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The six thinking hats method: how to use it for effective brainstorming

August 10, 2023 by MindManager Blog

Learn how to effectively use the six thinking hats method to foster diverse perspectives and improve decision-making. Discover practical tips and techniques to promote more productive and collaborative thinking in your team!    

What is Edward De Bono’s six thinking hats brainstorming method?  

Edward De Bono’s six thinking hats is a decision-making and problem-solving method that encourages parallel thinking and creativity.   

Parallel thinking is a term coined by De Bono. It’s a collaborative thought process where people explore different perspectives on a topic, enabling a balanced and productive brainstorming environment. 

The six thinking hats process involves a facilitator guiding participants through different thinking styles by symbolically wearing different hats. Using these hats, participants explore a topic, one perspective at a time, giving everyone an equal chance to contribute without debate or criticism. 

We’ll dive deeper into this later, but for now, here’s a quick breakdown of what each hat represents and its related thinking style: 

• White hat: Objective data analysis. 
• Red hat: Emotional and intuitive responses. 
• Black hat: Critical judgment for identifying risks and flaws. 
• Yellow hat: Positive thinking for exploring benefits. 
• Green hat: Creative and innovative ideas. 
• Blue hat: Facilitation and process control. 

In all, the six thinking hats process provides a framework that improves collaboration, decision-making, and problem-solving by leveraging the power of parallel thinking and tapping into group intellect. 

The 6 benefits of six thinking hats  

There are many benefits of the six thinking hats brainstorming technique that may be of interest when problem-solving and decision-making. Some of these include: 

1. Enhanced creativity  

The six thinking hats method stimulates creative thinking by encouraging participants to explore various perspectives, generate new ideas, and think outside the box. 

By wearing different hats, individuals are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and explore uncommon ideas. Overall, the method promotes nontraditional thinking and unlocks fresh ideas and possibilities. 

2. Balanced thinking 

Each of the six hats ensures balanced thinking by considering all angles of a topic, including:  

• Facts 
• Emotion 
• Critical judgments 
• Positive thinking 
• Creativity 
• Process control 

When all of these factors are considered, the results are more balanced and fairer. This allows participants to see the topic, idea, or problem comprehensively. 

3. Improved collaboration 

The structured framework of the six thinking hats facilitates effective collaboration by ensuring that all participants can contribute to the discussion. Furthermore, they have the opportunity to share their viewpoints without conflicts or interruptions.  

4. Efficient decision-making 

The method enables faster and more efficient decision-making by systematically analyzing different aspects, risks, benefits, and alternative possibilities. 

By doing so, the method helps streamline the decision-making process, reducing the time spent on deliberation and enabling timely outcomes. Moreover, the approach minimizes the risk of overlooking important factors, which helps to create solid solutions. 

5. Reduced bias and subjectivity 

The six thinking hats technique asks participants to temporarily set aside their personal biases and judgments and focus on the specific thinking style that their appointed hat represents.  

By encouraging a temporary shift in thinking, individuals can approach a problem or idea with an objective mindset. This enables them to consider perspectives based on logical reasoning rather than personal biases.  

6. Increased productivity 

The six hats process provides a structured and organized approach to brainstorming , ideation, and planning, which increases productivity. 

During a session, discussions remain concentrated on the overall goal. By channeling efforts towards a common objective, participants can streamline their thought processes, eliminate distractions, and maintain focus throughout the session. 

This increased clarity contributes to heightened productivity as team members use their collective intelligence to achieve outcomes quickly. 

The six thinking hats step-by-step process  

The six thinking hats process, developed by Edward De Bono, is a structured method for brainstorming, problem-solving , and decision-making.  

The process involves the following steps, participants, facilitation, and tools: 

• Define the focus. The session begins by clearly defining the problem, idea, or topic of discussion that requires brainstorming and decision-making.   
• Select participants. Select a diverse group of individuals who bring different perspectives, expertise, and roles to the discussion.   
• Introduce the six hats. The chosen facilitator introduces the concept of the six thinking hats and explains the meaning and role of each hat color. Participants are briefed on the thinking styles associated with each hat and the purpose they serve during the session.   
• Assign hat roles. The facilitator assigns specific hat roles to participants. Each person is responsible for wearing a particular hat for a given period.   
• Hat rotation. The session progresses with hat rotation, where participants switch roles by changing hats at designated intervals. This rotation ensures that every participant has the chance to contribute from different perspectives and prevents individuals from becoming fixated on a single thinking style. 
• Hat exploration. While wearing a specific hat, participants share their thoughts, ideas, observations, or questions related to the topic. The facilitator guides the discussion, ensuring that the focus remains on the thinking style represented by the current hat. 
• Facilitator’s role. The facilitator plays a crucial role in managing the session. They guide the flow of the discussion, enforce hat rotation, encourage active participation, and maintain a balanced and inclusive environment. The facilitator also ensures that all participants have an opportunity to express their views and that the session stays on track.   
• Tools and visual aids. The brainstorming process can be supported by visual aids so that participants can jot down key points, ideas, or observations associated with their hat. Visual representations help in organizing thoughts and summarizing outcomes. 
• Summarize and analyze. At the end of the session, the facilitator summarizes the key insights, observations, ideas, and conclusions from each thinking style. This summary helps to consolidate the collective understanding, identify patterns, and inform subsequent decision-making processes. 

The six thinking hats colors and what they represent 

Each hat in the six thinking hats method represents a distinct thinking style. The collective use of these hats during a brainstorming session facilitates the evaluation of ideas and well-rounded decision-making. 

Red hat  

The red hat represents emotions and intuition. When wearing the red hat, participants can express their feelings, gut instincts, and subjective opinions without the need for justification.  

This hat encourages the open sharing of personal perspectives and taps into the intuitive and emotional aspects of decision-making. It helps to foster a more holistic understanding of the topic at hand. 

Green hat  

The green hat symbolizes creativity and new ideas. Participants wearing the green hat are encouraged to think innovatively, develop fresh ideas, and explore alternative possibilities.  

This hat promotes divergent thinking, encourages brainstorming, and stimulates creative solutions. It adds a spark of inventiveness to the session. 

Blue hat  

The blue hat represents process control and organization. It plays the role of a facilitator in the brainstorming session.  

The blue hat wearer manages the overall thinking process, guides the discussion, and ensures the session stays on track. They summarize outcomes, coordinate the contributions of different hats, and keep the session focused and productive. 

Yellow hat  

The yellow hat signifies positive thinking. Participants wearing the yellow hat focus on exploring the benefits, advantages, and positive aspects of the ideas or proposal.  

Yellow hat wearers look for value, prospects, and optimistic perspectives. In addition, they help to create a constructive and forward-thinking atmosphere. 

White hat  

The white hat is associated with facts and information. It represents a logical and objective thinking style.  

Participants wearing the white hat gather and analyze data, facts, and information relevant to the topic. They provide an objective foundation and add evidence-based insights, helping the group make well-informed decisions. 

Black hat  

The black hat embodies critical judgment. Participants wearing the black hat take a cautious and critical approach.  

They identify potential risks, flaws, and negative aspects of ideas or proposals. The black hat thinking style aims to identify pitfalls, challenge assumptions, and encourage careful evaluation. 

When to use the six thinking hats method 

The six thinking hats method provides a framework for collaborative brainstorming that maximizes the potential of a team’s collective intelligence. As a result, sessions may be more creative and effective. 

The six hats thinking method is particularly useful in situations where: 

• A team needs to generate new ideas or solutions. 
• There are diverse opinions or conflicts among team members. 
• A comprehensive evaluation of ideas is required. 
• Emotional or intuitive aspects need to be considered alongside logical reasoning. 
• The decision-making process needs to be more objective and rational. 

Six thinking hats example  

To understand the six thinking hats method more fully, here’s an example of how the process may play out in a real-life scenario:

• Team : The marketing team at a tech company. 
• Objective : Generate innovative marketing campaign ideas for a new product launch. 
• Process : The team leader introduces the six thinking hats method and assigns specific hat roles to each team member. 
• Red hat (emotions and intuition): The individual wearing the red hat openly expresses their gut feelings and emotional responses towards the marketing campaign ideas at hand. They discuss their personal inclinations and share their enthusiasm or concerns about specific campaign concepts. 
• Green hat (creativity) : The green hat team member freely shares creative marketing campaign ideas without criticism. They generate diverse ideas, such as viral videos, interactive social media campaigns, and experiential events. 
• White hat (facts and information): The team transitions to the person wearing the white hat. Here, the individual analyzes the feasibility and gathers data on the market campaign ideas. They consider budget constraints, target audience demographics, and competitor analysis. 
• Black hat (critical judgment): Moving to the black hat, this individual critically evaluates the ideas on the table. They identify potential risks, such as legal implications, negative public perception, or budget overruns. They weigh the pros and cons of each idea and highlight any drawbacks or challenges. 
• Yellow hat (positive thinking): The person wearing the yellow hat focuses on the positive aspects of the campaign ideas. They discuss potential benefits, advantages, and opportunities for each concept. They also highlight the possible impact on brand awareness, customer engagement, and market differentiation 
• Blue hat (process control): This team member takes on the role of session manager. They summarize the key insights and guide the discussion toward the most promising ideas. They also highlight the most feasible concepts from the overall hat discussion. 
• Results : The brainstorming session allowed the marketing team to explore various creative marketing campaign ideas. The team considered diverse perspectives, backed by data and discussion. 

