Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats
A Framework for Creative and Outside-the-Box Thinking
Dec 17, 2008
In de Bono’s model there are six metaphorical hats and the thinker can put on or take off any of these hats to indicate the type of thinking he or she is using. By putting on different hats, everyone is able to contribute to a discussion without damaging egos as they are just using one of the hats.
White Hat Thinking
This covers facts, figures, information needs and gaps. If someone says “You need some white hat thinking”, that means “Stop the arguments and look at the facts, see what information you have and what you need.”
- Information people know
- Information people need
- How are they going to get that information?
Red Hat Thinking
This covers intuition, feelings and emotions. The red hat allows the thinker to put forward an intuition (a gut feeling – good or bad) without any need for justification.
- Permission to express feelings
- No need to justify
Black Hat Thinking
This is the hat of judgment and caution. The black hat is used to point out why a suggestion does not fit the facts, the systems, or the process. The black hat is always logical.
- The skeptical view
- Points out potential problems
- Points out what doesn’t fit the facts, systems, process
Yellow Hat Thinking
This is the logical positive thinking. Why something will work and what benefits it will bring. It can be used to see the future value of a proposed action, or the value of something that has already happened.
- The optimistic view
- Looks for benefits and values
Green Hat Thinking
This is the hat of creativity, alternatives, proposals, new ideas and changes.
- Creative thinking
- Seeks alternatives
- Generates new concepts
Blue Hat Thinking
This is the overview or process control hat - thinking about the subject. This is the hat typically worn by meeting facilitators or chairpersons. When reviewing how things are progressing, they would suggest that “more green thinking is needed”, for example.
- Overview of the process
- Suggest areas the group needs to focus more on
How to Use the Tool
One can use the Six Thinking Hats in group meetings or on their own. In meetings, this method has the benefit of reducing or even eliminating the confrontations that arise when people with different thinking styles discuss the same topic. When done in a group setting, everybody must wear the same hat at the same time, and the hats must never be used to categorize or judge people.
When used for self-development, this tool will help people assess a topic from various perspectives, allowing them to be more thorough and less inclined towards one thinking style only.
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