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- Analytical Thinking
Analytical thinking is the ability to scrutinize and break down facts and thoughts into their strengths and weaknesses, and develop the capacity to think in a thoughtful, discerning way, to solve problems, analyze data, and recall and use information. It brings a wide range of considerations and perspectives to issues, analyzing a variety of information to make logical, well-reasoned and effective decisions. - Mathematical Thinking
The essence of mathematical thinking is the ability to lift the abstract structure of a situation away from the specifics and answer it based on that alone. Mathematical thinking encompassing the following concepts: classifying, ordering, patterning, shape and space, non-standard measurement, and counting and naming. - Legal Thinking
Legal thinking uses an analytical framework in which one carefully analyzes the facts and asks lots of questions. One must suspend one’s conclusions or judgements to accomplish effective legal thinking, and must obviate bias which may interfere with the thinker‘s selection and evaluation of data or evidence. - Operational Thinking
Operational thinking is about the day-to-day workings of the organisation, and focuses on how things work. It is detailed and “now-focused” in nature, and is concerned with providing products & services, obtaining the materials necessary to the job, dealing with current customer needs, dealing with current administrative issues, and so forth. - Scientific Thinking
The formal scientific method uses observations, data, hypotheses, testing, and theories to answer questions. Scientific thinking uses empirical evidence, practicing logical reasoning, and possessing a skeptical attitude about presumed knowledge that leads to self-questioning, holding tentative conclusions, and being undogmatic (willingness to change one’s beliefs). - Strategic Thinking
Strategic thinking is a distinct, but interrelated and complementary thought processes that sustains and supports strategic management. Strategic thinking is a broader and more innovative way of thinking on a daily basis about the overall goals of your job, team, and organization. It is longer-term oriented with a more systemic and holistic view of your environment. It is about clarifying the direction and vision of the whole, identifying relationships supporting the whole organization and vision, and identifying leverage points for enterprise-wide change. - Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is the process of understanding how things influence one another within a whole. It has been defined as an approach to problem solving, by viewing “problems” as parts of an overall system, rather than reacting to specific part. - Critical Thinking
Critical thinking is our ability to make a judgment, consider merit or worth, accuracy, relevance, and logic. It involves analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. - Creative Thinking
Creative thinking is our ability to imagine or invent something new or adapt another idea, object, or process. Creative thinking involves exploring ideas, generating possibilities, seeking different types of options and alternatives. - Co-creative Thinking
Co-creativity involves redefining the way organizations engage individuals—customers, employees, suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders—bringing them into the process of value creation and engaging them in enriched experiences, in order to
-Formulate new breakthrough strategies.
-Design compelling new products and services.
-Transform management processes.
-Lower risks and costs.
-Increase market share, loyalty, and returns. - Design Thinking
Design Thinking refers to the methods and processes for investigating ill-defined problems, acquiring information, analyzing knowledge, and positing solutions. It follows the process of ask – try – do; and involves reflective thinking between each stage. As a style of thinking, it is generally considered the ability to combine empathy for the context of a problem, creativity in the generation of insights and solutions, and rationality to analyze and fit solutions to the context. - Integrative Thinking
Integrative thinking is the ability to constructively face the tensions of opposing models, and instead of choosing one at the expense of the other, generating a creative resolution of the tension in the form of a new model that contains elements of the both models, but is superior to each. - Lateral Thinking
Lateral thinking is a set of systematic techniques used for changing concepts and perceptions and generating new ones, and to explore multiple possibilities and approaches instead of pursuing a single approach. It uses reasoning that is not immediately obvious and involves ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic. - Reflective Thinking
Reflective thinking is the process whereby an individual is aware of their own knowledge and the gaps in their knowledge, assumptions, and past experiences. It is the act of periodically stepping back to ponder, look back, ruminate, re-visit and inventory issues considered, paths explored, conclusions drawn, priorities set, and futures contemplated — is fundamental to finding the clarity and confidence necessary to effectively pursue new ideas. - Visual Thinking
Visual thinking is the common phenomenon of thinking through visual processing using the part of the brain that is emotional and creative to organize information in an intuitive and simultaneous way. It is about using pictures to help you solve problems, think about complex issues and communicate more effectively. - Thinking Strategies
Thinking strategies are diverse menu of specific thinking approaches (e.g. critical thinking) or techniques (e.g. brainstorming) for a particular purpose. When we are thinking we have the choice of using or applying a host of thinking strategies and this helps us to be more effective at seeking opportunities and solving problems.
© Moura Quayle, 2012. Version 2.0
