You can keep your hat on...
Edward de Bono is best known for his Six Thinking Hats. Each of these 'hats' needs to be used in the correct proportion to obtain a 'good' solution for any problem. The explanation of each hat (given below) is the best way to understanding the principle.
Care must be taken here not to confuse the styles of thinking represented by the hats with the thinking process. Using the right hat in the right place in the thinking process is essential.
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The blue hat is arguably the most important hat. The blue hat represents the blue sky overarching all the other colours. The blue hat is for thinking about thinking. It is used to ensure a balance between all the other hats. It should be the least frequently used hat and its power should not be abused.
The white hat is the hat for facts and figures. The white hat represents purity of data. It is impartial and not interested in pro's and con's, but only the core facts. It is also concerned with finding or identifying missing facts or other 'neutral information'.
The green hat is difficult for many to use. The green hat represents the new growth. The green hat is for creative thinking, exploration and must be non-judgemental, no matter how crazy things might seem.
The black hat is very easy to over use. The black hat represents the darkness of the hidden or unseen. The black hat is concerned with caution. The black hat is used to challenge most other hats and highlight the negative side of proposals.
The yellow hat can be difficult for some to use. The yellow hat represents light (at the end of the tunnel?). The yellow hat is about the positive. The yellow hat highlights advantages, benefits, etc. and is generally the opposite of the black hat.
The red hat is the one that is frequently excluded from corporate discussions. The red hat represents the heart. The red hat is about feelings and emotions. The red hat is effectively the opposite of the white hat because nothing expressed under the red hat needs to be justified - it is just a feeling.
More than once…
People are frequently enamoured with the Six Hat philosophy because they can see how it can bring balance to discussions. Unfortunately they often forget the thinking process.
Looking at the thinking process it can be seen there are several opportunities to use each hat, especially as the thinking process is not as linear as the basic process suggests.
Using the six hats in conjunction with the thinking process brings balance and structure to problem solving. Don’t be misled, there are detailed techniques that be used under the rim of each hat leveraging even more power from your own natural resource – the brain.
