: “Could you share an example of a time when improved communication positively impacted your work?”

Answer 2: “In a cross-functional team, I improved communication by implementing regular status updates, resulting in better collaboration and project efficiency.”

Strengths and Weaknesses for Freshers

Here are some examples of strengths and weaknesses for freshers (entry-level job seekers) to consider when preparing for job interviews:

Strengths for Freshers in an Interview

  • Quick Learner: As a fresher, you can highlight your ability to learn new concepts and skills rapidly. Mention your enthusiasm for gaining knowledge and adapting to new challenges.
  • Strong Work Ethic : Emphasize your determination and commitment to your tasks. Mention your willingness to put in the extra effort to achieve goals.
  • Team Player: Highlight your ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues and contribute to the success of a team. Mention any group projects or extracurricular activities where you worked well with others.
  • Adaptability: Mention your openness to change and your ability to adjust to new environments and tasks quickly. This is especially important in fast-paced workplaces.
  • Good Communication: Mention your clear and concise communication skills, which are essential for working with colleagues, superiors, and clients.
  • Time Management: Discuss your ability to manage time effectively and prioritize tasks. Freshers often need to handle multiple responsibilities, and time management is a valuable skill.
  • Attention to Detail: Highlight your knack for noticing small details and ensuring quality work. Employers appreciate meticulous employees.
  • Tech-Savvy: If you’re comfortable with technology and software, especially in roles that require it, such as data entry or digital marketing , mention your tech-savviness.
  • Problem-Solving: Showcase your problem-solving skills by mentioning any instances where you successfully resolved challenges, either in academic projects or internships.
  • Enthusiasm: Express your genuine enthusiasm for the industry or the specific role you’re applying for. A positive attitude can set you apart.

Weaknesses for Freshers in an Interview

  • Limited Work Experience: As a fresher, you may lack hands-on work experience. Be honest about this and explain how you plan to compensate by learning quickly and being open to mentorship.
  • Lack of Industry-Specific Knowledge: If you’re entering a specialized field, admit that you’re still building your knowledge. However, express your eagerness to gain expertise and stay updated.
  • Public Speaking: If you’re not comfortable with public speaking, acknowledge it as a weakness but mention that you’re working on improving your presentation skills.
  • Assertiveness: If you struggle with assertiveness, especially in a leadership role, mention it as an area for growth. Explain that you’re learning to speak up when necessary.
  • Perfectionism: While attention to detail is a strength, being overly perfectionistic can slow down productivity. Discuss how you’re working on balancing your desire for perfection with meeting deadlines.
  • Time Management: If time management is a challenge for you, acknowledge it and share your strategies for improving, such as using time management apps or to-do lists.
  • Nervousness: It’s normal to feel nervous in new situations. If you tend to get nervous, mention it but also discuss how you’re developing techniques to manage anxiety and stay focused.
  • Multitasking: Some freshers struggle with multitasking. Mention that you’re working on organizing your tasks and priorities more effectively.
  • Overthinking: If you tend to overanalyze situations, explain how you’re learning to trust your decisions and not dwell on details excessively.
  • Sensitivity to Criticism: If you find it challenging to handle criticism, discuss your awareness of this and your efforts to view feedback as an opportunity for growth.

Remember that when discussing weaknesses, it’s important to focus on how you are actively addressing and improving upon them. Employers appreciate candidates who are self-aware and committed to personal and professional development. Be prepared to provide examples or evidence of how you are working on your weaknesses.

FAQs on What are Your Strengths and Weaknesses in Interview

Q1: what are some common strengths to highlight in a job interview.

A1: Common strengths to highlight in a job interview include adaptability, leadership, communication, problem-solving, and time management.

Q2: How should I answer when asked about my strengths in an HR interview?

A2: When asked about your strengths in an HR interview, identify 2-3 strengths relevant to the job, provide specific examples of when you demonstrated these strengths, and keep your response concise.

Q3: What are some examples of one-word strengths for HR interviews?

A3: One-word strengths for HR interviews include leadership, adaptability, communication, teamwork, creativity, and resilience, among others.

Q4: How do I address my weaknesses in a job interview?

A4: To address weaknesses in a job interview, choose a genuine weakness that’s not critical to the job, show steps you’ve taken to improve it, and frame it in a positive light as an opportunity for growth.

Q5: What is a good example of the answer to the question, “What is your greatest strength?”

A5 : “My greatest strength is adaptability. I thrive in dynamic work environments and easily adjust to new challenges and changing priorities.”

