Business managers increasingly face situations calling for fresh thinking and new ideas. But too often these new ideas are reworked old ideas and the thinking stale. Why?

“The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from the old ones,” economist John Maynard Keynes said.

How do we escape?

James Henderson, a local SCORE counselor, retired senior logistician with the U.S. Department of Defense and a management consultant, has an answer. He distinguishes two types of thinking: “go along thinking” (or “group think”) and “critical thinking.”

Go along thinking is accepting what is popular, that is, what others say or do. Go along thinking often means taking the easy way – not the best way – or as President John F, Kennedy said, “Too often we ... enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.” Too often when you go along with the ideas of others, you apply something that worked in another set of circumstances – which does not match your business situation – and end up with a right shoe solution on a left foot problem.

Henderson defines critical thinking as applying structure and problem-solving techniques to understand and analyze situations in order to come up with the best decisions. It is important for business managers to think critically, he said, when they encounter a new situation or opportunity, have to weigh a variety of facts and opinions or want to avoid getting caught up by emotions or errors of the past.

While, as Kennedy said, critical thinking might be uncomfortable, it helps a manager focus on the facts, encourages logical investigation and creates more options and ideas.

Henderson offers three ways to foster critical thinking:

• Change your internal dialogue. See yourself as a creative person willing to think outside the box and try something different. Do not accept an answer just because it is handy.
• Take the time to collect data and ideas from others to gain new perspectives. Go along thinking often perpetuates old ideas and the past.
• Ask the right questions:

– Am I focusing on the problem or the symptoms?

– What is the underlying issue or root cause?

– Why is this important? What are the consequences of ignoring the situation?

– What additional information do I need? Who are the people to talk to?

– What are my criteria to select the best solution or action?

While there are times to use go along thinking, good business decisions depend on critical thinking. Don’t you agree?

Dr. Mark Frohman is the owner of Frohman Consulting Corp. and a counselor with SCORE, a nonprofit business-consulting group.