CRITICAL THINKING SERIES NO 11 – MINDSET SHIFTS TO MOVE YOUR ORGANIZATION FROM ARCHAIC TO EMPOWERED (UTILIZING CRITICAL THINKING) –

I came across this great “Five Mindset Shifts for Organizational Transition” post on LinkedIn this week, written by Jeroen Kraaijenbrink , a strategy and leadership consultant. I think many people think of Critical Thinking as limited to standard problem-solving – “How to best fit Tab A into Slot B?” But Critical Thinking is so much more than that – it’s a relentlessly curious and questioning behavior, applied to all work and life topics. Not just “How to solve this immediate problem?” But, “Why does management hoard knowledge?” “Is there a better way to measure employee engagement than surveys?” “How to bridge the communication chasm between leadership and employees?” “What’s the sound of one hand clapping?” (Just kidding about the last one – seeing if you’re awake!) For this Critical Thinking discussion, ?I’m going to share the contents of Jeroen’s post – addressing how moving from an outdated and stale organizational model to one that is dynamic and empowered embodies Critical Thinking.

Face it – while stale and regressive, the traditional top-down, command-and-control structure is still in force within too many organizations, in varying degrees. Authority and decision-making are consolidated at the management level, while execution and following orders are in place at the bottom. Best individual contributors become managers. “Maintain the Status Quo” and “We’ve always done it this way” are key beliefs the company lives by. Employees are interchangeable carbon units, ?and focus on profit, not quality, is king.

Does it have to be this way? Nope. Demings, Ohno, Juran, Collins, Spear, Blanchard, and many others have written libraries of books on Respect For People and Empowered Culture. If you apply Critical Thinking methodology, (such as conducting a 5Why analysis) to improve communications or organizational effectiveness, you’ll probably find many areas ripe for workplace improvement.

The following are five mindset shifts Jeroen Kraaijenbrink shared to move an organization from existing to thriving. (And, in so doing, will codify Critical Thinking as a key component of the new culture.)

1)??? FROM PROFIT TO PURPOSE

• OLD: Efficiency drives profit and if we aim to maximize profit, everyone will be better off.?
• CRITICAL THINKING: Should profit be the primary yardstick of success? What about quality? What about innovation or long-term growth? A stagnant and mediocre company may be profitable, but is it successful?
• NEW: Purpose drives everything and if we aim to truly make a positive impact, profits will follow as well.

2)?? FROM HIERARCHIES TO NETWORKS

• OLD: Intelligent people need to tell less intelligent people what they should do.?
• CRITICAL THINKING: Why must it be assumed that that intelligence is tied to age, or that intelligence is a singular measure? Don’t all employees have unique skills, experiences, and perspectives that contribute value to the enterprise? Shouldn’t the business seek to provide resources and support to enable each employee to maximize their effectiveness at each stage of their career? ?
• NEW: The unique insights and skills of all are best used in collaborations with others.

3)?? FROM CONTROLLING TO EMPOWERING

• OLD: People are inherently lazy and self-centered and need therefore be monitored and controlled.
• CRITICAL THINKING: Are employees really inherently lazy? Or are they disengaged due to a lack of empowerment and respect in the company culture? If the majority of employees appear to be unmotivated, perhaps they should be asked why? And then take action to address the identified sources of the problem.
• NEW: People are inherently motivated to contribute and need to be empowered to do so.

4)?? FROM PLANNING TO EXPERIMENTATION

• OLD: We need to know exactly what is going to happen so that we are prepared and know what to do.
• CRITICAL THINKING: Is needing “to know exactly what is going to happen” driving a risk-averse strategy? The business world is growing increasingly VUCA (Volatility,? Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity). Does the management team have the training and expertise to execute the critical behaviors of flexibility, adaptability, and resiliency needed to thrive and succeed?
• NEW: We can’t know what will happen, so we need to act and adapt based on what we experience.?

5)?? FROM PRIVACY TO TRANSPARENCY

• OLD: Knowledge is power and we need to keep our ideas, data and information to ourselves so that no one steals them.
• CRTICAL THINKING: Should knowledge be the source of power (authority), or should knowledge be the source of employee empowerment, so all may benefit? Doesn’t hoarding knowledge inhibit the exchange and sharing of knowledge needed for problem-solving and innovation?
• NEW: Sharing is power and if we share it and educate others as much as we can, they will come to us.

Studies have shown time and again that happier and empowered employees, working in an environment of psychological safety and Respect For People, are the most innovative and the most productive. However, this transition doesn’t take place overnight. It starts with an organization practicing Continuous improvement, along with a non-negotiable environment of candor, integrity, and humility. Plus the courage to relentlessly pursue the (sometimes painful) Critical Thinking exercises that question many of the pillar totems of the company’s culture. All with the goal of optimizing quality and value for the customer, and not just profit.?

“Why is this so?” “Must it be this way?” “Isn’t there a better way?” Thanks to Jeroen Kraaijenbrink for sharing these 5 Mindset Shifts, founded on Critical Thinking, that can help move an organization from mediocre to outstanding.