The session facilitated inclusive participation and balanced the exploration of ideas. As a result, the team identified three promising campaign concepts:  

• A gamified social media contest. 
• An influencer-driven product launch event. 
• An interactive augmented reality experience.  

The team left the session with a clear direction for further developing and refining these ideas. This led to a more informed and effective marketing strategy for the new product launch. 

Unleash the power of the six thinking hats method for brainstorming and take your ideation sessions to new heights!  

Explore the benefits of MindManager®, the ultimate mind mapping tool, to unlock innovative ideas, foster collaboration, and make informed decisions.  

Sign up for a free trial today and supercharge your brainstorming sessions with MindManager!

Six thinking hats frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Below are a few commonly asked questions about the six thinking hats brainstorming method:  

What is six thinking hats? 

The six thinking hats is a method developed by Edward De Bono for structured thinking and decision-making. It involves wearing six metaphorical hats, each representing a specific thinking style. 

This technique explores ideas, analyzes information, considers emotions, and facilitates well-rounded and effective discussions.  

How do teams use six thinking hats?   

Teams use the six thinking hats to develop unique perspectives and ideas. By assigning different hats to each participant, teams can work together to think outside the box and enjoy efficient and productive brainstorming, problem-solving, and decision-making. 

What are the benefits of six thinking hats?   

The benefits of six thinking hats include: 

• Enhanced creativity 
• Balanced perspectives 
• Improved decision-making 
• Efficient collaboration 
• Effective problem-solving 
• Increased productivity 

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How to Lead a Six Thinking Hats Exercise (+Questions and Template)

Whether you’ve heard of the Six Thinking Hats before, consider this as your sign to give it a try for yourself at least once. Here’s why. Not only is it an exercise you can do as an individual or as part of a team, but it can also be applied to a wide variety of situations we encounter every day in the workplace. It’s as the founder of the concept, Dr. Edward de Bono, wrote in his book, “It is the sheer convenience of the Six Thinking Hats that is the main value of the concept.”

In the following article, we’ll provide you with a brief but straightforward explanation of the Six Thinking Hats, a list of questions, instructions on how to lead an exercise of your own, and a template to get you started. Let’s begin.

What Is the Six Thinking Hats Exercise?

The Six Thinking Hats is an exercise that can be used to make decisions, develop ideas, challenge assumptions, and spark conversation. Today, it is used by individuals, leaders, and teams around the world in all industries, including business and government.

Originally, the concept was published in the 1985 book, Six Thinking Hats by physician and psychologist Dr. Edward de Bono. In the book, Dr. de Bono explained, “In many cultures, there is already a strong association between thinking and ‘thinking hats’ or ‘caps’. The value of a hat as a symbol is that it indicates a role. Another advantage is that a hat can be put on or taken off with ease.”

How Do You Use the Six Thinking Hats in the Workplace?

The great thing about this exercise is that you can use it in countless different situations, whether with a group or on your own. In fact, here are a few of the most common use cases of the Six Thinking Hats in today’s workplace:

Decision-Making

The arguably most common use of the Six Thinking Hats exercise is during the decision-making process, prompting you to think about a decision from all angles and perspectives.

Debrief/Retrospective

Whether you’re debriefing a project, mistake , or problem, it can be difficult to get everything you need out of retrospective and post-mortem meetings . The Six Thinking Hats exercise is the ideal remedy for this, as it provides structure and ensures every perspective is covered.

Conflict Resolution

When dealing with a workplace conflict where all sides have dug in their heels, the Six Thinking Hats exercise can be used to get people thinking about the situation from a different perspective, which in turn, can make them more amenable to a resolution.

If you’ve come up with an innovative idea or solution, the Six Thinking Hats exercise will help you develop that idea further and come to a conclusion about whether or not it is an idea you want and are prepared to pursue.

Change Management 

After announcing a change initiative, you can use the Six Thinking Hats exercise to help gain buy-in and reduce resistance to change , as it makes people think about the initiative from a perspective they might not have otherwise.

What Do The Six Thinking Hats Stand For?

So, what are the six metaphorical thinking hats, exactly? Here is a brief overview of them and the specific role they play in this exercise:

Blue Hat - The Conductor

The blue hat focuses on translating the thinking of all the other hats into actionable steps. In his book, Dr. de Bono likens the blue hat to a conductor as “conductors get the best out of the orchestra by seeing that what should be done is done at the right time.”

• Where are we now?
• What conclusions can be drawn?
• What do we need to do next?
• Who needs to do what?

White Hat - The Voice of Reason

The white hat is objective and logical. It remains neutral by focusing on facts, data, and information that can be proven, not on offering ideas or opinions of its own.

• What information do I have?
• What do I know to be true?
• What information do I need to obtain?

Red Hat - The Instincts

The red hat leans into their emotions, feelings, instincts, and gut feeling. As Dr. de Bono points out, “Using the red hat gives you an opportunity to [these things] without any need to explain or to justify them.”

• How does this make me feel?
• What is my heart/gut telling me?
• What feels right/appropriate?
• What is making me feel this way?

Yellow Hat - The Optimist 

The yellow hat leans into the desire to “make things happen,” says Dr. de Bono. They are focused on being optimistic and finding value in the problem/decision/task at hand.

• Why is this a good idea?
• Why is this valuable? To whom is it valuable?
• What are the possible benefits/advantages?
• How can I/we make this work?

Black Hat - The Devil's Advocate

The black hat is the one that points out all the reasons why something won’t work. They are focused on foreseeing possible dangers, risks, consequences, difficulties, and roadblocks.

• Why won’t this work?
• What problems could this cause?
• What are the drawbacks/risks?
• Will this create problems or challenges? For who?

Green Hat - The Creative Thinker

The green hat asks, “What’s possible?” They are focused on finding creative, out-of-the-box solutions and alternatives.

• What haven’t I/we thought about?
• Are there any alternatives?
• How can I change/improve this?

Instructions: How To Lead a Six Thinking Hats Exercise

Given that this concept has been around for nearly 40 years, today, many opinions exist about the best way to lead a Six Thinking Hats exercise. While the instructions below are certainly one way to go about it, they aren’t your only option. We encourage you to experiment with them and make them your own over time so that they work as you need them for your team and workplace.

Step 1 - Establish the Order

Always starts and ends up with the blue hat. Beyond that, the rest of the hats have no right or wrong order. Here’s an example: Blue, White, Red, Yellow, Black, Green, Blue.

Step 2 - Allow Time For Prep

Give everyone time to collect their thoughts and make notes under the relevant hat using this Six Thinking Hats template .

Step 3 - Set a Time Limit

Before opening up the floor, set a time limit for each hat so that you don’t accidentally spend the entire time allotted for the exercise on only one or two of the six hats. Of course, if the discussion is going well for a particular hat, you can allow for extra time as needed.

Step 4 - Explain the Exercise

As the leader, outline the purpose of the exercise, explain the situation/decision/problem, set ground rules, and describe what you want to achieve by the end of the exercise.

Step 5 - Open the Floor For Discussion

Start the timer and open the floor for discussion. As the leader, it’s your job to ensure the discussion remains on the hat in question and does not deviate to another. It’s also up to you to capture everyone’s thoughts and take notes. If you’re conducting the exercise virtually, Google Docs or Canva Whiteboards will allow you to do this together in real time. Though, a whiteboard or a wall and some sticky notes will have a similar effect if you’re doing the exercise in person. If you choose the latter, just be sure to snap a picture at the end.

Step 6 - Work Through Each Hat

Repeat the previous step for each of the remaining hats.

Step 7 - Return To the Blue Hat

Once all the hats have been discussed, return to the blue hat so you can draw conclusions and assign any action items that came from the exercise.

Step 8 - Return to the Red Hat (Optional)

In his book, Dr. de Bono notes that, in some cases, you may want to return to the red hat one final time. He writes, “This final red hat reflects back on the ‘thinking performance’: What do we feel about our thinking? Are we happy with the outcome? Did we do a good job?”

Step 9 - Send a Copy to Participants

After the exercise, don’t forget to send a copy of the notes you took to everyone who participated.

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Six Thinking Hats: use parallel thinking to tackle tough decisions

Stuck in a stalemate? Try this time-honored technique on for size.

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Think back to the last major decision your team made together. Was there a struggle to get everyone to offer input? Did one person dominate the discussion? Did everyone quickly rally around one idea without exploring alternatives?

The brilliance of a diverse team is that each individual has unique perspectives to contribute to the larger picture. But tapping into those insights can be a challenge when multiple people are involved in a discussion – especially when a team is tasked with making a difficult decision.

If you’re seeking a more balanced, systematic approach that makes room for everyone’s voice, try the Six Thinking Hats. Below, we’ll explore this decision-making tool that teams at IBM and NASA have used to break down biases and tackle tough choices.

Six Thinking Hats: what is it and where did it come from?

Physician, psychologist, and author Edward de Bono conceived of the Six Thinking Hats and describes how it works in his 1985 book of the same name. In this role-playing exercise, participants “put on” six different metaphorical hats that each represent a certain type of thinking.

According to de Bono, the Six Thinking Hats method serves two main purposes:

• It eliminates confusion by focusing the discussion on one aspect of the decision at a time, such as potential risks or possible benefits.
• It encourages more expansive thinking so a person does not get boxed into only looking at the risks, or conversely, only focusing on the benefits.

De Bono asserts that Western thinking is based on an argument system, where one person makes a statement and another challenges it. The Six Thinking Hats offers an alternative: parallel thinking. 

“Parallel thinking means that at any moment everyone is looking in the same direction,” de Bono writes in Six Thinking Hats. While argument focuses on “what is,” parallel thinking looks at “what can be.”

