De Bono Six Thinking Hats Summary Anne Egros

Six Thinking Six Thinking HatsHats

Six Thinking Six Thinking HatsHats

Edward deBono’sEdward deBono’sparallel thinking for parallel thinking for effective problem effective problem

solving and exploring solving and exploring new ideasnew ideas

April 2009 Anne Egros- International Business Coach-Zest and Zen

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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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What does each Hat mean?White Hat Data, Facts, Information known or

needed.

Red Hat Feelings. Emotions and Intuition.

Yellow Hat Values and Benefits- Why something may work. (Advantages)

Black Hat Difficulties, potential problems- why something may not work. (Disadvantages)

Green Hat Creativity- possibilities, alternatives, solutions, new ideas.

Blue Hat Manages the thinking process, focus, next steps, action plans.


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Simplifies thinking by having to deal with one thing at a

time


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Benefits of Six Thinking Hats1. Provides a common language

2. Diversity of thought3. Use more of our brains4. Removal of ego (reduce confrontation)5. Focus (one thing at a time) 6. Save time 7. Create, evaluate & implement action

plans


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The blue hat role• Control of thinking & the process• Begin & end session with blue hat• Facilitator, session leader’s role:

– open, sequence, close– Focus: what should we be thinking about– Asking the right questions– Defining & clarifying the problem– Setting the thinking tasks


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Thinking Process• Why we are here• what we are thinking about• Definition of the situation or problem• Alternative definitions• what we want to achieve• where we want to end up• The background to the thinking


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What we want to take away

• What we have achieved• Outcome• Conclusion• Design• Solution• Next steps


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Summary of The Facilitator’s Role:

• Define the focus of the thinking• Plan the sequence and timing of the

thinking• Ask for changes in the thinking • Handle requests from the group • Form periodic or final summaries of the

thinking for consideration by the team

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Participant’s Role

• Follow the lead of the 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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White Hat Thinking

1. Neutral, objective information2. Facts & figures 3. Questions: what do we know,

what don’t we know, what do we need to know

4. Excludes opinions, judgments5. Removes feelings & impressions


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Green Hat Thinking

1. New ideas, concepts, perceptions2. Deliberate creation of new ideas3. Alternatives and more alternatives4. New approaches to problems5. Creative & lateral thinking


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Yellow Hat Thinking

1. Positive & speculative2. Positive thinking, optimism, opportunity3. Benefits4. Best-case scenarios5. Exploration


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Black Hat Thinking1. Cautious and careful2. Logical negative – why it won’t work3. Critical judgement, pessimistic view4. Separates logical negative from

emotional5. Focus on errors, evidence, conclusions6. Logical & truthful, but not necessarily fair


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Red Hat Thinking

1. Emotions & feelings2. Intuitions, impressions3. Doesn’t have to be logical or consistent4. No justifications, reasons or basis5. All decisions are emotional in the end


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Hats sequence in meetings

1. Facilitator (Blue Hat) Open Clarifying the problem

2. Present the facts of the case (White Hat).

3. Generate ideas, how the case could be handled (Green Hat).

4. Evaluate the merits of the ideas, List benefits (Yellow Hat).

5. List drawbacks (Black Hat).

6. Get everybody's gut feeling about the alternatives (Red Hat).

7. Summarize (Blue Hat).


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References

• Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono

• The Innovator's Solution: Creating and Sustaining Successful Growth by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor

De Bono Six Thinking Hats Summary Anne Egros

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