THINKING
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“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
“Change your thoughts and you change your world.” Norman Vincent Peale
“Life consists in what a [person] is thinking of all day.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
There are hundreds, if not thousands of quotes about thinking. It’s something we do every day, often and very ironically, without thinking. Almost everything we do every day involves thinking to some degree, even meditations that aim to momentarily cease thinking!
But how often do we engage in thinking intentionally? When was the last time you did something to either actively engage in a conscious thinking process, or did something to improve your thinking ability?
Here are three thought starters to kick-start your thinking in 2025.
Know thyself!
We are ALL susceptible to cognitive biases and heuristics from time to time. A whole branch of study – behavioural economics – and the ‘nudges’ that contemporary policymakers are experimenting with, rely on the existence of biases and heuristics. Many are wired into our brains for good reasons, and we’d be exhausted if every single decision in our lives had to be made free of these mental shortcuts.
Nevertheless, to think effectively and with clarity, we need to be aware of our biases and heuristics, and those of others. For example, do you know why we value items more if they belong to us? That’s called the Endowment Effect. Did you know that we are more likely to feel more strongly about one option after a third one is added? The Decoy Effect can be a useful way to nudge decisions in a particular direction. We are we likely to treat our ‘in-group’ better than those outside? Because there’s an In-group Bias!
Learn more about biases and heuristics through The Decision Lab, and the School of Thought. You can also read about how our brains use biases and heuristics via the book by Daniel Kahneman Thinking Fast and Slow, and how they are used in policy settings via Richard H Thaler and Cass R Sunstein’s Nudge (both available from your local library).
Change hats, change your perspective
A classic method for intentionally seeking out different perspectives in thinking and decision-making is Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats. This process is useful to explore a topic by thinking through six different functions and roles, each represented by a different coloured symbolic ‘thinking hat’. For example, a white hat looks at the facts, while a red hat considers feelings, hunches and intuitions. A green hat explores possibilities, alternatives and new ideas, while a black hat considers risks, difficulties and programs.
Learn more about the Six Thinking Hats methodology through the The de Bono Group, though UniSA or through de Bono’s book of the same name.
From data to decision – don’t jump to confusions!
Picture this: you’re in a meeting with colleagues. A presenter is giving you data about a particular topic. The next stage of the meeting is to decide what to do, based on the information you’ve just received. The answer is clear in your head, but as everyone, in turn, speaks up. You’re staggered to find out that there are as many opinions about what to do as there are people. Why is it so, when you all heard the same evidence?
The Ladder of Inference is a useful model for assessing what’s going on in this meeting. When we receive data, the next mental step is to select what to pay attention to. Unfortunately, this usually happens unconsciously, which is why we end up with differences of opinion about what to do next*. The Ladder of Inference can help us identify the steps we have made, to bring greater clarity to our decision-making and criticality to our thinking.
Learn more about the Ladder of Inference at The Systems Thinker and the Australian Sports Commission, or by reading Peter Senge’s The Fifth Discipline.
Differences of opinion are not inherently wrong and are often very desirable. Creative thinking processes in particular try to intentionally bring out different views, perspectives and ideas. However, there are times when consensus or common understanding about a problem and/or solution is needed, and that’s where clarifying tools are useful.
Do you have any particular techniques, tools or models you like to use? Are there any you’ve heard of vaguely but would like to know more about? Start or join a discussion on the BPIN Viva Engage site to help build local government sector capability.