By looking in the same direction at the same time, the entire team can collaborate on a solution and continuously move the discussion forward, instead of getting mired in debate, resulting in more balanced decision-making.

How it works

In his book, de Bono encourages the use of bits and pieces of his technique and its nomenclature in a variety of situations. You can use the hats in everyday workplace conversations as symbols to request a type of thinking. However, the Six Thinking Hats method as a formal, structured sequence (which we’ll describe below) is best suited for:

• Complicated or significant decisions
• Decision-making discussions involving multiple people
• Discussions in which you’re having a hard time getting everyone to participate (e.g., one person is doing most of the talking or a couple of people are hesitant to speak up).
• Brainstorming sessions where you need to cover all the bases and possibilities thoroughly
• Any situation where you want to explore options and ideas more holistically and be inclusive of everyone’s thoughts and feelings

Step 1: Define an issue to discuss. Six Thinking Hats sessions should be focused on a particular problem that needs to be solved or a decision that needs to be made.

Step 2: Assign the blue hat to one person. The blue hat is the meeting leader who starts and ends the discussion and announces when it’s time to change hats.

Step 3: As a group, go through each hat, one at a time. How much time should your team spend under each hat? De Bono recommends one minute per attendee. So if five people are present, dedicate five minutes total to each hat. If you need to go over, you can extend the time, but de Bono recommends keeping each “hat session” brief and focused. 

Step 4: Define the outcome. By the end of the session, your team should be able to make a decision and decide on the next steps.

The six hats defined

Let’s use an example to illustrate how a team might use the Six Thinking Hats to have more productive discussions and make better decisions faster, based on de Bono’s method.

With this problem statement in mind, let’s cycle through each of the six hats and show how they might be used to solve this issue.

🔵 Blue hat: moderator

When you think of the blue hat, think of the sky overhead: all-encompassing. Under the blue hat, you’ll be “thinking about thinking.”

More on the blue hat

One person wears the blue hat – in essence, acts as a moderator – for the entirety of the session, but all attendees are asked to participate in two “blue hat sessions”: one at the beginning of the discussion to frame the conversation and one at the end to define the outcome and next steps. All the other hats are “worn” by the whole group together.

Whoever puts on that blue hat is the neutral moderator who: 

• Kicks off and ends the meeting
• Frames the intent of the discussion and sets the agenda
• Announces the change of hats
• Poses questions
• Enforces rules
• Asks for the outcome of the discussion

⚪️ White hat: information

The white hat is concerned with “just the facts.” White-hat thinkers remain neutral, looking only at the available information without making interpretations about it. Under the white hat, you may put forth facts that are doubtful (beliefs), but only if you make it clear that you’re unsure of their veracity. If necessary, you can fact check them later.

🔴 Red hat: emotions and instinct

When teams put on the red hat, individuals are free to voice their emotions, but not explain or justify them. The red hat phase is about normalizing and legitimizing gut feelings, which is an important part of the decision-making process that often gets ignored.

Note: Your team should spend as little time as possible under the red hat – you want people to express their gut reaction, without overthinking or explaining. You might need only one minute total for everyone to share their red hat statements.

⚫️ Black hat: Risks

The black hat is the lens of caution. Black hat thinking requires you to consider the potential risks and how you might tackle them. Note that it is not a bad hat, but an essential one that could save money, time, and a variety of other headaches. In fact, de Bono calls the black hat “the most valuable of all the hats and certainly the most used.”

🟡 Yellow hat: Benefits

Like sunshine and smiley face emojis, the yellow hat conjures up positivity and optimism. Wearing the yellow hat requires you to identify the benefits of a suggestion and think of ways to put an idea into motion. De Bono warns that yellow hat thinking is harder than black hat thinking because humans are naturally sensitive to danger. That’s why the yellow hat is so crucial: it inspires us to find the value in an idea.

Note: Yellow hat thinking must be backed by evidence; otherwise, it’s just a positive feeling, and therefore would fall under red hat thinking.

🟢 Green hat: Creativity

Use divergent thinking to generate fresh ideas in your next brainstorm

When faced with a decision, people have a tendency toward tunnel vision, seeing only option A or option B when there might be an option C, D, and so forth. The green hat mitigates this bias by encouraging creative solutions that otherwise might not be considered. It is also the green hat’s role to come up with solutions to the challenges presented under the black hat.

Creating a shared language

Beyond the structured process described above, you can use the Six Thinking Hats informally in a variety of workplace situations. For example, if you sense that a colleague has a bad feeling about a business deal you’re about to close, you might say: “Hey, what’s your red hat thinking on this?” Framing the question in that way frees up people to express emotion, which can be difficult to do in a workplace. The Six Thinking Hats creates a shared vocabulary and symbolism that you and your team can use to communicate more effectively and direct your ways of thinking.

How to reach a decision using the Six Thinking Hats technique

By the end of a Six Thinking Hats session, you’ll have accomplished something that teams stuck in the argument style cannot: You’ll have included everyone in looking at every aspect of a problem, together . This ensures balance, fairness, and as little bias as possible. 

To close the discussion, the designated blue hat wearer asks the group what they’ve concluded. Thanks to the balanced discussion and new insights gained through this role-playing exercise, your team should naturally arrive at a decision and define next steps.

But what happens if you reach a stalemate? Interestingly, de Bono himself recommends that if you’re still stuck on a decision, go with your gut.

“In the end, all decisions are really ‘red hat,’” he writes. “We lay out the factors but the final decision is emotional.”

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Looking at a decision in different ways.

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Which hat will you wear?

What's your instinctive approach to decision making? If you're naturally optimistic, then chances are you don't always consider the potential downsides to a decision. Similarly, if you're very cautious, you might not focus on opportunities that could open up.

Whatever your gut tells you, the best decisions usually come after you've explored several ways of viewing a problem.

However, it's easy to feel confused if you try to consider multiple angles at once. And things can get even more complicated – even combative – if your whole team weighs in with different points of view.

"Six Thinking Hats" is a way of investigating an issue from a variety of perspectives, but in a clear, conflict-free way. It can be used by individuals or groups to move outside habitual ways of thinking, try out different approaches, and then think constructively about how to move forward.

In this article, we'll explain the principles behind the Six Thinking Hats technique and examine how it could improve decision making for you and your team.

Who Invented "Six Thinking Hats"?

The Six Thinking Hats approach was created by Edward de Bono , a Maltese physician, psychologist and philosopher. He used it in his work advising government agencies, but he also wanted it to be a practical tool for everyday problem solving. It first appeared in his 1985 book of the same name, which has since been revised several times. [1]

De Bono – who died in 2021 – was also the inventor of "lateral thinking," a method of solving problems indirectly, often in creative and surprising ways. Similarly, Six Thinking Hats is a way to understand and explore different types of thinking.

Six Thinking Hats for Decision Making

The Six Thinking Hats technique gets you to look at a problem in six different ways. It takes you and your team beyond any instinctive positions, so that you explore a range of perspectives. That way, you can carefully consider each one, without having to argue your case or make snap decisions about what's "right" or "wrong."

By the time you've tried out all six hats, you should have a rich collection of insights that will help you to decide your next steps.

Here's what each of the Six Thinking Hats represents:

Blue Hat: "the Conductor's Hat"

When you or your team are in blue hat mode, you focus on controlling your thinking and managing the decision-making process. You have an agenda, ask for summaries, and reach conclusions.

Green Hat: "the Creative Hat"

The green hat represents creative thinking. When you're "wearing" this hat, you explore a range of ideas and possible ways forward.

Red Hat: "the Hat for the Heart"

This hat represents feelings and instincts. When you're engaged in this type of thinking, you can express your feelings without having to justify them logically.

Yellow Hat: "the Optimist's Hat"

With yellow hat thinking, you look at issues in the most positive light possible. You accentuate the benefits and the added value that could come from your ideas.

Black Hat: "the Judge's Hat"

This hat is about being cautious and assessing risks. You employ critical judgment and explain exactly why you have concerns.

The black hat is one of the most powerful hats, but it's often overused. Make sure that you and your team can justify any critical or cautionary comments, so that this mode of thinking doesn't dominate your decision making.

White Hat: "the Factual Hat"

The white hat represents information gathering. Think about the knowledge and insights that you've collected already – but also the information you're missing, and where you can go to get it.

Reproduced with the permission of Penguin Random House U.K and the trademark and copyright holder deBono.com. To find out how to use the Six Thinking Hats®️ in teams please contact https://www.debono.com/ 

Some colors have cultural implications, so you may have to pick new colors for one or more of your hats. In China, for example, a green hat can mean an unfaithful spouse. And you might decide to change the black hat to grey, so as not to associate black with faultfinding.

It's fine to use any colors that are appropriate for you and your team – just as long as all six are different, and you stick with the same colors each time you use this technique.

There are several other decision-making techniques that explore problems from different angles.

The Reframing Matrix   encourages you to try out a range of perspectives when you're designing a product or service. What are the key considerations from a marketing perspective, say, or from the point of view of your manufacturing team?

Constructive Controversy   involves pitting different approaches against each other. This means that it's more combative than Six Thinking Hats. But it can also generate energy, help people to reconsider their positions, and result in well-tested decisions.

And Empathy Mapping   is a useful tool when you want to understand the perspectives of key stakeholders, in order to incorporate them in your plans.

The Benefits of Six Thinking Hats

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As well as improving the quality of your decisions, the Six Thinking Hats technique has some other benefits to offer:

More organized thinking . You can be confident that you've considered every angle, and it helps you to weigh up the information you obtain efficiently and accurately.

