INTHEBLACK August 2024 - Flipbook - Page 56
WORK SMART
Why critical
thinking
matters
Critical thinking is a core skill for accounting and
finance professionals, and it has increased importance
in a digital era rife with misinformation.
Words Emma Foster
Reasoning,
problemsolving and
ideation
Resilience,
stress
tolerance and
flexibility
Technology
design and
programming
Technology
use,
monitoring
and control
TOP 10
SKILLS OF
2025
Leadership
and social
influence
Creativity,
originality and
initiative
TYPE OF SKILL
Problem-solving
Self-management
Working with people
Technology use and development
Source: Future of Jobs Report 2020, World Economic Forum
56 INTHEBLACK August 2024
Analytical
thinking and
innovation
Active
learning and
learning
strategies
Complex
problemsolving
Critical
thinking and
analysis
CRITICAL THINKING HAS GRADUALLY
become one of the most sought-after
workplace skills. The relative importance of
critical thinking for employers now outranks
several other key skill groups – including
technology use and development and working
with people – according to 2020 research by
the World Economic Forum.
Behind this rise to workplace prominence
is the crucial role critical thinking plays as
economies shift from heavy historical reliance
on resources towards technology-enabled
knowledge, says Professor Deborah Brown,
director of the University of Queensland’s
Critical Thinking Project.
