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Six Thinking Hats
As a Management Tool
Presented by:
C Jalasayanan
Jalasayanan@lycos.co.uk
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Benefits Of The
Six Thinking Hat Framework
Parallel
Improve Exploration
Save Time
Improve Creativity & Innovation
Adversarial
Foster Collaborative Thinking
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The Originator
Dr. Edward de Bono
• M.D., Ph.D., (philosophy, medicine &
psychology), Rhodes scholar
• World-renowned consultant to business,
governments, schools and industry
• Author of 62 books in 40 languages
• Originator of Six Thinking Hats, Lateral
Thinking and Direct Attention Thinking
Tools
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Results Around The
World
• Since 1993 over 200,000 trained
• In use by many of the largest & most
successful organizations worldwide
• Works well in different cultures
• Applies at all levels & across
disciplines
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Thinking-
Ultimate Human
Resource
• We can always improve our
thinking skills.
• Confused thinking arises from
trying to do too much at once.
• We should emphasize what can
be, not what is.
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Why Change
Thinking Behavior
• Information technology is better than
ever
• Our everyday thinking has not changed
in centuries
• Traditional thinking methods
– Don’t make use of available intelligence
– Are slow and ineffective
– Permit the ego to wreck objective
thinking
– Dominated by concepts of “argument”
and “critical thinking”
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Argument is
Inadequate
• Only one tool of thinking
• Lacks
– constructive energies
– design energies
– creative energies
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Three
Philosophers
• Socrates: Focused on the
Negative
• Plato: See Shadows of the Truth
• Aristotle: Concerned with What
Is - Analysis, Judgment,
Argument
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Samurai Assessment –
Basic Concept
Miyamoto Musashi (1584 – 1645) A book of
five rings
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Samurai Assessment –
Basic Concept
The Black Samurai = Critics and Negative (Wind)
The Blue Samurai = Insights and Change (Water)
The Green Samurai = Basics and Objectives (Ground)
The Red Samurai = Change and Environment (Fire)
The White Samurai = Development and
new horizon (Ether)
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The Basics
• There are six different imaginary hats that
you can put on or take off.
• Think of the “hats” as thinking icons.
• Each hat is a different color and
represents a different type or mode of
thinking.
• We all wear the same hat (do the same
type of thinking) at the same time.
• When we change hats - we change our
thinking.
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White Hat
Information & Data
Neutral & Objective
Checked & Believed Facts
Missing Information &
Where To Source It
Red Hat
Feelings & Intuition
Emotions Or Hunches
“At This Point”
No Reasons or Justification
Keep It Short
Black Hat
Why It May Not Work
Cautions Dangers
Problems Faults
Logical Reasons
Must Be Given
Yellow Hat
Why It May Work
Values & Benefits
(Both Known & Potential)
The Good In It
Logical Reasons
Must Be Given Green Hat
Creative Thinking
Possibilities Alternatives
New Ideas New Concepts
Overcome Black Hat
Problems & Reinforce Yellow
Hat Values
Blue Hat
Managing The Thinking
Setting The Focus
Making Summaries
Overviews Conclusions
Action Plans
FOCUS
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Why Six Thinking
Hats
• Role-playing - avoid, ego
defense
• Attention directing - instead of
being reactive
• Convenience - able to switch
gears & ask
• Play acting leads to you
becoming a thinker
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Why Six Thinking
Hats
• Rules of the game of thinking
– Mapmaking versus Right or
Wrong
• Simpler, one style of thinking
at a time
• Ability and method of
changing style or mode
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Overview
• Red Hat - Emotions & Feelings
• White Hat - The Facts
• Black Hat - Negative Aspects
• Yellow Hat - Positive Aspects
• Green Hat - Creative Thinking
• Blue Hat - Control & Process Thinking
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Red Hat
• Red suggests anger (seeing red), rage
and emotions and feelings.
• The red hat gives the emotional view
• Hunches and intuitions
• No justifications
• Avoid mixing emotions with the facts
• Feelings become visible
• Allows place for fear & concern for
safety
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White Hat
• White hat neutral and objective
• Concerned with objective facts &
figures
• Virgin white, pure facts - information
• Do not offer interpretation or opinions
• First class facts - proven known to be
true
• Second class facts - believed to be
true
• Discipline & direction
• Who, What, Why, Where, When &
How?
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Black Hat
• Black hat is gloomy and negative.
• Black hat covers the negative aspects
- why it cannot be done.
• Devil’s advocate
• Negative judgment - why it will not
work
• Point out what is wrong, incorrect, in
error
• Point out risks and dangers & faults in
design
• It is never argument & not negative
feelings
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Yellow Hat
• Yellow is sunny and positive
• The yellow hat is optimistic and
covers hope and positive thinking,
sees the benefits
• Brightness, constructive sees
opportunity
• Concerned with positive assessment
• Spectrum: Logical & Practical
through’ Dreams & Visions
• Focus on effectiveness
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Green Hat
• Green is for grass, vegetation and
abundant fertile growth.