Improved creativity . It gets you to step away from your default positions and approaches. And comparing or combining different perspectives can sometimes spark novel thoughts   .

Better thinking skills . It's a great way to strengthen important skills such as curiosity   and critical thinking.

Stronger interpersonal skills . It encourages you to practice listening   , questioning and answering   . So it can also make you more persuasive, better at spotting when others need support, and more confident to resolve conflicts when they arise.

Greater inclusivity in teams . It requires people to set aside any preconceptions and to focus on seeing things from the same perspective for a while. Debate still happens, but it's based on shared understanding – which can help everyone to feel included.

It's important to remember that some members of your team might find some types of thinking challenging – possibly due to neurodivergence   – and need reassurance or support. However, they may also excel while wearing particular hats! So use this technique as a chance to play to everyone's strengths.

De Bono's Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for looking at decision making from different perspectives.

It involves six distinct types of thinking, which you can do on your own or with your team. Each thinking style is represented by a different hat:

• Blue Hat: organization and planning
• Green Hat: creative thinking
• Red Hat: feelings and instincts
• Yellow Hat: benefits and values
• Black Hat: risk assessment
• White Hat: information gathering

By "wearing" each of the Six Thinking Hats in turn, you can gain a rich understanding of the issues you face – and the best ways forward. You also encourage everyone to be fully involved in the decision-making process.

This site teaches you the skills you need for a happy and successful career; and this is just one of many tools and resources that you'll find here at Mind Tools. Subscribe to our free newsletter , or join the Mind Tools Club and really supercharge your career!

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Comments (32)

• Over a month ago Michele wrote Hi queen312, The way that the black hat is described is less about the color and more about the benefit this type of thinking brings to decision making. For example, too much yellow hat thinking may provide an overly optimistic view of a situation: it may not be based on reality. Black hat thinking helps decision makers think about the risks involved. Planning for potential risks is vital in any situation. Michele Mind Tools Team
• Over a month ago queen312 wrote When you read the definition of the “black” hat thinking, and which hat to use as an opposition...? Why must you dislike black so much?
• Over a month ago BillT wrote Hi annekamble, Thank you for letting us know. I'll pass this on to our Editorial team. BillT Mind Tools Team

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Six Thinking Hats

What is the Six Thinking Hats Technique by Edward De Bono?

The Six Thinking Hats is a role-playing model developed by Edward de Bono  in 1986.  Each hat represents a different lens or perspective on a particular issue and is an insightful activity that prevents narrow thinking. 

It serves as a team-based problem solving and brainstorming technique that can be used to explore problems through various perspectives in order to uncover options that might otherwise be overlooked. 

The basic premise behind the Six Thinking Hats is that most people think and reason in a specific way based on their personality type.  This means that a more emotional person may generate ideas differently than a more analytical person, and vice-versa. Similarly a pessimist will approach a situation very differently than an optimist.

An example of the benefit of running the thinking hats techniques is therefore to encourage different perspectives to be shared, seen and discussed as part of the decision making process.

The six types of “Thinking Hats” are:

• White Hat:  Similar to the calm and pure emotions associated with the colour white, this type of thinking focuses on analytical, objective thinking, with an emphasis on facts and feasibility.
• Red Hat:  We often associate the colour red with anger and heat and hence this represents emotional thinking, subjective feelings, perception, and opinion.
• Black Hat:  The colour black has been stereotypically linked with doom and gloom and so this forms a type of thinking that is critical, skeptical, focused on risks, and identifying problems.
• Yellow Hat:  Often symbolising sunshine and happiness, the yellow hat is about thinking optimistic, speculative, best-case scenarios.
• Blue Hat:  Blue being the colour of the sky and high above creates a sense of structured thinking, high-level overview of the situation, the big picture.
• Green Hat:  Associated with the colour of trees and nature, the green hat is about creative, associative thinking, new ideas, brainstorming, out-of-the-box.
• Pros and Cons
• PESTLE Analysis
• PEST Analysis
• Encourage each person to contribute to each of the perspectives. Avoid putting people into categories – Everyone can and should use all the hats.
• One or more hats can be used at any point during a discussion process.They are used as a convenience for directing and switching the thinking process as needed. (E.g. “Let’s have some black hat thinking…”)
• Simple sequences of two or three hats may be used together for a particular purpose, for example:
• The yellow hat followed by the black hat may be used to assess an idea.
• The black hat followed by the green hat may be used to improve a design.
• Six Thinking Hats is excellent at eliciting different perspectives, but there is less guidance on how to resolve conflicting views among the different hats. Sometimes a group will naturally move together toward one resolution during the discussion. If not, another framework might be needed to resolve the discourse.

Use the Six Thinking Hats for Better Meetings

Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for decision making that includes different points of view.

The process and methodology allows emotion and skepticism to be brought into what might normally be a purely rational process, and it opens up the opportunity for creativity within decision making.

Decisions made using the Six Thinking Hats technique can be more resilient and based on a holistic perspective, allowing you to avoid pitfalls and gaps before you have committed to a decision.

When Should I use the Six Thinking Hats Technique?

Use the Six Thinking Hats model to help with:

• Running better and more structured meetings especially if there tends to only be a single view at every meeting.
• Making better decisions by having a more holistic and wide ranging view of the problem. 
• Approaching problems from various angles of facts, emotions and creativity.
• Inspiring idea generation as an ice-breaker activity by having different people play different roles.
• More collaboration during brainstorming and decision making with assigned roles including facilitator responsibilities.

Six Thinking Hats Template Example

Imagine if you are facilitating a meeting to introduce a new product or service to the market. In doing so, you might ask people to wear different hats, or to navigate between the hats around this goal.

“What are the facts that we know?”

 – Our survey last month indicated a 5% preference of the green product by women aged 25 – 45.

– Return rates from sales has fallen by over 50% since the introduction of the new delivery packaging.

– There are new delivery routes available via Company Logistics.

“Why should we be optimistic?”

  – The new product could increase our revenue diversification stream and increase our family of products.

– We can start receiving better feedback and testimonials from our customers.

– The impact from damage from delivery will meet our service standards.

“What are your gut reactions?”

– The green colour inspires a sustainable look and is very appealing. This is even a great shade.

– The impact on the reduced return rates could mean additional resources.

– How do the new delivery routes impact our delivery times? I would certainly be interested in learning more about it.

 “How can we create opportunities?”

– A green range could be expanded to a different colour range set or be symbolic.

– Creating multiple channels will allow us to establish new partnerships and partners.

– Speeding up quality and reliability of delivery could allow us to bundle exisiting products.

“What risks should we keep in mind?”

– Is a 5% preference sufficient for us to make a single colour product? What happens if preferences change.

– What is the cost of maintaining the packaging quality and sustainability?

– The new delivery routes may not have been proven as reliable yet or may increase our costs.

“What systems or processes will be needed?”

  – Let’s go around the room and discuss the colour options based.

– How has the reduced return rates impacted our warehousing department?

– Would there be any other changes to our workflow with a new delivery partner and will it change our logistics technology?

How to Use the Six Thinking Hats to Run Better Meetings

Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for looking at decision-making from different points of view. By introducing a structured parallel thinking process, it helps people to be more focused and mindfully involved in a discussion.

Start brainstorming through each of the different hats.

Review the responses for common themes that can be grouped.

Have people voted on the topics that they would like to discuss the most.

Share the results and facilitate the discussion towards a decision.

Facilitate the conversation (wearing the blue hat).

As an inspiration, check the following example of how to use Six Thinking Hats sequentially to resolve a problem with alternative solutions:

• White Hat: Present the facts of the problem
• Green Hat: Generate ideas on how the problem can be solved
• Yellow Hat: Evaluate the ideas by listing their benefits
• Black Hat: Evaluate the ideas by listing their drawbacks
• Red Hat: Get everybody’s gut feelings about the alternatives
• Blue Hat: Summarise the discussion and agree on the conclusions

You may decide which sequence of hat use fits best for your purpose. In general, it is recommended that each hat is worn at some point however, there are some sensible sequences too.

Once you have completed the brainstorm for each thinking hat, review the responses and look for common themes which can be grouped into one.

This step is more time consuming if the brainstorming was performed individually – or completed at different times and locations. Using a software tool like GroupMap to group ideas can significantly reduce the time and effort required in this step – and result in a better outcome.

Now that there are clear themes, encourage your participants to vote on the top three ideas they would like to discuss further.

You can facilitate this by advising participants to vote based on: 

• the level of importance to action or implement; 
• aspects that they would like to discuss or explore further; 
• areas that they have questions on and require clarification. 

Combining individual voting into an overall score is much easier and faster if you use an online tool like GroupMap, especially if you can vote on ideas individually and independently.

With the votes tallied, you can now better facilitate the discussion in the meeting and help the group come to a more considered and educated decision.

Sharing the outcomes of the Six Thinking Hats process ideas and comments with the wider group of stakeholders as well as the team is essential to getting buy in! 

The results of your Six Thinking Hats should allow for the next steps of:

• Communication to relevant stakeholders. 
• Further analysis using other business tools such as a SWOT Analysis for each of your top voted discussions. 
• Product and design thinking activities, including customer personas.

