Scientific thinking is for everyone!

What image instantly comes to mind when you hear the words “scientific thinking”? If you’re like me, it’s probably someone in a white lab coat, hair a mess, bent over his test tubes.

That’s right! It’s a cliché, but a persistent one… and wrong. The truth is, we can all use scientific thinking.

By the way, did you know that, for companies, it’s one of the best ways to “think outside the box” for creative ideas?

Let me explain.

Scientists are constantly challenging their hypotheses. In this way, they gather evolutionary data and observations that improve their understanding of the world.

By replicating this method in our organizations, we ensure that we are constantly analyzing our processes, so that we can control them better and better, in real time. This in-depth knowledge of our changing environment gives us the latitude we need to innovate.

What is scientific thinking?

Let’s get something clear from the outset: science isn’t just a list of facts, statistics and complicated formulas. Rather, it’s a way of understanding what’s going on around us, based on evidence and observation.

How is the data collected? Contrary to what you might think, it’s not by keeping your nose to the grindstone or accumulating columns of figures.

The first step in the scientific thought process is to carefully observe the functioning, behavior or other of subject X and note down what you notice.

Then comes the second phase, in which we question each of these findings.

But be careful! This approach completely excludes individual opinions or beliefs. It is therefore important to be particularly attentive to our thoughts, so as not to fall into the trap of our various biases – conscious or unconscious. We must, at all times, keep a critical mind and have the humility to bow to the evidence… even when it contradicts our own convictions.

In fact, it is this posture that enables scientists to build a body of knowledge that remains open to revision. All the room is left to the facts, and there’s no room for ego.

The benefits of scientific thinking

The benefits of adopting scientific thinking are numerous and can truly revolutionize the way we work and innovate.

Here are 3 of its main advantages:

Bringing scientific thinking into everyday life

As you’ll have gathered, scientific thinking isn’t confined to the 4 walls of aseptic laboratories. The truth is, we use it every day… without even realizing it.

However, in today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to get bogged down in the details and forget to look at the big picture.

So it’s a good idea to consciously integrate scientific thinking into our daily lives.

Because it requires active observation, it forces us to stop and take a step back to identify real problems and find creative solutions.

How do we introduce it into our businesses?

One of the most effective – and proven – ways of incorporating scientific thinking into a business is to practice Toyota kata. It’s a concrete, structured approach that can be used to tackle any challenge.

Toyota Kata stages

By integrating the Toyota kata method into our organizations, we can more easily learn from our results. In this way, we have reliable data with which to make our next decisions.

Scientific thinking, a shield against false information

As we’ve seen in recent years, the proliferation of false claims and fake news is constantly on the rise. Whether via social platforms, a website or a blog, everyone has access to a forum. But… the information they contain isn’t always fed by reliable sources. So it’s vital to develop a healthy skepticism.

How do we go about it? By observing information, facts and situations objectively. Without letting our prejudices – or those of others – mislead us.

Obviously, since this way of thinking involves a confrontation between the evidence and our own beliefs… it can be destabilizing. Yet it’s an essential step. Because it’s only by overcoming this discomfort that we truly gain clarity and understanding of our environment.

Scientific thinking and intuition: enemies or allies?

Although often confused with “mystical power” or considered its enemy, intuition is, in fact, a powerful ally of scientific thought.

Although it can’t be proven or quantified, it’s very real. And when we use it skilfully, it opens up the mind’s possibilities and helps us make creative leaps in our thinking.

In fact, it’s what gives us the ability to understand a situation X instantly, without having to resort to conscious reasoning. It’s also what enables us to quickly assess a situation, identify a problem or notice invisible links between elements.

In research, this intuitive vision gives the scientist the impetus to put forward a hypothesis or theory, to explore it, test it and question it in order to understand it better. This enables them to see their environment in unexpected ways and, ultimately, to make revolutionary breakthroughs.

Without intuition, science and our organizations would be limited to slow, incremental progress. With it, they have the opportunity to understand the issues they face more deeply and, above all, more quickly. They can then make more informed, more effective and more powerful decisions.

Science tells us what is possible.

Intuition tells us what is probable.

Together, they help us understand the world around us.

As you may have noticed, scientific thinking is a lot less “flat” than you might think. Contrary to popular belief, its process, rather than locking us into a strict model, opens the door to creativity and discovery. Because the more we become aware of how our environment works and how it evolves, the more latitude we have to innovate and find tailor-made solutions… in complete safety.

Introducing yourself to scientific thinking means adopting it!

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