Six Thinking Hats: A Simple Technique to Improve Your Decision Making

 Have you ever struggled to make a decision with your team? Have you ever felt that some perspectives were overlooked or ignored? Have you ever wished for a more systematic and balanced way to explore different options and scenarios?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might benefit from using the Six Thinking Hats technique. This is a powerful tool that can help you and your team improve your problem-solving and decision-making skills by looking at a situation from six different angles.

In this article, we will explain what the Six Thinking Hats technique is, where it came from, what are the benefits of using it, and how you can apply it in your work.

What is the Six Thinking Hats technique?

The Six Thinking Hats technique was developed by Dr. Edward de Bono, a renowned psychologist and author, who wrote a book about it in 1985. The technique is based on the idea that the human brain has different modes of thinking, and that each mode can be represented by a metaphorical hat of a certain color. By wearing one hat at a time, you can focus on one aspect of the decision, such as facts, emotions, risks, benefits, creativity, or process. By switching hats, you can switch perspectives and explore the situation more thoroughly.

The Six Thinking Hats technique is an example of parallel thinking, which means that everyone in the team looks at the same direction at the same time. This is different from the traditional argumentative thinking, where people try to prove or disprove each other's statements. Parallel thinking allows for more collaboration and cooperation, as well as more expansive and balanced thinking.

What are the six hats and what do they mean?

The six hats and their meanings are as follows:

• White hat: This hat represents facts, data, and information. When you wear this hat, you focus on what you know, what you need to know, and how you can find out more. You avoid opinions, interpretations, or assumptions. You only deal with objective reality.
• Red hat: This hat represents feelings, emotions, and intuition. When you wear this hat, you express how you feel about the situation, without giving any reasons or explanations. You also pay attention to how others feel, and try to empathize with them. You acknowledge that emotions are part of the decision-making process, and that they can be both positive and negative.
• Black hat: This hat represents caution, risks, and problems. When you wear this hat, you look at the potential difficulties, drawbacks, and dangers of the situation. You try to identify the worst-case scenarios, and what could go wrong. You also evaluate the feasibility and validity of the ideas or solutions. You are not being pessimistic, but realistic and critical.
• Yellow hat: This hat represents optimism, benefits, and opportunities. When you wear this hat, you look at the positive aspects of the situation. You try to identify the best-case scenarios, and what could go right. You also assess the value and usefulness of the ideas or solutions. You are not being naive, but hopeful and constructive.
• Green hat: This hat represents creativity, alternatives, and possibilities. When you wear this hat, you use your imagination and lateral thinking to generate new ideas or solutions. You try to go beyond the obvious or conventional ways of thinking. You also welcome suggestions from others, and build on them. You are not being impractical, but innovative and original.
• Blue hat: This hat represents process, control, and overview. When you wear this hat, you manage the overall thinking process. You set the agenda, define the objectives, allocate the time, and decide the order of the hats. You also monitor the progress, summarize the outcomes, and plan the next steps. You are not being bossy, but organized and efficient.

The basic steps of using the Six Thinking Hats technique are as follows:

• Prepare: Before you start, you need to define the topic or issue that you want to address, and gather any relevant information or data that you have. You also need to decide how much time you want to spend on each hat, and who will wear the blue hat (if you are working in a group).
• Wear the hats: Next, you need to wear each hat in turn, and think according to its color. You can follow a suggested sequence of hats, such as white-red-black-yellow-green-blue, or you can choose your own order, depending on the situation. You can also repeat or skip some hats, if necessary. The important thing is to stick to one hat at a time, and avoid mixing different modes of thinking.
• Review: Finally, you need to review what you have learned from wearing each hat, and draw some conclusions or actions. You can use the blue hat to summarize the main points, identify the gaps or conflicts, and decide the next steps. You can also evaluate how effective the technique was, and what you can improve for the future.

What are the benefits of using the Six Thinking Hats technique?

The Six Thinking Hats technique has many benefits for individuals and teams, such as:

• It helps you to think more clearly and comprehensively, by separating facts from opinions, emotions from logic, and creativity from criticism.
• It helps you to avoid biases and blind spots, by considering different perspectives and scenarios, and challenging your own assumptions and beliefs.
• It helps you to generate more ideas and solutions, by stimulating your imagination and creativity, and encouraging divergent and lateral thinking.
• It helps you to communicate more effectively and constructively, by reducing conflicts and arguments, and increasing collaboration and cooperation.
• It helps you to save time and energy, by simplifying and streamlining the thinking process, and avoiding confusion and repetition.

Conclusion

The Six Thinking Hats technique is a simple yet powerful tool that can help you improve your decision making skills. By using this technique, you can look at a situation from six different angles, and explore it more thoroughly and objectively. You can also enhance your creativity and communication skills, and work better with your team.