6 Thinking Hats: How to Develop Critical and Strategic Thinking Skills to Solve Problems Creatively

What Is 6 Thinking Hats?

Six Thinking Hats is a powerful process from Edward de Bono that helps you solve problems, analyze situations, find ways to move forward, and make well-formed decisions. Its power lies in enabling you to temporarily abandon your habitual way of thinking and force you to see a situation from different viewpoints, thus enabling you to spot issues and opportunities to which you might otherwise be blind.

Each hat color represents a specific way of thinking. By switching hats, it’s easier to switch modes of thinking. The approach is to have people wear a certain hat depending on what type of thinking is needed for the moment. While you can do it on your own, Six Thinking Hats works really well when a group of people with different thinking styles are brainstorming because it gets everybody thinking in a collaborative way.

“Thinking is the ultimate human resource. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we became, we should always want to be better.” – Edward de Bono

Why Should I Use It?

The best thing about the Six Thinking Hats is it creates a safe and productive environment where every body gets the chance to fully explore all possible viewpoints. Every voice is expressed and heard. When everybody gets to look at the same situation from different perspectives, nobody’s energy is wasted on destructive debates or heated arguments.

The Six Thinking Hats asks participants to wear the same color “thinking hat” at the same time. This encourages participants to think in parallel – discussing aspects of an idea one at a time, engaging in objective fact-finding together, and exploring risks and disadvantages collectively. This focuses the group on thinking in the same direction and not at cross purposes. People who feel that they are part of the process are more likely to accept or even buy into the outcome.

How Do I Use It?

To use Six Thinking Hats to improve the quality of your decision-making, look at the problem “wearing” each of the thinking hats in turn.

White Hat – Facts and figures. What information are available and needed?

Red Hat – The emotional view: feelings, hunches, intuition. What’s your gut reaction?  How do you feel about this?

Black Hat – The downsides: caution, difficulties, weaknesses, barriers. Why can’t we do this?  What might not work? What are the dangers and risks?

Yellow Hat – The upsides: benefits, values, positive outcomes. How can we do this? What are the potential returns? Why is it worth doing?

Green Hat – the creative side: alternatives, out-of-the-box ideas. What additional possibilities are there? What else can we try?

Blue Hat – the organizing view: Manage the thinking process. How should we think about this?

“What I am putting forward in this book is a very simple concept which allows a thinker to do one thing at a time. He or she becomes able to separate emotion from logic, creativity from information, and so on.” – Edward De Bono

Six Thinking Hats Applied

Let’s say your 17 year old son, Joe, wants you to buy the latest (and most expensive) gadget for him. You however would like to teach him how to be more financially savvy, so you proposed to brainstorm with your spouse and Joe about how Joe’s needs could be met while also teaching him powerful financial lessons.

Your best friend Bill agreed to chair the session by wearing the Blue Hat. Bill prompts which hat everyone should wear at what time, and asks the questions.

White Hat (facts and figures)

• The gadget costs $900.
• Joe doesn’t have an income apart from his weekly allowance of $100.
• Not possessing the gadget does not pose a direct threat to Joe’s safety, health and general well being.
• $900 is within the family’s disposable income.

Red Hat (feelings, intuition)

• Joe feels he needs to have this gadget because the popular kids in school have it. He feels that if he acquires the gadget, more kids will like and accept him into their social circle.
• Joe expects his parents to buy the gadget for him, expressing that he needs it in order to feel happier.
• Joe’s parents feel that Joe needs to learn how to derive his sense of self-worth from the inside rather than from material things.
• Joe’s parents would like to show Joe how to gain friends without feeling the need for pretentious or manipulative methods, and that friendships gained from such means are not likely to last.
• Joe’s parents feel that it’s about time Joe learn how to get what he wants by also using his own resources, instead of completely depending on his parents.

Black Hat (downsides)

Downsides of buying the gadget for Joe immediately:

• Unhealthy Dependence – Joe might learn that if he wants something in life, all he needs to do is demand for it from his parents and it will be given to him. He might think he is incapable of successfully fulfilling his own needs, thus failing to unleash his personal powers.
• Sustainability – even if Joe made new friends just by having this gadget, what will likely to happen when his gadget becomes obsolete? Will he still have these friends, or will they move on and befriend another kid with the latest gadget?
• Joe might learn to fulfill his needs exclusively by controlling other people or by buying material things, instead of also exploring more genuine, peaceful and lasting ways of getting what he wants.
• Although the family can afford it, $900 is still a lot of money to spend on a non-essential item.

Downsides of NOT buying the gadget for Joe:

• Joe expressed that he will feel miserable and unloved. His parents can easily afford it anyway, so why not just do it?
• Joe will have to find other ways to be able to get the gadget – without relying on his parents.
• Joe will be forced to find other ways of making friends without using the gadget to get others interested in him.
  

Yellow Hat (Advantages)

Advantages of buying the gadget for Joe immediately:

• Joe will feel happier and loved.
• Joe will feel more confident to mingle with the cool /popular kids in school and attempt to make new friends.

Advantages of NOT buying the gadget for Joe immediately:

• If forced to make new friends without the gadget, Joe could potentially learn that the kind of friends worth having and keeping are those who like him for he is, and not for what material things he possess.
• Joe could potentially be able to rely on himself to make things happen for him rather than wait for his parents every time he needs something.
• Without the gadget, Joe could potentially discover other ways that could enable him to meet new friends without having to shell out $900

Green Hat (Alternatives)

How could Joe’s need for social acceptance, and his parents’ desire to teach Joe the values they believe in (resourcefulness, self-confidence and integrity) be met effectively and sustainably with little or no conflict?

• Joe’s parents can teach or help Joe to earn extra money in the fastest possible time. Perhaps Joe can do some errands in his Dad’s office or around the house and get paid. Perhaps Joe’s parents can help him get a summer job that is also fun and social, allowing Joe to meet new friends.
• Joe and his parents can brainstorm other inexpensive ways that will allow Joe to meet new people and make friends. Perhaps Joe would like to check out the Martial Arts club that just opened around the corner, or join the local football club for teenaged boys and girls.
• They can compromise. Joe’s parents can give Joe $400, and help Joe find ways to earn the other $500 via fun, sociable and creative ways.

By going through the 6 hats altogether, each person was able to empathize with the others involved in the decision making, and everybody therefore was able to come up with possible solutions and action plans without feeling the need to violently defend, protect or fight for their opinion or preferences.

Conclusion

Six Thinking Hats is an effective technique for problem solving and decision making because:

• It allows each person involved to look at the same thing from different perspectives, momentarily turning pessimistic people into optimists vice versa, or invite out-of-the-box thinking from normally stuck-in-the-box thinkers.
• It makes use of normally excluded elements like feelings, intuition, and skepticism to be brought onto the table and influence the decision making process.
• It opens up the opportunity for collaborative and creative decision making.
• Because all possible angles are explored, strategies and plans developed using the ‘6 Thinking Hats’ technique tend to be more sound and foolproof. For example, one is able to  spot potential dangers, prevent mistakes, foresee shortcomings and formulate contingencies
• It’s easier to ask somebody to wear another hat, than tell them to change their thinking or see things from YOUR point of view.

Learning about this particular approach to group decision making is just one of the ways that you can use this blog to enrich your life. If you’ve found this article useful, why not forward this to friends and subscribe to our free newsletter.

Recommended Resources

Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono

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