Save effort, time and money with GroupMap

Whether you have your best minds together in the same room, or distributed around the world , GroupMap’s unique technology allows groups of up to 2000 to submit ideas independently at separate times, from different places, in different timezones. Prevent dominant personalities swaying the group, drowning out the opinions of others – GroupMap allows everyone to brainstorm independently then effortlessly combines that information to reveal the full spectrum of ideas. GroupMap templates keep the objective front and center throughout the session, keeping everyone on task. This ensures the activity identifies actionable issues rather than becoming just a discussion on ideas. GroupMap gives you all the group decision making tools you need to prioritize, decide and take action.

Create your first map and invite people in to start sharing their thoughts right NOW. Experience the power of GroupMap with our 14-day, no risk, FREE trial. You don’t even need to provide your credit card details to access to all of our features, including the entire suite of templates, for a full 14 days.

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Six Thinking Hats and How to Use Them

“The Law of Win/Win says, ‘Let’s not do it your way or my way; let’s do it the best way’.”   — Greg Anderson

We can all think better by using the Six Thinking Hats technique.

This is one of the BEST tools I’ve used at Microsoft to be more inclusive, solve big problems, and make better decisions with teams around the world.

Are you tired of ineffective meetings , one-track thinking , and limited perspectives ?

You can unlock better thinking and inclusive team dynamics with the Six Thinking Hats technique.

The Six Thinking Hats technique has helped me improve my own thinking and also enhance how a team thinks together while exploring multiple perspectives.  The Six Thinking Hats technique is a way to look at a problem from multiple perspectives .

What I love most about this technique is that it helps to reduce conflict , avoid one-track minds , and improve collaboration .  It’s a simple process, and I’ve learned more effective ways to use it in real life even if people are not trained in the Six Thinking Hats technique.

If you’re looking for a way to improve decision-making , reduce group conflict , and increase collaboration , I highly recommend giving the Six Thinking Hats Technique a try.

Oh yeah, and it’s a way to foster inclusivity of diverse thinking styles , and value cognitive diversity and neurodiversity, for real .

Key Takeaways from Six Thinking Hats

Here are key takeaways from Six Thinking Hats:

• The Six Thinking Hats technique is a powerful problem-solving framework that encourages diverse perspectives and parallel thinking.
• By switching hats, you can switch points of view.
• It’s easier to ask somebody to wear another hat, than tell them to change their thinking.
• You can reduce time in meetings spent arguing towards constructive dialogue.
• You can better balance thinking, particularly in a group (for example, creativity with negativity or emotional perspective with facts.)

What are the Six Thinking Hats?

Edward De Bono’s book, Six Thinking Hats , presents a unique framework for organizing and improving thinking that I find really interesting.

The Six Thinking Hats is a thinking tool that encourages individuals or groups to think about a problem or situation from different perspectives. Each “thinking hat” represents a different type of thinking that can be used to approach a problem.

By using these different thinking hats, individuals or groups can systematically explore a problem or situation from multiple angles, which can lead to better understanding and more creative solutions.

The Six Thinking Hats and How To Use Them

Here are the Six Thinking Hats according to Edward de Bono:

• White Hat : Focuses on facts, data, and information.
• Red Hat : Focuses on emotions, feelings, and intuition.
• Black Hat : Focuses on potential risks, downsides, or problems.
• Yellow Hat : Focuses on potential benefits, advantages, or positive aspects.
• Green Hat : Focuses on generating new ideas and possibilities.
• Blue Hat : Focuses on the big picture, organization, and control of the thinking process.

Let’s walk through each of the Six Thinking Hats:

1. White Hat – the facts and figures

This hat is all about data and facts. When wearing the white hat, you are focused on gathering information and analyzing it objectively. This is a very rational, logical mode of thinking that avoids emotions or opinions.

Use : Explore the evidence, information, and data related to the problem.

2. Red Hat – the emotional view

When wearing the red hat, you are thinking about your emotions and feelings. You might share your gut instincts or intuition, or express your likes and dislikes. This is a highly subjective mode of thinking that allows for personal perspectives.

Use : What is everyone’s gut telling them?

3. Black Hat – the “devil’s advocate”

Black Hat: This hat is all about critical thinking and judgment. When wearing the black hat, you are focused on identifying potential problems or pitfalls. You might explore what could go wrong, what might not work, and what the negative consequences could be.

Use : Take a moment to examine the assumptions you are making, assess the risks you are facing, and consider the potential consequences if you act solely on your instincts.

4 Yellow Hat – the positive side

The yellow hat is the opposite of the black hat. When wearing the yellow hat, you are focused on identifying the positive aspects of a situation. You might explore the benefits, the opportunities, and the potential solutions to a problem.

Use : Think about the potential positive outcomes. What opportunities or benefits could arise from the proposed course or courses of action?

5. Green Hat – the creative side

The green hat is the creative thinking hat. When wearing the green hat, you are focused on generating new ideas and possibilities. You might explore innovative solutions, brainstorm new approaches, or explore what’s possible.

Use : What are some creative alternatives you haven’t explored yet? Is there something important you might be overlooking?

6. Blue Hat – the organizing view

The blue hat is the thinking about thinking hat. When wearing the blue hat, you are focused on the thinking process itself. You might explore what questions to ask, what direction to take, and how to organize the thinking process.

Use : Bring it all together. Combine the different perspectives and ideas to reach a collective decision or establish a clear plan of action for next steps.

No Training? No Problem…Just Use Questions

I kept running into meetings that needed the Six Thinking Hats, but my colleagues were not trained in the Six Thinking Hats.

So, what did I do? (Aside from recommending they read de Bono’s books and take the training)

I realized that all I had to do was list out questions and get the team to agree we would walk through the questions together.

Here’s an example set of questions you can use to represent the hats:

• White Hat – What evidence do we have? What are the facts and figures? What information do we need?
• Red Hat – What’s your gut reaction?  How do you feel about this?  What emotions does this bring out?
• Black Hat – What are potential risks?  What are potential challenges? Why can’t we do this? 
• Yellow Hat – What does success look like? What are potential benefits? How can we do this?
• Green Hat – How can we think about this differently? What are alternative ideas?  What experiments could we do? 
• Blue Hat – What’s the outcome ? What have we achieved so far?  How should we proceed?

The sequence of the questions can matter.  For example, it wouldn’t make sense to start thinking up solutions before you’ve focused on the problem.

Switch Hats to Switch Your Thinking

The metaphor of the hat makes it easy to switch modes of thinking and approach problems from different angles .

The primary goal of the Six Thinking Hats technique is to turn negative and destructive arguments into constructive and productive thinking.

By assigning people different imaginary hats, depending on what type of thinking is needed for the moment, you can encourage everyone to approach problems from multiple perspectives .

I’ve found that using the Six Thinking Hats technique can be incredibly helpful, both in my personal life and at work. It’s an effective way to avoid groupthink and increase collaboration, and it can help you see problems in a new light .

Plus, it’s a fun and engaging way to improve your thinking skills.

Explore Multiple Perspectives with Skill

In my experience, limited perspectives leads to unruly arguments , false victories and mental models in the sand.

Normally, when we look at a problem, we might get stuck looking at the negative side, or the positive side.  Or, we might look at it in terms of just the facts and ignore how we feel about it.

The amazing insight that de Bono has is that we can all think better if we learn to explore multiple perspectives .

Anyone can do this.

With Six Thinking Hats, you explore six different views of a problem, by putting on an imaginary hat for each perspective .

This technique can help you as an individual to explore a problem more robustly and to get unstuck from your thinking.

And it’s a powerful technique for teams to help everybody on the team look at different angles of the problem.

The imaginary hats also help people step out of their comfort zone and explore alternative or even competing views .

And it’s a powerful thing, when everybody wears the same hat at the same time , so everybody is helping each other see the positive, see the negative, see the facts, etc.

Six Thinking Hats Technique is a Powerful Tool for Inclusive and Collaborative Decision-Making

Unlocking the full potential of your team’s problem-solving capabilities means harnessing the power of cognitive and neurodiversity.

That’s where the Six Thinking Hats technique comes in.

It’s a structured and inclusive approach to decision-making ensures that every member of the team can contribute, no matter their thinking style or cognitive ability .

The Six Thinking Hats technique involves six different hats that represent various modes of thinking, including analytical, creative , and emotional .

By cycling through all six hats, individuals can consider the problem from multiple perspectives, leading to more complete and innovative solutions .

This approach is particularly beneficial for individuals with neurodivergent conditions , including autism, ADHD, or dyslexia, who may have unique insights to offer but may struggle to engage in traditional brainstorming or problem-solving settings.

By wearing different hats and considering the problem from various viewpoints, the Six Thinking Hats technique also helps to reduce the impact of biases and stereotypes that may be present in a group setting, allowing individuals to approach the problem with an open mind.

The Six Thinking Hats technique is a powerful tool for inclusive and collaborative decision-making, empowering all team members to contribute their best ideas and reach the best outcome , regardless of their cognitive profile.

The Key to Effective Problem Solving: Embracing All Six Thinking Hats

Everyone has the ability to think in all six ways of the Six Thinking Hats technique, but we tend to be more comfortable wearing one or two of them.

De Bono did recommend two key things to improve thinking and make better decisions:

• To ensure that all angles are considered, it’s important to invite people into the discussion who represent a cross-section of these instinctive ways of thinking .
• In addition, it’s critical to structure your discussion in a way that ALL participants collectively consider the problem wearing all six “hats.”

I’ve found that pplying the Six Thinking Hats technique in business and project management has proven to be an effective way to make better decisions.

It leads to more productive meetings , stronger project teams , and an overall sounder approach to decision-making .

