Six Thinking hats

Creative Problem Solving with

Six Thinking Hats

How to use Edward de Bono’sparallel thinking in problem solving

Presented by:-

Shruti Poddar – 24Atharva School of Business

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

What is 6 Thinking Hats?

Technique for effective meetings & problem solving.

NOT “What is”

“What can be”

Experience & Intelligence of EVERYONE is used in EACH direction.

Explore the subject! E.g. Court of Law

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Goals of using these Hats

Define parallel thinking

Identify each of the six hats

Learn how to ask a good question

Apply six hats method to problem solving

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Objective of using these Hats

Explore project ideas from a variety of viewpoints.

Add depth to the planning process.

Encourage critical thinking.

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

What is parallel thinking?

At any moment everyone is looking in the same direction.

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

So the six hats are…?

Six colors of hats for six types of thinking

• Each hat identifies a type of thinking

• Hats are directions of thinking

Hats help a group use parallel thinking

• You can “put on” and “take off” a hat

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Uses for Six Hats

Problem solving

Strategic planning

Running meetings

Much more

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Six colors…White: neutral, objective

Red: emotional, angry

Black: serious, somber

Yellow: sunny, positive

Green: growth, fertility

Blue: cool, sky above

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

… & six hatsWhite: objective facts & figures

Red: emotions & feelings

Black: cautious & careful

Yellow: hope, positive & speculative

Green: creativity, ideas & lateral thinking

Blue: control & organization of thinking

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

General hat issuesDirection, not description

• Set out to think in a certain direction• “Let’s have some black hat thinking…”

Not categories of people• Not: “He’s a black hat thinker.”• Everyone can and should use all the hats

A constructive form of showing off• Show off by being a better thinker• Not destructive right vs. wrong argument

Use in whole or in part

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Benefits of Six Thinking Hats Provides a common language

Experience & intelligence of each person (Diversity of thought)

Use more of our brains

Helps people work against type, preference

Removal of ego (reduce confrontation)

Save time

Focus (one thing at a time)

Create, evaluate & implement action plans

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Using the hats

Use any hat, as often as needed

Sequence can be preset or evolving

Not necessary to use every hat

Time under each hat: generally, short

Requires discipline from each person• While using it, stay in the idiom

Adds an element of play, play along

Can be used by individuals and groups

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

The blue hat

Thinking about thinking

Instructions for thinking

The organization of thinking

Control of the other hats

Discipline and focus

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

It is a hat of “ORGANISED” people.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

The blue hat role Control of thinking & the process

Begin & end session with blue hat

Facilitator, session leader’s role

Instructions to think

Organization of thought

Control and Respect of the rules

Right Questions

Define the problem

Define the Targets

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Explorative Questions

Summaries and Conclusions

Sequence of steps

• open, sequence, close

• Focus: what should we be thinking about

• Asking the right questions

• Defining & clarifying the problem

• Setting the thinking tasks

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Open with the blue hat…

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

a plan for the sequence of hats

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

… & close with the blue hat

What we have achieved

Outcome

Conclusion

Design

Solution

Next steps

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

White Hat Thinking Neutral, objective information

Facts & figures

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

Excludes opinions, hunches, judgments

Removes feelings & impressions

Two tiers of facts• Believed Facts• Checked Facts

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

It is a hat of a “Rational” person.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Six hats summaryBlue: control & organization of thinking

White: objective facts & figures

Red: emotions & feelings

Yellow: hope, positive & speculative

Green: creativity, ideas & lateral thinking

Black: cautious & careful

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Creative Problem Solving

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Six hats & problem solving

A more deliberate process than CPS

Like CPS, uses creativity (green hat)

Unlike CPS, provides a mechanism for evaluating ideas & making decisions

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Hypothetical problem solving using the hats - 1

Blue hat• Organize the process

Red hat• Emotional issues & feelings

White hat• What do we know, need to know

Yellow hat• Proposals & suggestions; what ifs, why nots

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Hypothetical problem solving using the hats - 2

Blue hat• Focus on the areas that need new ideas

Green hat• Generate new ideas & concepts

Blue hat• Organize ideas & process for evaluation

White, yellow & green hats• Constructive thinking

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Hypothetical problem solving using the hats - 3

Yellow hat• Positive assessment of viable alternatives

Black hat• Screening for impossible, unusable• Challenge the alternatives

Yellow & green hats• Overcome objections, correct faults, remove

weaknesses, solve problems

Black hat• Further scrutiny; point out risks, dangers

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.

Hypothetical problem solving using the hats - 4

Blue hat• Overview of achievements so far• Organize choice of route

Red hat• Express feelings about the choices

Yellow & black hats• Looking for the best alternative

Blue hat• Strategy for implementation

Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats

Advantages of adopting Six thinking Hat method

Focused Thinking

Emphasis on parallel thinking

Symbolic role

Transformer of personality

Removes ego

Saves time

Empowers organization

Paul Reali • CyberSkills, Inc.Edward de Bono Six Thinking HatsEdward de Bono Six Thinking Hats