This is the “IDG Challenge” | 6

#IDG?#InnerDevelopmentGoals

The second dimension:

Thinking — Cognitive Skills

Developing our cognitive skills by taking different perspectives, evaluating information and making sense of the world as an interconnected whole is essential for wise decision-making.

#Thinking #CognitiveSkills

Had a conversation today about organisational development approaches and how they are different in Asia compared to Europe. Sparked by an observation that the IDGs are not yet well known around the region (remember, I’m in Singapore currently). And along the conversation we came to an interesting insight: Western approaches appear to be more cognitive and intellectual, while Eastern approaches might be more sensual and relational. And that therefore in the West “Being” is not as prominent as “Thinking”. Any constructive perspectives and comments on this discussion are very welcome …

Anyway, until now I had reflected on the five IDG “Being” skills, the next will be the five IDG “Thinking” skills

Starting with …

Critical Thinking

Skills in critically reviewing the validity of views, evidence, and plans.

#CriticalThinking

Since I’m a Westerner, from Germany, male, a trained engineer, one could argue that I am far more into thinking than into being. Which might be true, but with one crucial addition: being (!) a highly sensitive person and tuning in to emotions (too) easily, behaving more left-brained is a defense mechanism for me. An instrument for channelling and making sense of all those sensations flooding in. Which otherwise might become to much to bear …

Part of my acting left-brained is to filter the incoming information as interesting, practical, logical, beneficial. Or even awe-inspiring, beautiful, insightful. And to discard the rest not standing the test. Sounds judgmental ? ?Sure it is, I’m as hardwired for judgment as any other human being, including you, my dear reader.

What does this have to do with “Critical Thinking” ?

My hunch is we have a big misunderstanding regarding critical thinking. Whenever something we encounter does not fit into our worldview, feels uncomfortable, and hence we reject it with a (more or less) intelligent argument, we may rationalise and justify this retort by claiming we just applied critical thinking (and how intelligent we are by doing so). To emphasise it once more: we mistake judgmental thinking for critical thinking.

I admit being guilty of this. And it served me well at times.

Only, and going back to the “Presence” skill, when I suspend my judgment, I still can think critically, with a totally different and more holistic quality. Since what I hold true within myself and what is presented to me from any other source, has the same validity in the here and now as “data points”. And critical thinking (without the immediate hardwired judgment) allows me to see the coherences and contradictions and insights emerging from those data points.

A new and more complete picture.

It allows me as well to evaluate this whole picture for what is interesting, practical, inspiring, beautiful, … And for what to discard, even if it was a belief I dearly held.

All of this allows me to learn, to develop, to expand my horizon.

Anything else is just conformation bias.