3 Ideas to Keep in Mind When Using the Six Thinking Hats

If you’re new to the Six Thinking Hats technique, here are three key ideas to keep in mind:

• Focus on thinking your way forward, rather than judging your way forward. This means avoiding the urge to criticize or dismiss ideas, and instead focusing on generating creative alternatives.
• Use parallel thinking instead of argument, adversarial, and confrontational approaches. This means that everyone in the discussion wears the same “hat” and thinks in the same direction at the same time.
• Concentrate on setting the direction for thinking, rather than just describing the perspective of your thinking. This helps ensure that the conversation stays on track and moves towards a collective decision or clear next steps.

The Six Thinking Hats: Your Key to Better Thinking and Collaboration

The Six Thinking Hats technique provides a practical and effective framework for improving decision-making and problem-solving.

By providing a structured approach to thinking and encouraging a diversity of perspectives, this technique can help teams and individuals avoid blind spots and overcome mental blocks .

Through the use of the six hats, individuals are encouraged to consider various angles, identify assumptions, evaluate risks and opportunities, and ultimately arrive at a more thoughtful and informed decision .

This approach can lead to greater creativity , better collaboration, and more effective outcomes.

While the Six Thinking Hats technique may take some time and effort to implement, the benefits are clear.

Beyond my own experiences and success, the Six Thinking Hats technique has been used successfully in various fields , from business and project management to education and healthcare.

By recognizing and addressing our natural cognitive biases and limitations, and by fostering a culture of constructive and collaborative thinking , we can better navigate complex problems and challenges. The Six Thinking Hats technique provides a valuable tool for achieving this goal, and I encourage everyone to try it out and see the benefits for themselves.

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If you’re looking to improve your own thinking or enhance the productivity of your team, give the Six Thinking Hats Technique a try and unlock the full potential of your collective intellect:

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Project Management

The six thinking hats and how to use them, the persimmon group.

• December 10, 2020

How Do You Make Decisions?

What is your natural approach to decision-making? Do you have an instinctive “feel” for what should be done? Or do you take ample time to analyze data and understand the problem before making a move?

Evidence shows that the best decisions are made when we have mechanisms in place to counteract our natural blind spots—which may mean learning to think in ways that may feel uncomfortable or unnatural.

This is the premise of one of our favorite books on group decision making— The Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono. In easy, approachable language, de Bono walks us through six thinking processes or “hats.”

All of us are capable of thinking in all six ways, but most of us have one or two hats that we are most comfortable wearing. De Bono recommends that whenever we need to make an important decision, we do two critical things:

• Invite people into the discussion who represent a cross-section of these instinctive ways of thinking
• Structure your discussion so that ALL participants collectively consider the problem wearing all six “hats.”

We’ve found that in business and project management, understanding and implementing the concept of six thinking hats has led to more effective meetings, stronger project teams, and an overall sounder approach to making decisions.

The Six Thinking Hats And How To Use Them

The Thinking Hats can be used in a number of ways. First, leaders and meeting facilitators can think about which type of thinkers should be involved based on the type of meeting, problem, or situation at hand.

Second, leaders can use the framework to help their team fully think through a complex problem.

A person that is a green hat thinker is strong at generating new and innovative ideas.  This person is valuable in a situation when creative solutions to a problem need to be developed but can sometimes have a difficult time zeroing in on a path forward.

Use – Think about creative alternatives you haven’t considered yet. What are you missing?

A red hat thinker strongly integrates emotion into their thinking process.  This person will make decisions primarily with his/her gut reaction or intuition.  They also tend to be keenly aware how others may react emotionally to a decision.  On the other hand, they can struggle to see a problem logically.

Use – Check in on what everyone’s instincts are telling them.

A blue hat thinker is a process-driven individual.  This person typically makes a great meeting facilitator or project manager because they keep the team on track.  A blue hat thinker is usually the one that decides which types of thinking hats are needed at a specific time and directs people to wear a certain hat.  Blue hat thinkers are action-oriented, so they may have a hard time slowing down to engage their other thinking processes.

Use – Wrap-up. Synthesize the viewpoints into a collective decision or clear “next steps.”

A black hat thinker is someone that looks at things with a critical eye.  This individual is very strong at identifying risks that may occur.  It is always a good idea to have a black hat thinker involved in the planning process of a project because they will help make the plan stronger by identifying potential pitfalls. At the same time, black hat thinkers can be reluctant to take necessary risks.

Use – Consider what assumptions you’re making, the risks you’re facing, and what could go wrong if you pursue your instinctual response.

Yellow Hat:

A yellow hat thinker is someone that sees the positive or the benefits of a decision.  A yellow hat thinker also helps keep the team’s spirits up during stressful times.  It may sound strange, but a yellow hat thinker and a black hat thinker can make a very powerful pair when it comes to problem solving or developing a project plan.  I typically find myself fulfilling the yellow hat thinker role and have discovered that when I work with a black hat thinker we come up with well-rounded solutions to problems.

Use – Consider the upside. What opportunities or benefits could arise from your proposed course or courses of action?

A white hat thinker is someone that analyzes data that is available to them and uses that as a key input in their decision-making process.  A white hat thinker works well with the green hat thinkers.  For example, when a green hat thinker comes up with new ideas or solutions, the white hat thinker can find the data which may support the solutions.  White hat thinkers can become stronger by getting in touch with their red opposite or being willing to accept intuition and emotion into their decision-making.

Use – Examine the data related to the problem.

Interested in implementing this with your team? Download this “cheat sheet” and pass out to your team to guide discussion! For more insights and tools, check out www.thepersimmongroup.com/insightsandtools .

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• Guide: Six Thinking Hats

Daniel Croft

Daniel Croft is an experienced continuous improvement manager with a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and a Bachelor's degree in Business Management. With more than ten years of experience applying his skills across various industries, Daniel specializes in optimizing processes and improving efficiency. His approach combines practical experience with a deep understanding of business fundamentals to drive meaningful change.

• Last Updated: January 21, 2024
• Learn Lean Sigma

The Six Thinking Hats method, conceptualized by Edward de Bono, offers a framework for enhancing decision-making and problem-solving in both individual and group settings. By adopting six distinct thinking modes, symbolized by colored hats, this method encourages a multifaceted examination of issues.

It not only enables comprehensive understanding by embracing diverse perspectives—emotional, cautious, creative, and more—but also helps streamline communication and reduce conflict in group discussions. This innovative approach, pivoting away from traditional argumentative methods, simplifies complex thought processes and encourages a balanced viewpoint, making it a versatile tool in various contexts like business strategies, educational discussions, and personal decision-making.

Table of Contents

What are the six thinking hats.

The Six Thinking Hats method, created by Edward de Bono, is a revolutionary approach designed to enhance thinking and decision-making in both group and individual contexts. This method is based on the premise that by considering problems from various angles, one can uncover more innovative and effective solutions than through conventional thinking approaches. The core concept involves metaphorically donning and removing different colored hats, each symbolizing a specific mode of thinking. This symbolic action serves as a cue to adopt a particular perspective, thereby structuring the thought process in a way that is both systematic and imaginative.

The Six Thinking Hats approach offers several benefits:

• Encourages Full-Spectrum Thinking : By systematically exploring different perspectives (emotional, cautious, creative, etc.), it ensures a more comprehensive understanding of the problem at hand.
• Facilitates Communication : In group settings, it helps in structuring discussions, ensuring that all viewpoints are considered without devolving into chaotic arguments.
• Reduces Conflict : By externalizing the thinking process (attributing it to the ‘hat’), it helps reduce personal tensions – opinions are seen as contributions to the process rather than personal positions.
• Enhances Decision-Making : By forcing individuals or groups to shift perspectives, it leads to more balanced and thorough decision-making.

The Concept and Purpose of Six Thinking Hats

The underlying concept of the Six Thinking Hats is that the human brain is capable of different modes of thinking, each with its unique strengths and weaknesses. Edward de Bono posited that we could become more effective thinkers by consciously adopting these different modes as needed. This idea counters the traditional argumentative approach to problem-solving, where different viewpoints often lead to conflict rather than constructive solutions.

The primary purposes of the Six Thinking Hats method are:

• Simplification of Thought : By breaking down thinking into six clear functions, the method makes it easier for individuals and groups to tackle complex problems without getting overwhelmed.
• Focused Thinking : It allows people to concentrate on one aspect of a problem at a time, reducing confusion and helping in deeper exploration of each aspect.
• Switching Perspectives : The method facilitates easy transition between different types of thinking, encouraging flexibility and adaptability in thought processes.
• Balanced Viewpoint : It ensures that all sides of a problem are considered, leading to more robust and well-rounded solutions.

In practice, the Six Thinking Hats method is highly adaptable and can be applied in various contexts, including business strategy sessions, educational discussions, creative workshops, and personal decision-making. It’s particularly useful in situations where diverse perspectives are essential, or where there’s a risk of getting stuck in a one-dimensional thought process. By fostering a culture of collaborative and multi-dimensional thinking, the Six Thinking Hats method stands as a powerful tool for enhancing creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making in a wide array of settings.

The Six Hats and Their Meanings

Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats method uses different colored hats as metaphors for specific thinking modes. Each hat represents a distinct approach to understanding and solving problems, and they are designed to focus thinking in one direction at a time. Here’s a detailed look at each hat and its intended purpose:

The White Hat: Information and Data

• Function : When wearing the White Hat, thinkers concentrate exclusively on available data and information. They look at what is known, identify missing information, analyze past trends, and see what can be learned from the facts at hand.
• Application : It’s particularly useful in the initial stages of decision-making and problem-solving, where gathering and analyzing data is crucial.

