Six Thinking Hats

The six thinking hats is a process of decision making that was invented by Edward de Bono and involves looking at a problem or decision from a number of different viewpoints (adopting different colored hats). This method is based on six "hats" - a white hat represents the facts, a red hat the emotions involved, a yellow hat stands for positive thinking, black for critical thinking, green for creative thinking and blue for incorporating all these different aspects or seeing the big picture. In this article we will examine these six hats and how they contribute to the decision making process.

Why the Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono believed that we each have a particular way of thinking - some people are optimists and always see the good in everything, others are very critical and like to point out problems; some people are purely logical and like facts, while others are more emotional and tend to focus on people's emotions. The six thinking hats makes use of this in problem solving and decision making and believes that in order to come to a solution one should examine the problem from all these different viewpoints.

The White Hat
The first of the six thinking hats is the white hat. The white hat calls for the facts and does not consider the emotional, creative or judgmental side of the issue. The aim here is simply to collect information without passing any judgment on it or trying to evaluate it.

The Red Hat
Another of the six thinking hats is the red hat. The red hat is looking for emotions and uses hunches, feelings and intuition. The red hat may for example state the hopes and fears of the group or those involved in the problem, they may say that the people are feeling angry, happy, excited, etc.

The Yellow Hat
The Yellow Hat is the optimist in the six thinking hats and points out all the positives, advantages, benefits and values.

The Black Hat
The black hat is the devil's advocate when dealing with the six thinking hats; this hat points out all the negatives, the problems, threats, and weaknesses.

The Green Hat
The green hat is the creative thinker in the group of six thinking hats and finds alternatives and creative ways of approaching the problem. The green hat likes to explore new ideas and possibilities.

The Blue Hat
The blue hat sees the big picture and brings together all the different viewpoints of the other members of the six thinking hats.

Implementing the Six Thinking Hats

The six thinking hats may be implemented either by an individual or a group. If this method is implemented by an individual they will need to try and think in different ways about the problem or situation and view it from different angles in their analysis. If this method is used in a group then the group may decide to each adopt a different colored hat for the duration of the meeting, so that one person is always the yellow hat pointing out the optimistic side, another is the black hat pointing out all the negatives, etc. It may also be implemented by the group working through the hats one at a time so that all group members adopt the same colored hat at the same time.

Results of Using the Six Thinking Hats

The six thinking hats allows an individual or group to view a problem or situation from all different viewpoints to get the best solution for a problem or make the best choice in a given situation. Using the six thinking hats method also encourages the group or individual to think systematically, come up with different solutions and ideas, be innovative, and achieve significant results. Using the six thinking hats in group meetings may also help the group work together and reduce friction and arguments in the group.

In conclusion, the six thinking hats is a method of decision making established by Edward de Bono to encourage individuals and groups to work together and view problems and decisions from a number of different angles and find effective solutions. The six thinking hats may be implemented by the individual or group taking on different colored hats at different times in their analysis of a decision or problem, or by each member of the group adopting a specific hat. The end result should be an innovative and effective solution.