Having been on the job only 18 months, Jose cannot draw from years of trial and error. With few exceptions however, his friends come up with a good solution.

As an enormous generation of young people continues to enter the workplace, managers have watched with both fascination and concern about how these individuals approach problem solving. They’ve seen some flounder without specific instructions every step of the way. They’ve seen others embrace daily challenges and tasks with creativity not seen in previous generations. So why is there such a disparity and how can leaders, managers, and supervisors adapt to these new ways of solving problems and foster critical thinking among those who seem to lack it?

For the generations of workers coming of age prior to the proliferation of digital technology, critical thinking was fostered within the context of trial and error. You tried something. If it didn’t work, you tried something else. If that didn’t work, you tried a third solution. You learned from each success and failure. In some cases, you asked a co-worker or perhaps a supervisor. That person might have told you what to do, in some cases step by step. Over time, you developed confidence in your ability to think things through and arrive at the best solution. When you had done this enough you began to feel that you were competent in dealing with that responsibility, challenge or task.

Over the past decade however, two phenomena have altered this practice: digital technology and the entry of so-called digital natives into the workplace. With the proliferation of menu-driven technology, many everyday tasks are now accomplished by choosing the best option from a series of choices. While we would expect this for basic functions, it now forms the backbone for much of higher-order thinking as well. This includes research, education, product development, graphic design and many other functions. Rather than sitting in front of a drawing board for instance, an engineer now opens computer-aided design software and selects a template. Rather than visiting the library to search for resources, students, researchers and virtually anyone else now open their favorite search engine and type in a few words.

While those thirty and older have learned to embrace this technology over the past decade, those younger than thirty have been immersed in it since birth. It is only natural then that they would assume that the answers to everything would be at their fingertips using a laptop or smart phone. So-called digital immigrants may attempt to solve a problem using menu-driven options, but know in the back of their minds that they can always resort to experience, coupled with trial and error, to arrive at a solution.

On occasion, they may ask a colleague, but most tend to work independently. The digital native, however, recognizes that there is power in numbers and that this can compensate for a lack of experience and personal expertise. Both approaches result in critical thinking. They simply differ in perspective and application.

So how do managers nurture skills in critical thinking, problem solving, discernment and situational awareness? As part of the research for a new book entitled Common Sense by Friday: Fostering Critical Thinking in a Menu-Driven World, I have been interviewing those who have been successful in nurturing these skills among those 30 and younger. Here are the practices they all seem to share:

Provide clear vision – Universally, these managers provide young contributors with the big picture as they assign tasks and responsibilities. Said one, “These young people are super impatient for outcomes and answers. They like to know that they are not wasting time.” This means that providing them with a clear understanding of how their contribution fits into the overall scheme is essential in motivating them to engage.

Rather than simply telling a 25-year-old produce manager how to merchandise her department, for instance, she should be shown the principles behind merchandising practices and how they can have a measureable impact. Empowered with that knowledge, she is more likely to put her critical thinking skills to work to produce a better outcome.

Welcome collaboration – In interviewing managers, a number of have identified a key difference in the way those less than 30 approach problem solving. They rely on collaboration. Digital natives have come of age communicating with a broad variety of friends and acquaintances 24 hours a day. When it comes to gathering information and ideas, they turn to the Web before anything else. This provides them with both instant access to insights and input from a wider range of experiences.

Two young police officers were growing weary of resolving domestic disputes, for instance. Rather than just enduring these endless calls, they took time to look for patterns in the behavior among the antagonists. It became immediately apparent that most were as a result of intoxication. So they “Googled” the location of all liquor stores within their district and methodically visited each one to remind the owner that selling alcohol to intoxicated customers is against the law. While this did not eliminate the problem, they witnessed a decrease in domestic disturbance calls over the next month.

Let them use their phones – While the use of handheld technology has become a hotly contested issue in many workplaces, most everyone considers these devices an integral part of their day. Yes, they can be a source of irritation if used inappropriately and parameters do need to be set. But they are also being used in productive ways to foster communication, research, and problem solving.

One technician expression frustration, for example, with his boss’ decision to ban all smart phone use in the workplace. “What he doesn’t understand,” said this young man, “is that we use our phones to research solutions to our work challenges on the web. He thinks he’s preventing us from wasting time on personal calls. Instead, he’s wasting time by forcing us to do things the hard way.”

Establish an on-going feedback loop, within parameters – Many managers have grown weary of the “constant parade of questions and requests for feedback,” as one put it. For some, it seems like young people just can’t think for themselves. But we need to be careful about making broad-brush assumptions.

“Plan to increase the frequency of communication,” said one IT manager I interviewed. “Many have grown up receiving constant encouragement about every single thing they do. If they don’t receive your feedback and comments with the same immediacy, they become concerned about whether they’re doing the right thing or progressing the way they think they should.”

But while the feedback should be more frequent, it doesn’t have to be lengthy. “I schedule times to meet briefly with each person I supervise,” advised on youth program supervisor. “I connect with each one once per week for about ten minutes. If they come to me looking for anything other than answers to specific questions in between, I ask them to wait. Otherwise, I’d never get anything else done.”

Foster learning through experience – A rudimentary critical thinking process involves five steps:

1) Clearly identify the challenge;
2) Identify and consider your resources;
3) Develop your options;
4) Act on the best option;
5) Learn from the outcome and consequences.

Sadly, the fifth step is neglected many times by those who are anxious to get on with the next project or task. While it might be assumed that some learning takes place no matter what, taking time to debrief reinforces the insights that should be retained. It also allows a manager or supervisor to reinforce the value of learning, especially if things have gone wrong.

It has been said that one learns more from failure than success. For the impatient young contributor, these lessons can replace hours of formal training.

So is collaboration the new critical thinking? Yes and no. Seasoned workers will continue to rely on their experience and wisdom as much as they do on digital tools. For those now entering the workforce, however, collaboration will be the key to fostering skills in problem solving, situational awareness and discernment, not to mention knowledge transfer.

Robert W. Wendover has been researching and writing about workforce trends for more than 20 years. He currently serves as Managing Director of the Center for Generational Studies. The author of nine books, he is a regular contributor to electronic and print media across the U.S. He has served as a special advisor to the American Productivity and Quality Council (APQC) and served on the management faculty of the University of Phoenix for more than ten years.

For six years, he wrote a monthly column for the retailers called In-Store Insights and another for Realty Times targeted at Realtors. Over the past two decades, he has presented more than 1000 speeches for corporations, associations, education and government agencies. He holds the earned designation of Certified Speaking Professional from the National Speakers Association. He may be reached at robert.wendover@generationaldiversity.com. For additional insights contact him for a copy of the Center’s special report Menu-Driven Thinking: Youth and the Problem Solving Crisis in a Point-n-Click World.