• Green hat indicates creativity and
new ideas
• Fertile thinking, plants springing from
seeds
• Movement and provocation (PO)
• Search for alternatives, go beyond
known, the obvious and the
satisfactory
• Movement replaces judgment
• Generate new concepts and
perceptions
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Logic of Creativity
Logic of creativity
= Logic of self organizing patterning
systems
Self organizing information
systems
– Make Use of Patterns
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Theory Behind
Creativity
Essence
of creativity
Humor
Significant
behavior
of the brain
Perception
Setup in one way and
suddenly reconfigured
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A developed pattern of the brain - perception
Data
The Brain -
Recognizes Patterns
in Information
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Blue Hat
• Blue is cool, the colour of the sky,
above everything else (+ Positive
revolution)
• The blue hat is about control and
organisation of the thinking process
& the use of other hats
• Blue hat thinker like the conductor
• Anyone can invoke blue hat thinking
• Blue hat sets the focus, defines the
problem
• Includes summaries, overviews &
conclusions
• Monitor the rules of the game
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Facilitator’s Role
• Define the focus of your thinking
• Plan the sequence and timing of the
thinking
• Ask for changes in the thinking if
needed
• Handle requests from the group for
changes in the thinking
• Form periodic or final summaries of
the thinking for consideration by the
team x
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Two Main
Purposes
• Simplifies thinking by having to
deal with one thing at a time.
• Allows a switch in thinking
without threatening ego
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Participant’s Role
• Follow the lead of trained Six
Thinking Hats facilitator
• Stick to the hat (type of thinking)
that is in current use
• Try to work within the time limits
• Contribute honestly & fully under
each of the hats
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Brainstorming
Objectives
• Describe the objective(s) of the
exercise
– New product or service ideas?
– New feature ideas?
– Feature/Product naming?
– Promotion ideas?
– New process for doing something?
• Define top requirements or
restrictions
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Rules
• No idea is a bad idea
• Be creative
• Take risks
• No criticism allowed
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Summarize
• Review ideas
• Vote on top candidates and
consolidate
• Check requirements and
restrictions
• Trim list to top 5-10 ideas
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Next Steps
• Describe what happens next
– Research the ideas generated?
– Follow up with larger group?
• Generate action items for
follow up
– Start turning ideas into reality
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Remember These
EFFECTIVENESS
BE CONSTRUCTIVE
GIVE RESPECT
SELF-IMPROVEMENT
FULL
CONTRIBUTION
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Fixed Sequences
Blue White Green Yellow Black Red
Define
the
problem
Look at
available
information
Generate
possible
solutions
Check
feasibilty
of each
solution
Assess
weakness
ess of
each
solution
Decide how
you feel
about the
solutions
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Blue
White
Green
Yellow
Black
White
Blue
Define the problem
Look at available information
Generate possible solutions
Check feasibility of each solution
Assess weakness of each solution
Match between solutions/info. Are the solutions
feasible based on the information we have?
Choice of the final solution and next step.
Problem Solving
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Creative Effort
Blue
White
Green
Yellow
Black
Blue
Green
Red
Clarify creative need
Look at/into the subject
Generate ideas
Find the benefits of the ideas
Identify the faults in the ideas
Remove the faults
Decide how we feel about the idea
Summarise the exploration
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Alternative
Sequencing
• Red Hat - Beginning
• When there are strong emotions and
feelings - gets them out on the table
• When a subject has been around a
long time - there will be feelings
• If a subject is controversial
• Dangers of red hat first:
– Boss present and expresses feelings
– Certain cultures
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Alternative
Sequencing
• White Hat - Beginning
• When the subject is new to
anyone
• Subject is neutral - no fixed
views
• Where purpose is exploration
of subject
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Alternative
Sequencing
Blue Hat - simplest ending
• Summarize - review - make
decision
• Determine next steps
• May end the sequence
– Or use black or red hat and
come back to blue
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Alternative
Sequencing
Black Hat - ending
• Towards the end for final
assessment
• Gives confidence to generate
bold ideas
• Points out difficulties
• Should be objective as possible
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Alternative
Sequencing
Red Hat - ending
• Use after decision for
emotional reaction
• When alternatives are evenly
balanced
• When there is insufficient
information
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For Further Course
C Jalasayanan
8, New No 35, 19th Avenue
Banu Nagar, Ambattur,
Chennai – 600 053
Ph: 044 2686 3783
Mo: 0 92831 06854
Jalasayanan@lycos.co.uk
Jalasayanan@hotpop.com
