Critical Thinking Course at NIFT, Bengaluru. What We Learnt Together?
There was a time when data was power, and hierarchy used to be defined by who had access to it. But things changed fast, and data/ information became available with a tap. And now if we have analysis on everything — waiting for just a Google search.
With analysis available on demand, code available as ready-made stacks, and global connect a click away, what will succeed in the coming times?
I believe it will be the ability to connect the dots and solve problems, which will require critical and creative thinking.
Thinking is something that all of us have, but very few of us leverage. It is not something we don’t have; we are all born with it but lose it over time.
Studies have shown that a NASA creativity test for 5-year-olds gives 98% of the problems, but the success rate falls to 2% for adults. So, we spend our lives losing creativity, but we can also arrest or even reserve it.
It was thus a great opportunity when Heeya Social Enterprises (www.heeya.in) was engaged by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Bengaluru for a week-long Critical Thinking course for their Masters of Design Students.
It was an exhilarating journey meeting such bright young minds, covering a wide swathe of subjects, and most importantly — learning so much new for ourselves.
It will be relevant to summarize some of the insights — straddling from the readings, course, interactions, and assignments.
1. We quite often use intelligence, thinking, and knowledge interchangeably, but they are distinctly different concepts. As Edward De Bono said, intelligence is like the car, knowledge is like fuel, but thinking is fine-tuning.
All three are important and need to work seamlessly to address a situation.
2. While knowledge is something that we acquire throughout our lives, intelligence and thinking are something that we are born with. So, knowledge is critical, the figurative third leg which will help us stand.
We briefly mentioned earlier that we are all born with creativity, but the same is true for intelligence. However, intelligence varies, and experts like Howard Gardner have identified ten distinct types of intelligence and suggest one may identify what maps to each one of us to see how it aligns with our chosen passion.
3. Thinking is something we always do, so long we are alive. As Osho Rajneesh said, one can’t control the thought but can observe. And throughout, we will get a sense of what we are thinking, and how we trace the path to the thought we are having at present. And that is where we can start channelizing our thoughts towards the goal.
Human thoughts are sunlight — scattered on a wide surface and keeps all around warm. But when it passes through a magnifying glass, it becomes hot enough to burn a fire. Bringing such focus to our thoughts is a lifelong journey.
4. There are many types of thoughts — a quick search will bring in many of them like critical, logical, concrete, and many more. Each has its own space, but from the professional context where problem-solving is one of the most important life skills, Critical and Creative Thinking are two of the most important traits.
While the words “Critical” and “Creative” words are used interchangeably, in reality, they are complementary. Creative thinking is using data, information, and other available sensory and non-sensory inputs to analyze a situation. Creative thinking is the process of coming up with innovative solutions.
How important are these thinking skills? Well, look at the 16 skills identified by the World Economic Forum as the “21st Century Skills”. 6 of these are in a way connected to thinking in an innovative way to solve problems.
5. “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare”. Thinking is critical for any professional success. But we need a structure. There are hundreds of ways to structure thinking, and it can often be confusing. The best starting point is to see whether it is an individual or group activity — and tailor-make the approach.
Whatever the allure of thinking as a team, the reality is most times we are alone. And here techniques like Alphabet Brainstorming will be handy. But the larger problems usually take a larger group — both from the context of the confluence of many ideas while minimizing blindsiding, as well as onboarding votaries early on.
Take any methodology — the broad constructs remain the same:
- Problem Identification
- Reframing the problem statement
- Brainstorm on possible solutions
- Select a handful of ideas
- Zero on one (ideally ONE based on Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability framework
- Present to the consumers and seek feedback
- Rework based on the inputs
6. “Your Answers Are Only as Good as Your Question” — the adage is probably no truer anywhere than in a solution endeavor. But humans by nature are geared to respond with a solution even before the situation is comprehended.
As Stephen Covey said, “First understand before being understood”. And that is where we need to start with empathy. And it helps us segway into one of the most popular methods of today “Design Thinking”.
Shaped by IDEO U and Stanford Design School, Design Thinking lays down five stages:
- Empathize
- Define
- Ideate
- Prototype
- Test
Unlike the conventional linear process, Design Thinking is iterative with modifications made with real-time feedback from the end users. Coupled with empathy, rigorous problem definition, unhinged ideation, rapid prototyping, and real-time testing with the consumers, it promises better solutions if executed with the right earnestness.
7. Ideation is probably the most important phase in the Design Thinking process, or for that matter any exercise where original thinking is the key. So, we must follow some ground rules to make it effective. Here are the ones I listed:
Ø Clear problem statement
Ø Maximum 10 people
Ø Interdisciplinary teams
Ø No criticism
Ø No praise
Ø No hierarchy
Ø Build on ideas or bring fresh ideas
Ø No idea is a bad idea
Ø Don’t be constrained by what can’t be done
Ø Assume unlimited feasibility, viability, affordability
Ø Avoid participants who are not convinced, cynical, critical, or generally nonparticipative
Ø Document thoughts on Flipcharts/ Post Its/ Whiteboards
Ø Specific time limits
Ø A place where one will not be interrupted
8. Many methods are available for brainstorming, and one needs to be chosen based on the team size, readiness, available tools, and time available.
Some like Flipcharts or Posts are highly engaging but often linear among the participants. Alphabet Brainstorming or SCAMPER is a good way to guide thinking. Morphological Analysis helps build on the ideas of each other, whereas Morphological Analysis has the potential to offer an enormous number of potential options. Six Thinking hats do a great job of challenging our inherent personality traits by challenging us to play one dominant personality at a time.
Whatever the tool (or tools used), the key is to ensure that it does not degenerate into an endless, feel-good, unguided journey. That is why we need to keep time and productivity in mind and pull a plug when we find the energy is ebbing.
9. In our NIFT Bengaluru engagement, we took on many everyday challenges. We looked at everyday issues like an overcrowded canteen with a short time window, or gargantuan issues like “how to prevent flash floods in Bengaluru”. We also asked “whether foreign educational institutions should be allowed to come into India with very limited restrictions?”
Our experience is that the tools can be seamlessly applied in any sort of problem statement, big or small, local or global, or any other shade — provided we have passion, focus, and clarity. The Prototypes created to address the “Canteen Crowding” challenge using limited time and resources had been a statement of the creativity in all of us when challenged and nurtured.
10. In the session, we also elaborately covered the various biases and how they affect all of us, even the so-called smartest and the best.
As Transactional Analysis shows, our personality is a combination of “Parent, Adult, and Child”. Parents and Children take seeds for up to roughly five years, and rest of life we develop the Adults. And thus build a balance that helps us to navigate the world with a level of maturity.
However, the Parent and Child never vanish, and it makes us vulnerable to various types of biased to which we fall victim to. Cognitive bias is the more visible among these, but it is not the only one, and in many cases — not the worst enemy. It is eternal vigilance.
To sum it all up, these are five takeaways in brief:
- Channel thoughts, understand intelligence, and acquire knowledge.
- connecting the dots and problem-solving are the key skills of the future.
- There are many types of thinking, but Critical and Creative Thinking, which are complementary, are probably the most important in the professional setup.
- There are many techniques to Think about, we need to make a choice based on what we have and what we need. And maintain a structure with the end in mind.
- Fighting bias is an eternal struggle.
