The launch of the first IBM personal computer in 1981 prompted rapid acceleration in enterprise and employee performance. This, coupled with cost reduction, radically transformed enterprises from primarily manual environments to drastically expanded digital environments. To help enterprises keep pace with technology evolution, professionals needed to evolve from manually performing routine and repetitive tasks to becoming knowledge workers who can harness the power of technology to enhance service deliverables.
A core skill that has empowered professionals to leverage the use of technology to remain relevant and up-to-date is analytical thinking. Analytical thinking skills enable professionals to reengineer and reskill to meet the ever-changing needs of their employers. Without this skill, employees may be at risk of being replaced by technology. Analytical thinking enables creative problem-solving by applying thought to technology to create value.
Many enterprises consider analytical thinking to be the most important core skill an employee can possess. Analytical thinking constitutes, on average, 9% of the core skills reported by organizations. In the digital age, organizations need new strategic visions to thrive as digital enterprises, and analytical thinkers can help them get there.
For enterprises, a digital business strategy is viewed as a means of transforming business, streamlining processes, and making use of technology, to enhance their interactions with customers and employees and deliver an excellent customer experience. Digital trust professionals with strong analytical thinking skills are a critical piece of a digital business strategy. Analytical thinkers can help enterprises implement digital transformation safely and securely and ensure that value is delivered by technology.
Developing Analytical Thinking Skills
Analytical thinking is essential for digital trust professionals to achieve professional transformation and benefit the enterprises by which they are employed. This skill enables professionals to break down complex problems faced by them and their organizations into smaller, more manageable parts, and to examine those parts in detail to gain a deeper understanding of the whole. It empowers professionals to creatively solve problems by evaluating data and making informed choices that align with personal or organizational goals, values and requirements. There are seven steps digital trust professionals can take to develop analytical thinking skills:
- Explore different angles and dimensions of a problem. Ask questions, challenge assumptions and explore every angle of a problem—and multiple ways of solving it.
- Analyze the problem by asking the right questions. Ask questions that help gather relevant information and gain deeper understanding of the issue. Some questions to consider include:
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- What is the problem?
- What is/are the underlying cause(s) of the problem?
- What are the possible solutions?
- What is the best solution?
- What would a road map for implementing the selected solution look like?
- How can it be ensured that the solution is sustainable?
- Gather and analyze data. Understand the context of the problem and identify key components and constraints. Develop a hypothesis and test it with data. Conduct research by collecting data from various sources and organizing and analyzing the data to draw meaningful insights.
- Understand the problem’s parameters. Take time to fully explore and analyze the problem’s context by asking questions such as:
- What are the challenges and opportunities?
- Who are the stakeholders?
- What are their needs and goals?
By gaining a deep understanding of the problem’s parameters, the right solution can be developed and tailored to meet specific challenges and create opportunities.
- Identify key drivers of change. This can be done by exploring answers to the questions:
- What are the trends and forces shaping the future of the organization and its industry?
- How are customer needs and expectations evolving?
- What new technologies are emerging?
- How should new technologies be invested in to enhance service deliverables and derive the most value?
By considering the key drivers of change, the solution developed will be forward-thinking and useful for contending with similar issues that may occur in the future.
- Develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. This involves evaluating information, identifying assumptions and biases, and considering alternative perspectives. Approach the problem with an open mind and consider different viewpoints and opinions. Evaluate the problem and potential solutions by using a combination of creativity, critical thinking, and analytical skills, and evaluate different options to make informed decisions.
- Practice, practice, practice. Practice makes perfect. This also applies to analytical thinking, which can be improved with continuous practice. Practice may involve taking on new challenges, working on projects that require analytical thinking or simply taking time to reflect on experiences and identify areas of improvement.
Riding the Technology Wave Using the Circle of Influence
Every new technology results in anticipation of its capabilities and concerns about its impact on professionals. These fall under two categories: the Circle of Influence and the Circle of Concern. Categorization is based on the impact of technological developments and what can be done about the impact (i.e., what is within an individual’s control). The Circle of Influence consists of factors and events that can be controlled through action, while the Circle of Concern consists of factors and events that are not within an individual’s control.
Professionals may consider the Circle of Concern in the background but must proactively work on the Circle of Influence through continued reskilling and analytical thinking. This enables professionals to remain relevant while contributing value. Being proactive and positive are attributes of the Circle of Intention. This stage should be followed by the relevant Circle of Action as required to expand the Circle of Influence and reduce the Circle of Concern. This, ultimately, complements human intelligence with the power of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) through the continued process of learning, unlearning and relearning.
The Key Differentiator Between Humans and Machines
Analytical thinking is an innate human skill—and the primary cause of the development of human civilization—and will continue to make an impact in the future. Professionals must understand that this skill is the key differentiator between humans and machines. Analytical thinking skills can be developed through practice and applied to personal and professional areas to accelerate personal and professional growth.
New digital platforms and business models require new insights and perspectives. Enterprises must develop innovative information systems and business processes with the right blend of availability and controls. Analytical skills empower professionals to find solutions to various problems, make relevant decisions and implement action plans to creatively solve those problems. Enterprise achievements and progress are made possible by knowledge workers who can contribute value by using their analytical thinking skills to apply a systematic approach, best practices and tools to make effective use of existing and emerging technology.
Abdul Rafeq, CISA, CA, FCA
Is the managing director of Wincer Infotech Limited. He specializes in IT governance and analytics.