Six Thinking Hats

Edward de Bono’s

SIX THINKING HATSWHITE HAT• What information is available ?

• What information would we like to have ?

• What information do we need ?

• How are we going to get the missing information ?

YELLOW HAT• What are the benefits ?

• What are the positives ?

• What are the values ?

• Is there a concept in this idea that looks attractive ?

• Can this be made to work ?

GREEN HAT

• Are there other ways to do this ?

• What else could we do here ?

• What are the possibilities ?

• What will overcome our difficulties ?

RED HAT• What are my feelings right now ?

• What does my intuition tell me ?

• What is my gut reaction ?

BLACK HAT• What could be the possible problems ?

• What could some of the difficulties be ?

• What are points for caution ?

• What are the risks ?

• BLUE HAT• What is our agenda ?

• What is our next step ?

• Which hat are we using now ?

• How can we summarize the discussion so far ?

• What is our decision ?

Tata Consultancy Services - Bangalore

The Six Hats ConceptSeparates out thinking….Helps people think together.Helps to switch thinking from one mode to another…….Helps to explore subjects in parallel instead of adversarial Helps remove ego and avoid argument

Six Hats in BriefWhite - Information, Data

Green - Creativity

Yellow - Positive, Benefits

Black - Difficulties, Caution

Red - Feelings

Blue - Facilitations

WHITE HAT

WHITE HAT

• What info do we have?• What info do we need?• What is the missing Information?

RED Hat disappears as White hat

power increases

BLACK Hat disappears as White hat

power increases

White HatWhat information do we have?What data do we have?What do other people say,feel?What data,information do we need?Who can we assign to get the information?

RED HAT

RED HAT

• Feelings• Emotions• Intuition• Hunches

Credibility to other’s feelings

YELLOW HAT

YELLOW HAT

• Benefits• Optimism• Value

Yellow HatWhat are the benefits ?What are the values?Why might this work?What are the good things about the suggestion?Not an easy hat but is usefulagainst the dominance of the black.

BLACK HAT

BLACK HAT

• Caution• Difficulties• Problems• Risks

Blue hat.The orchestra conductor…Managing the thinking…Deciding the next steps…Maintains discipline…Noting conclusions….Deciding the sequence…Deciding the agenda,objectives..In general running the meeting .Organizing the thought process….

GREEN HAT

GREEN HAT

• Growth• Alternatives• Creativity• Ideas

BLUE HAT

BLUE HAT

• Thinking about thinking• Facilitating• Organizing• Process Control

Sequencing of Hats

No Rule !!

Black HatVery useful to look at the faults,weaknesses and for assessment.Asks the following questions..Why does this not fit?What are the faults?What are the potential points for caution?What are the risks?

Red hat .Gives permission to express feelings.No need to explain why feelings happen.Asks----What are my feelings right now?What is my intuition,gut feeling?Very useful to assess the mood Can be used before and after a decision.

Green Hat.Makes time and place for creativity.Makes creativity mandatory..Develops belief in creativity...Overcomes the black and enhances yellow hat….Searches for new ideas,alternatives.Uses lateral thinking tools like random word,Po,etc, to generate ideas on demand.

Uses of the Hats…Conversation…Meeting….Individual thinking….Writing memo,letter,etc…Presentation.

Simple rules to keep in mindThere is no fixed sequence for the hats.You don’t have to use all the hats all the time.Everyone wears the same hat at one point of time.Sticking to a time limit is very important.