Critical Thinking in Action: Tools and Techniques for Better Problem-Solving in Diverse Teams

When you work in a multicultural team, cultural intelligence and awareness of common biases as well as reflecting on ones that might affect you personally are the foundation for effective problem-solving. Understanding and respecting each other’s cultural backgrounds helps everyone navigate complex issues with greater empathy and insight.

Teams that want to grow and succeed should embrace diversity of thought and use various critical thinking methods. This article will show important tools and techniques for improving problem-solving skills in diverse teams, with emphasis on the need for good communication and unbiased thinking.

Common biases that get in the way of critical thinking

Everyone has biases, even when we are conscious of them and strive to recognise their presence. Shared biases can be hard to spot and address, especially in groups of people from very similar backgrounds because they are like invisible lenses that have been shaped by shared experiences. 

Make sure your team is aware of these common types of biases. It is the first step to overcoming them and not missing out on better ideas:

• Cultural Bias: Occurs when you judge or evaluate situations, behaviours, and people based on the standards of your own culture. This often leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations in a multicultural team.
• Stereotyping: Happens when you make general assumptions about someone based on their group, leading to unfair treatment and misinterpretation of behaviours and intentions.
• Confirmation Bias: Occurs when you look for information that supports what you already believe and ignore facts that don’t fit. It can stop your team from seeing the whole picture and coming up with new ideas.
• Anchoring Bias: Happens when you rely too much on the first piece of information you receive, which can skew your judgement.
• Halo Effect: Occurs when your overall impression of a person influences your feelings and thoughts about their character or abilities in other areas. This can result in overestimating their capabilities and overlooking their flaws.
• Groupthink: Happens when the team wants to agree so much that they make poor decisions without considering different opinions.

A great second step after awareness is using different tools and techniques to recognise biases while you are working on a problem. Next, let’s look at some of these methods for critical thinking and brainstorming.

Tools for critical thinking for teams

Think-Write-Share

• Purpose: To avoid groupthink and let everyone think individually first.
• Process:
• Think: Think about the problem or question on your own. 
• Write: Write down your thoughts and ideas.
• Share: Share your ideas with the group for discussion. 
• Benefit: This makes sure everyone’s voice is heard and helps the team see the problem from all angles.

Socratic Questioning

• Purpose: To gain deeper understanding and rigorously challenge assumptions, ensuring ideas are evidence-based and robust.
• Process: Ask questions like "What do you mean by that?" and "What evidence supports this?" to explore ideas deeply.
• Benefit: This helps you identify any flaws in the reasoning. 

The 5 Whys

• Purpose: To find the root cause of a problem.
• Process: Ask "Why?" repeatedly (usually five times) to dig deeper and uncover the main issue. 
• Benefit: This simple method helps you find the real cause of problems, leading to better solutions.

Brainstorming and debating techniques for teams

Round-Robin Brainstorming

• Purpose: To make sure everyone participates and shares their ideas.
• Process: Take turns sharing ideas one at a time, without interruptions, and start discussion only after hearing everyone’s ideas first.
• Benefit: This ensures that all team members, including quieter ones, can contribute their ideas, enhancing creativity and potential solutions.

Devil’s Advocate

• Purpose: To evaluate ideas critically and anticipate potential problems.
• Process: Assign someone to intentionally challenge ideas and present counter-arguments.
• Benefit: This helps the team think through ideas thoroughly and make stronger decisions. 

Next steps for supporting critical thinking in action

To solve problems effectively in a diverse team, you need to understand different cultural backgrounds and be aware of biases. You can improve your team’s problem-solving skills by using various tools like Think-Write-Share, Socratic Questioning, and The 5 Whys. Techniques like Round-Robin Brainstorming and Devil’s Advocate ensure that all viewpoints are considered and the best solutions are found.

Build your team a toolkit that will help you improve the quality of your team discussions. Start by using these tools and techniques to support a more collaborative and innovative team environment and build by adding other team practices and tools. If you need help in improving your team’s critical thinking, contact us!

Discover Your Team's Potential

Are you wondering if your team is reaching its full potential? Find out with InCultures’ Global Team Success Indicator assessment. This tool gives you a detailed look at how your team is doing right now and shows you where you can improve to unlock your team's true potential. 

Follow Pia on LinkedIn for her latest insights, and join our newsletter for regular updates on how to cultivate a thriving, culturally intelligent team environment.

Here are a few of our other articles you might be interested in:

Leveraging Cognitive Skills for Team Success: Analytical and Creative Thinking

How you can enhance critical thinking in multicultural teams

Turn Diversity into Strengths: When should you focus on individual cultural preferences?