The Red Hat: Feelings and Intuition

• Function : It allows a person to put forward feelings, hunches, and intuitions without any need to justify them. Under this hat, emotional responses are given validity, even if they don’t seem logical.
• Application : This hat is essential for understanding the emotional responses to a particular issue, which might be overlooked in purely logical analysis.

The Black Hat: Caution and Judgement

• Function : It’s used for identifying potential negative outcomes, examining why an idea or approach might not work, and assessing risks. This hat encourages critical evaluation, looking for problems and inconsistencies.
• Application : The Black Hat is valuable for preventing mistakes and making more robust plans by foreseeing challenges.

The Yellow Hat: Optimism and Benefits

• Function : While wearing the Yellow Hat, the focus is on the positives. It drives people to identify values, benefits, and the feasibility of ideas. It’s about exploring opportunities and looking for what can work.
• Application : This hat is essential for motivating and maintaining a sense of hope, especially when challenges arise.

The Green Hat: Creativity and Alternatives

• Function : This hat encourages thinking outside the box, brainstorming new ideas, and exploring alternatives. It’s about lateral thinking, where the usual ways of thinking are challenged.
• Application : The Green Hat is crucial for innovation, developing new concepts, and finding solutions that are not immediately obvious.

The Blue Hat: Control and Organization

• Function : The Blue Hat is about managing the thinking process. It sets the agenda for thinking, organizes the use of the other hats, and ensures that guidelines are followed. It’s also used for summarizing and drawing conclusions.
• Application : This hat plays a crucial role in ensuring that the thinking process remains focused and productive, and that all other hats are utilized effectively.

Each of these hats serves a unique function, encouraging individuals or groups to switch their way of thinking according to the need of the moment. By compartmentalizing thinking modes, the Six Thinking Hats method facilitates a more organized, thorough, and versatile approach to problem-solving and decision-making.

Implementing the Technique

Individual use.

Process : When applied individually, the Six Thinking Hats method serves as a framework for thinking more effectively and making well-rounded decisions. The individual consciously switches between the different hats, focusing on one aspect of thinking at a time. This process can be sequential or based on the specific needs of the problem at hand.

Benefits : This methodological switching of hats prevents the common problem of cognitive overload, where multiple lines of thought lead to confusion. It helps in organizing thoughts and considering the problem from various angles. For example, an individual might start with the White Hat to gather information, then switch to the Green Hat for creative solutions, followed by the Black Hat for critical analysis of those solutions.

Application : This technique can be particularly useful for personal decision-making, planning, or problem-solving in situations where an individual is working independently, such as in a professional or academic setting.

Synchronized Thinking : In a group setting, the Six Thinking Hats method can synchronize the thinking process among team members. By having everyone ‘wear’ the same hat at the same time, the group can collectively focus on one aspect of the issue – be it gathering information (White Hat), exploring creative solutions (Green Hat), or identifying potential risks (Black Hat).

Diverse Perspectives : Alternatively, group members can wear different hats to ensure that a range of perspectives is considered simultaneously. This can lead to a more dynamic and comprehensive exploration of the issue.

Conflict Reduction : A significant advantage of this method in group dynamics is its ability to reduce confrontations. Since the focus is on the ‘hat’ rather than the individual, it depersonalizes criticism and opinion sharing. This approach helps in creating an environment where ideas are scrutinized without offending the contributors.

Structured Discussions : The Six Thinking Hats technique provides a clear structure for discussions, making meetings more focused and productive. It can prevent the common pitfalls of group discussions, such as digression or domination by a single perspective.

In conclusion, the Six Thinking Hats method is a dynamic and structured approach to thinking that brings clarity and creativity to decision-making and problem-solving. Each hat, from the data-driven White Hat to the process-focused Blue Hat, plays a unique role in guiding individuals and groups through different thinking styles. The method’s versatility allows for its application in diverse scenarios, ensuring that all aspects of a problem are considered.

By compartmentalizing thought processes, it not only streamlines individual thinking but also enhances group dynamics, fostering a collaborative environment where ideas are examined critically yet constructively. Ultimately, the Six Thinking Hats stand as a testament to the power of structured, multifaceted thinking in navigating complex challenges in various situations.

Q: What is the Six Thinking Hats method?

A: The Six Thinking Hats method is a thinking and problem-solving technique developed by Edward de Bono. It involves using six distinct types of thinking, represented by different colored hats, to explore and analyze issues from multiple perspectives. Each hat—White, Red, Black, Yellow, Green, and Blue—symbolizes a specific mode of thinking, such as factual, emotional, critical, optimistic, creative, and organizational thinking, respectively.

Q: How does the Six Thinking Hats method improve decision-making?

A: The method enhances decision-making by encouraging individuals or groups to look at a problem from different viewpoints. This leads to a more comprehensive understanding of the issue, as it includes factual analysis (White Hat), emotional response (Red Hat), critical assessment (Black Hat), optimistic reasoning (Yellow Hat), creative exploration (Green Hat), and structured process management (Blue Hat). By systematically exploring these perspectives, decisions are more well-rounded and considered.

Q: Can the Six Thinking Hats be used in group discussions, and if so, how?

A: Yes, the Six Thinking Hats is particularly effective in group settings. It can be used by having all members ‘wear’ the same hat simultaneously to focus on one aspect of thinking, or by assigning different hats to different members to ensure a variety of perspectives. This method helps structure discussions, reduces conflict, and encourages collaborative problem-solving.

Q: Is the Six Thinking Hats method suitable for individual use?

A: Absolutely. Individuals can use the Six Thinking Hats method for personal decision-making and problem-solving. By consciously switching between the hats, individuals can explore various aspects of a problem one at a time, leading to clearer and more effective thinking. It’s especially useful for organizing thoughts and considering all facets of a complex issue.

Q: Are there any specific scenarios or environments where the Six Thinking Hats method is particularly effective?

A: The Six Thinking Hats method is versatile and can be effective in various scenarios, including business strategy sessions, educational discussions, creative workshops, conflict resolution, and personal decision-making. It’s particularly useful in situations requiring comprehensive analysis, innovative thinking, or collaborative problem-solving. The method has been widely adopted in corporate, educational, and personal settings for its effectiveness in enhancing the quality of thinking and decision-making.

Daniel Croft is a seasoned continuous improvement manager with a Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. With over 10 years of real-world application experience across diverse sectors, Daniel has a passion for optimizing processes and fostering a culture of efficiency. He's not just a practitioner but also an avid learner, constantly seeking to expand his knowledge. Outside of his professional life, Daniel has a keen Investing, statistics and knowledge-sharing, which led him to create the website learnleansigma.com, a platform dedicated to Lean Six Sigma and process improvement insights.

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Six Thinking Hats Technique explained

Six Thinking Hats technique: this article explains the Six Thinking Hats technique , developed by Edward de Bono in a practical way. This article contains the meaning of the Six Thinking Hats technique and a practical explanation of all six thinking hats, including examples. You will also learn about different related concepts, such as parallel thinking . The article also contains advantages and disadvantages of this method to extract maximum value and to avoid pitfalls. Enjoy reading!

What are the Six Thinking Hats?

Six Thinking Hats technique or dr Edward de Bono ’s Six Hats is a good decision making technique and method for group discussions and individual thinking.

Combined with the parallel thinking process , this technique helps groups think more effectively. It is a means to organize thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive manner.

Edward de Bono is the founding father of this six thinking hats technique and wrote a book about this called the Six Thinking Hats in 1985.

Six Thinking Hats Technique: meaning of thinking hat

A thinking hat is a metaphor for a certain way of thinking. By mentally wearing different thinking hats people are forced to look at a problem from different perspectives. Thus a one-sided way of thinking is excluded and new insights are created.

He distinguishes six different frames of mind in which the brain can become sensitive. Each of these frames of mind can be found in the brain and create conscious thoughts for certain aspects of the issues that are being discussed, (e.g. gut feeling, pessimistic views, neutral facts).

Brainstorming

Brainstorming is one of the most effective and widely used methods to kick-start innovation. Brainstorming sessions can be organised anywhere, from the office workspace to the laboratory.

However, the sessions are not always equally effective. This is usually due to a lack of leadership or because of conflicts. Edward de Bono, a pioneer in creative thinking , has developed six thinking hats to eliminate most of these disadvantages.

The technique enables the user to think in six different directions. By only wearing one hat at a time, a synergy can be created between the people participating in the brainstorming session. And on top of that, brainstorming and lateral thinking also stimulate creativity and expand the scope of solution-based thinking.

Types of six thinking hats technique

The six different frames of mind (six thinking hats) are identified in the shape of a hat and each of the hats is a different colour:

Information: consider only information that is available, what are the facts? The white hat pushes all available information and data to be considered forward. This includes information both from within and outside the scope of the discussion or brainstorming session. This delays the assessment of this data.

It is important to be clear and specific when it comes to data so that any ambiguity can be prevented. The general goal is to better understand the concept or subject that is up for discussion, which is easier when the data is being managed in a neutral way.

Emotions: intuitive reactions or gut reactions, or expressions of feelings (but no justification required). The red hat is the emotions hat. Whenever this hat is worn, the emotional thinking process is targeted.

Emotions can be both positive and negative. Examples of positive emotions include joy, happiness, admiration, enthusiasm and expectation.

Negative emotions include, for example, disappointment, jealousy, cynicism or anger. More neutral emotions would be curiosity and intuition. The objective behind wearing the red hat is to address the credibility of the emotions that play a part in a certain discussion.

Judgement: logic applied to identification of mistakes or  barriers, looking for a mismatch. The black hat is the hat of caution. This also includes critical evaluations.