Q6: What aspects of weaknesses should I be prepared to discuss in an HR interview?

A6: Be prepared to discuss weaknesses related to time management, public speaking, delegation, perfectionism, assertiveness, patience, creativity, adaptability, attention to detail, and communication.

Q7: What strengths should freshers highlight in job interviews?

A7: Freshers should highlight strengths such as being quick learners, having a strong work ethic, being team players, adaptable, good communicators, effective time managers, attention to detail, tech-savvy, problem-solvers, and enthusiastic.

Q8: How should freshers address their limited work experience in an interview?

A8: Freshers should acknowledge their limited work experience, express their eagerness to learn quickly, and their openness to mentorship.

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1 Barriers to critical thinking

First, let’s briefly examine some barriers to critical thinking.

Take another look at the visual summary below on critical and analytical thinking, which was introduced at the end of Session 3. Note the warning sign next to the ‘black pit’ to the lower right of this figure.

A visual summary of critical and analytical thinking

This figure shows a visual summary of critical and analytical thinking. It includes phrases such as ‘objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement’, ‘abilities’, ‘dispositions’ and ‘questioning’.

We have provided you with a larger version of this image in PDF format [ Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. ( Hide tip ) ] .

What are the common pitfalls or barriers to thinking critically and analytically? Some of these were highlighted in the visual summary, and include:

  • Misunderstanding . This can arise due to language or cultural differences, a lack of awareness of the ‘processes’ involved, or a misunderstanding that critical thinking means making ‘negative’ comments (as discussed in Sessions 3 and 4).
  • Reluctance to critique the ‘norm’ or experts in a field and consider alternative views (feeling out of your ‘comfort zone’ or fearful of being wrong).
  • Lack of detailed knowledge . Superficial knowledge (not having read deeply enough around the subject).
  • Wanting to know the answers without having to ask questions .

Why do you think being aware of these potential pitfalls is important?

As a critical and reflective thinker, you will need to be aware of the barriers, acknowledge the challenges they may present, and overcome these as best you can. This starts with an understanding of expectations. Some students feel anxious about questioning the work of experts. Critical thinking does not mean that you are challenging someone’s work or telling them that they are wrong, but encourages a deeper understanding, a consideration of alternative views, and engagement in thought, discourse or research that informs your independent judgement. At postgraduate level you will also need to read widely around a subject in order to engage effectively with critical and analytical thinking, and to ask questions: there are no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answers, only supported arguments. This is at the heart of postgraduate study.

Critical thinking encourages you to be constructive, by considering the strengths and weaknesses of a claim and differing sides to an argument. It helps you to clarify points, encourages deeper thought, and allows you to determine whether information that you come across is accurate and reliable. This helps you to form your own judgement, and drives research forward.

People can find it difficult to think critically, irrespective of their education or intellectual ability. The key to understanding critical thinking is not only knowing and making sure that you understand the process, but also being able to put this into practice by applying your knowledge.

Critical and reflective thinking are complex and lifelong skills that you continue to develop as part of your personal and professional growth. In your everyday life, you may also come across those who do not exercise critical thinking, and this might impact on decisions that affect you. It is important to recognise this, and to use critical and reflective thinking to ensure that your own view is informed by reasoned judgement, supported by evidence.

Take another look at the visual summary. You will see two aspects to critical thinking: one focusing on the disposition of the person engaged in critical and reflective thinking, and the other concerning their abilities. Let’s focus here on dispositions. At a personal level, barriers to critical thinking can arise through:

  • an over-reliance on feelings or emotions
  • self-centred or societal/cultural-centred thinking (conformism, dogma and peer-pressure)
  • unconscious bias, or selective perception
  • an inability to be receptive to an idea or point of view that differs from your own (close-mindedness)
  • unwarranted assumptions or lack of relevant information
  • fear of being wrong (anxious about being taken out of your ‘comfort zone’)
  • poor communication skills or apathy
  • lack of personal honesty.

Be aware that thinking critically is not simply adhering to a formula. For example, reflect on the following questions:

  • How can you communicate with those who do not actively engage with critical thinking and are unwilling to engage in a meaningful dialogue?
  • How would you react or respond when you experience a lack of critical thinking in the media, amongst your own family members, colleagues at work, or on your course?

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  1. Critical Thinking

    assess the strengths and weaknesses of positions reach well-reasoned conclusions Critical thinking is not a matter of simply accepting things at face value, but rather involves thoughtful reflection on evidence and arguments. When you engage in critical thinking, you are taking an active role in your learning.

