Critical Thinking tools

INTRODUCTION

In this lesson, we will learn practical tools to critically identify root causes and consequences and learn how to prioritize and save energy while solving a problem.

The process of asking why help find the true cause of the problem. Thinking about consequences will help discover new opportunities and avoid downstream problems that could cause negative impacts. And Pareto rule could help prioritize the most relevant actions having a limited time to act.

OBJECTIVES

• To understand and learn how to use three tools for critical thinking:
  • Asking “Five whys” for identifying root causes
  • Answering “seven so-whats” for avoiding downstream problems
  • The 80/20 Pareto rule for prioritizing actions
• Make implications aware for the critical thinker

USE THE “FIVE WHYS” TOOL OF CRITICAL THINKING

Despite its simplicity, the “five whys” is one of the most effective critical thinking tool.

We spoke about the importance of identifying and understanding the root causes. Facing a problem, we can ask “why” and repeat this question four or five times. By the time you are in the last “why,” you will have the real insight.

The process of asking why is like peeling a fruit, you will be going more profound in the layers of a problem in search of the true root cause. If we solve the root cause, we will have a profound impact on the organization. In the fifth why is where we can find the real insight.

As you are facing any issue, when you see that problem, try to discover why it is happening, and try to ask this question several times, at least four or five times, and it will pop out an insight that will lead you to solve the real problem that will have a genuine impact to your stakeholders.

ANSWER THE “SEVEN SO-WHATS”?

If Five why tool help to look at the causes, the Seven so-whats seeks for the consequences.

“Seven so-whats” force you to go beyond a simply early answer to thinking through as many possible implications or consequences as you can from your action or recommendation.

As an example, think about a situation or problem that we want to change, and we have come out with a recommendation. Ok, that’s it, then, so what? If we change that thing, what would happen? Then, again, if we do so, what are the new implications? what is the consequence if we do this action? … and so, repeatedly, seven times.

If we avoid thinking like this, we might cause enormous problems for the organization. Thinking this manner in advance is “cheap” and will also save possible negative downstream consequences.

What happens next? If we think forward, thinking about the consequences, we will see new opportunities and also avoid problems you may unknowingly cause. This will help to prevent downstream negative impacts of the change you are recommending.

Investing time through the “seven so-whats” will help us avoid possible future problems caused by the solution or recommendation proposed.

THE 80/20 RULE TO THINK CRITICALLY

Critical thinking is not only searching for causes and consequences. You also need to think critically about the amount of time and energy you will spend to solve the problem because those things are limited.

There are too many problems to solve and less and limited time to do it. For this, we recommend the 80/20 rule, also well known as the rule of Pareto.

Vilfredo Pareto was an Italian civil engineer, sociologist, and economist who made several significant contributions to economics, studying income distributions and defining the Pareto distribution.

Pareto noticed that 80% of the wealth (land) in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. He also liked gardening and saw that 80% of the peas came from 20% of the pods out of his garden. He deduced that the same rule was to follow in two very different realms demonstrating the same principle: 20% leads to 80% of the impact, that is, the 20% of the drivers will lead to 80% of the results

The Pareto rule teaches us to direct our efforts on the meaningful focusing our energy in that 20% that drives to 80% of the results.

That doesn’t mean that the rest of the premises or causes are not necessary, that only means that you may prioritize some actions in order to save the limited time, energy.

In terms of focusing and saving resources, thinking critically through the 80/20 rule helps define where we will spend our time maximizing the impact.

In conclusion, facing a problem that we are trying to solve, we should understand the drivers and how much each of them contributes to the overall impact we want to have. Focusing on those that have a more significant impact will be much more efficient in your time, and with less effort, you will solve the most critical problems first.

CONSIDER THE IMPLICATIONS OF YOUR ANSWERS

When you are trying to solve an issue or problem, coming up with an answer is not good enough. We should think critically about the results of our analysis and what will happen as far as you implement the actions derived by your recommendation.

Look for similarities or differences between the recommendation and the analytical answers that come out in other situations. You can find common problems or some similar elements to other issues you faced in the past.

You may ask about the relative size of the recommendation; will it have enough impact to be important to care of? Even though it is a good idea if it is not meaningful enough, you may be better push it off and go for a more impactful idea.

Another way is to explore connections to other problems based on your experience in different situations you have been involved. These connections between ideas that could seem unrelated could allow you to apply learnings from the past to the current situation that, on the surface, might seem different but, in reality, are pretty similar.

That strategy is also related to the scarcity of resources. Making linkages with past situations and finding commonalities could help to take advantage of past strategies in going forward toward the solution in the current project.

If we achieve to understand the linkages between seemingly unrelated problems, we will be able to come up more quickly with a solution based on those learnings from the past. Then, when you look at the conclusions that answer an issue, think constantly about the connections you could make to other situations to search for those learnings and strategies.

By doing so, you could unlock some great opportunities that, without thinking critically, you never would have considered in your thought process. Investing some extra time in the analysis gives you the chance to get the solution more efficient and effective.

CONCLUSIONS

The process of asking why help find the true cause of the problem. Thinking about consequences will help discover new opportunities and avoid downstream problems that could cause negative impacts. And Pareto rule could help prioritize the most relevant actions having a limited time to act.

When you are trying to solve a problem, you should think about the results and consequences after implementing the actions derived by your recommendation. Doing so allows you to get the solution more efficiently and effectively unlocking some opportunities you would never have considered in your thought process.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bowell, T.; Kemp, G. (2002) Critical Thinking, A Concise Guide. Routlege

Browne, M.N.; Keeley, S.M (2007) Asking the right questions. A guide to critical thinking. Pearson. Prentice hall

Courseware (2019) Critical Thinking. Courseware.com

Lovell, S. (2018) Critical Thinking. How to improve your critical thinking skills, problem-solving ability and avoid the 25 cognitive biases in decision-making.