  2. Why Critical Thinking Is So Important

    Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

  3. HR Magazine

    Thinking through individual goals critically and creatively. A key component of workplace happiness is employees' sense that they are working toward something, both in terms of overall organisational goals and in terms of personal and professional growth. Regular reflection on individual goals is vital to sustaining a healthy workplace culture.

  4. 6 Steps to Encourage Critical Thinking in HR

    How can you encourage critical thinking in a human resources department? Powered by AI and the LinkedIn community 1 Assess your current state 2 Provide training and development Be the first...

  5. A Short Guide to Building Your Team's Critical Thinking Skills

    Summary. Most employers lack an effective way to objectively assess critical thinking skills and most managers don't know how to provide specific instruction to team members in need of becoming ...

  6. Critical Thinking Skills

    Analysis Analysis is a fundamental aspect of critical thinking, which involves breaking down complex ideas, problems, or situations into smaller, more manageable components to gain a better understanding of their structure, relationships, and underlying causes.

  7. Why critical thinking is crucial in HR

    Underscoring the vital importance of critical thinking in HR, Sharad Verma, VP & CHRO, Iris Software, highlights various aspects of this primarily problem-solving exercise, including the ability to distinguish between facts and opinions, making logical conclusions based on data, finding the root cause of the problem and establishing cause-effect...

  8. Critical thinking

    Critical thinking is a key skill for HR and all people professionals - it's the ability to think well and to reflect objectively on the ideas, opinions and arguments of others.

  9. Critical Thinking in HR

    Having strong critical thinking skills enables HR professionals at all levels to collect and process information in a structured way aiding the problem solving process. Critical thinking also helps people managers engage in strategic conversations with internal business partners from professions where critical thinking is a central part of ...

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    It is essential to consider multiple options, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and weigh the potential impact on the workforce and organization's objectives. ... By using critical thinking, HR executives can make informed decisions that drive the organization's growth and success. They can recruit and select the right employees, manage ...

  11. How to Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills as a Chief Human Resources

    In conclusion, critical thinking is a vital skill for HR professionals. By using critical thinking in decision-making, HR professionals can make informed choices that benefit both the organization and its employees. By cultivating critical thinking skills, HR professionals can enhance employee relations and navigate complex HR issues with ease.

  12. (PDF) Dimensions of Critical Thinking in Workplace Management

    more than 400 senior HR p rofessionals were ask ed in a survey to nam e ... can make the strength s strong, weaken the weaknesses, ... Regardless of how the concept of critical thinking is ...

  13. Recognize when critical thinkers a must hire?

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  14. 9 Critical Competencies for HR Professionals

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  15. Critical Thinking

    Critical thinking requires a clear, often uncomfortable, assessment of your personal strengths, weaknesses and preferences and their possible impact on decisions you may make. Critical thinking requires the development and use of foresight as far as this is possible. As Doris Day sang, "the future's not ours to see".

  16. How HR Executives Rank Their Top Strengths and Weaknesses

    In the chart at the bottom of this article, you'll see the full list of 16 behaviors and the percentage of HR executives who ranked each behavior among their top five (strengths) and their...

  17. Critical Thinking: What It Is and Why It Counts

    It is reasoning based on what we have learned through careful analysis, evaluation, explanation, and self-correction. This is the system which values intellectual honesty, analytically anticipating what happens next, maturity of judgment, fair-mindedness, elimination of biases, and truth-seeking.

  18. 3 Examples of HR Strengths and Weaknesses

    October 20, 2022 | 6 min read HR History, Explained HR Strengths for Successful Leaders Common Weaknesses of HR Professionals Performance Management, Supercharged Download This article was originally published in August 2019 and updated in October 2022 with new information about HR strengths and weaknesses.

  19. How to Design a Better Hiring Process

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  20. How to Answer your Strengths & Weaknesses in HR interview

    Learn how to confidently answer questions about your strengths and weaknesses in HR interviews. Ace your job interview with expert strategies and examples. ... I'm working on exploring new ways of thinking, taking inspiration from various sources, and experimenting with fresh ideas." ... choose a genuine weakness that's not critical to ...

  21. Succeeding in postgraduate study: Session 8: 1

    Critical thinking encourages you to be constructive, by considering the strengths and weaknesses of a claim and differing sides to an argument. It helps you to clarify points, encourages deeper thought, and allows you to determine whether information that you come across is accurate and reliable. This helps you to form your own judgement, and ...

  22. Sample Answers for Strength and Weakness in HR Interview

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