All shortcomings of the concept that is up for discussion are noted. The scope of the problem is maximised, through which the ‘worst case scenario’ can be found. The moment this hat is worn, the participant is required to play devil’s advocate.

Positive view: logic applied to the identification of opportunities, looking for harmony. The yellow hat is the hat of positivity. The wearer of this hat is required to bring forward as many positive aspects related to the subject as possible. It is vital that, whilst wearing this hat, positivity is encouraged at all times.

The point of view of this hat is on how something works, not on how it doesn’t work. All positive aspects that come up will be jotted down. This hat focuses to understand all benefits and positive points of the various ideas.

Creativity: statements of provocation and investigation, hearing what an idea is about. The green hat is the hat of ideas.

Feasibility and judgment are temporarily set aside when this hat is worn, ensuring participants are free to generate as many ideas in the scope as possible. New ideas inspire you to think of even more new ideas. In this situation, everything is adapted to ‘out of the box’ thinking. The objective of this hat is to generate as many new ideas as possible.

Thinking: thinking about thinking. The blue hat is about the flow of the brainstorming session or discussion itself.

Thinking about thinking is also referred to as metacognition . The agenda and timeline are also part of this. How long do the sessions take? When do you need to wear a particular hat, and for how long? The group’s controller should wear the blue hat for as long as the session takes.

Extra information

The coloured hats are used as metaphors for the various states of mind. Switching to a certain type of thinking is symbolized by wearing a coloured hat, literally or metaphorically.

These six thinking hats metaphors provide a more complete and comprehensive segregation of the types of thinking than the prejudices that are inherent to the immediate thoughts of people. All these thinking hats help people to think more deeply about a certain topic.

Parallel thinking

In ordinary and unstructured thinking, this method seems unfocused. The thinker moves from critical thinking to neutrality, to optimism, etcetera, without structure or strategy. The process of the six thinking hats introduces the process of parallel thinking .

Many people are used to ordinary thinking and they unconsciously navigate on their own habits. Sometimes these are effective and sometimes they are not. What is certain is that when people think in a group using their individual thoughts, they often fail to come to an agreement. As a consequence, there are no discussions.

The power of the ego and the identified preference for black hat thinking can lead to disastrous meetings. Even with courtesy and good manners and clear common objectives in cooperative thinking activities , people have a natural tendency for the so-called “spaghetti-thinking” in which one person is thinking about the advantages whereas another is considering the facts and so on.

Edward de Bono ’s six thinking hats prevent this, so that everybody shares each other’s opinions about the problems, advantages, facts, reducing distraction and supporting thought cross pollination.

This will be accomplished because everyone will put on a hat together, for instance the white hat. After the attendants have expressed their thoughts in a round of discussion, they will put on the next hat.

In this way all the attendants will think in the same way at the same time. The only exception is the facilitator, who will tend to keep the blue hat to ensure that the discussion will progress effectively.

Six Thinking Hats technique: the strategies and programmes

After the six types of thinking have been identified, different programmes can be created. These are sequences of hats that structure the thinking process towards a clear goal.

A number of these goals have been included in the materials that support the franchise training of the six thinking hats method, however, it is often necessary to adapt these for individual purposes.

Sequences always begin and end with a blue hat, the group agrees on how they will think together, then they do the thinking and finally they evaluate the outcomes of the thinking process and what to do next. Sequences (and indeed hats) may also be used by individuals who work alone or in groups.

The following division can be made:

• Initial Ideas – Blue, White, Green
• Choosing between alternatives – Blue, White, Green, Yellow, Black, Red
• Identification of solutions – Blue, White, Black, Green
• Fast Feedback – Blue, Black, Green, White
• Strategic planning – Blue, Yellow, Black, White
• Process improvement – Blue, White, Yellow, Black, Green, Red
• Problem-solving – Blue, White, Green, Red, Yellow, Black
• Performance assessment – Blue, Red, White, Yellow, Black, Green

Examples of the Six Thinking Hats technique

The human, natural way of speaking and interacting is often a combination of different thinking hats, as is established by Edward De Bono .

For example, someone might say: this idea ties in with our strategy and could strengthen our market position but I don’t know if the cost is acceptable or if our customers will love the idea. This sentence flows from a white hat (in line with the strategy), to a yellow hat (improving the market position), to a red hat (customers may not like it).

The Six Thinking Hats method helps managers and others to analyse different statements and judge them separately.

Below are some examples of phrases that fall under each of the thinking hats.

• ‘We will talk about this problem for one hour’
• ‘Besides the other, what are the benefits of this plan?’
• ‘Let’s put our emotions to the side for a moment: we will take action when it’s time for the red hat’
• ‘What will the costs be to produce one unit of the product?’
• ‘Over the past year, the turnover has increased by 10%’
• ‘It is estimated there are 80 million people in the United States between the age of eighteen and thirty-five’
• ‘Instead of opening the factory in China, we could also upgrade the one in New York’
• ‘This is a difficult matter. Let’s get together with the team and organise a brainstorming session’
• ‘Are there any other options we have not yet considered?’
• ‘Can we save on products and energy in order to cut costs?’
• ‘Our sales team has many years of experience in selling programs’
• ‘Tapping into a new market offers room to expand’
• ‘Finishing this project next week makes me happy’
• ‘The results from this research make me angry!’
• ‘Research shows our customers are afraid of a change in recipe’
• ‘With the current capacity we can never expand that quickly’
• ‘I am almost certain that would be illegal’
• ‘This idea has many advantages. What problems does it involve?’

Advantages and disadvantages of the Six Thinking Hats technique

The use and application of the Bono Six Thinking Hats technique of has several advantages and disadvantages. These are listed below.

Advantages and benefits of the Six Thinking Hats technique

• The Six Thinking Hats method is a properly defined method
• It stimulates parallel thinking
• The Bono method provides structure to a brainstorming session or meeting
• The Six Thinking Hats method motivates a clear thought process
• The method inspires creative and effective thinking
• The Six Thinking Hats method provides a variety of possible solutions to a problem
• The method stimulates team engagement and performance

Disadvantages of the Six Thinking Hats technique

• Applying the method in a team is time-consuming
• In using the method, people can still disagree strongly and there can even be conflicts about different perspectives

It’s Your Turn

What do you think? What is your experience with the Six Thinking Hats technique by Edward De Bono? Do you use the six hats to discuss issues from a variety of perspectives? Do you recognize the practical explanation or do you have more suggestions? What are your success factors for good decision making?

Share your experience and knowledge in the comments box below.

More information

• Silverstein, D., Samuel, P., & Decarlo, N. (2009). The Innovator’s ToolKit: 50 Techniques for Predictable and Sustainable Organic Growth . Wiley .
• De Bono, E. (1985). Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Management . Little, Brown, and Company.

How to cite this article: Mulder, P. (2016). Six Thinking Hats technique . Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/decision-making/six-thinking-hats-de-bono/

Original publication date: 03/14/2026 | Last update: 04/08/2024

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Patty Mulder

Patty Mulder is an Dutch expert on Management Skills, Personal Effectiveness and Business Communication. She is also a Content writer, Business Coach and Company Trainer and lives in the Netherlands (Europe). Note: all her articles are written in Dutch and we translated her articles to English!

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2 responses to “six thinking hats technique explained”.

The only limitation I perceive with 6 thinking hats, and I am novice with its use, is that all parties must be trained in the model for it to work. This is fine if all parties are from the same organisation, but if from different organisations, they might not be exposed to six thinking hats and probably aren’t. Have I misunderstood the model with my belief?

Thank you for your comment and question, Tim.

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Six Thinking Hats: Techniques and Examples

“Put on your thinking hat” is something we’ve heard quite a few times. Making a decision is a straightforward yet…

“Put on your thinking hat” is something we’ve heard quite a few times. Making a decision is a straightforward yet very complex task. Sometimes it’s easy to make a quick decision, while many situations require deep thought to arrive at a sound decision. Effective decision-making can be achieved with the help of six thinking hats.

Who Came Up with The Six Thinking Hats?

What are the six thinking hats, six thinking hats – questions to ask, benefits of the six thinking hats technique, how the six thinking hats work together, examples of six thinking hats.

Dr Edward de Bono pioneered the six thinking hats technique. His book showcasing the method was first published in 1985 and has been revised many times. The book was inspired by the confusion and disagreements that often occur when creative thinking occurs in a group.

Six thinking hats is a simple and effective parallel thinking process. It enables individuals to be more focused and productive. These hats are extremely powerful and can be used effectively as soon as they are learned.

Think of the six hats as six different perspectives. Each hat color represents a type of perspective. Applying this method of thinking involves using a different hat at various points in a discussion to make the best decision. Think of the hats as a milestone. At each juncture, one thinks of an aspect of the issue and nothing more. By doing so, the discussion flows effectively.

The focus of this hat is on the facts. The data at hand and its analysis are the prime focus. The idea behind this hat is to take a rational approach.

Brightness and optimism are the focus of this hat. While using this hat, the situation is probed to see what positive outcomes and value can come from it.

The Green Hat emphasizes originality, including options, choices, and fresh concepts. It’s a chance for everyone involved to communicate new ideas and viewpoints.

This hat is about caution. It’s sometimes known as the risk management hat and may be the most potent hat. It identifies challenges where things might go wrong and why something might not work. It’s fundamentally a tool for taking action to highlight risks and resolve them. However, it can be problematic if overused.

The hat is used to control the process. It’s used to direct the flow of the discussion and ensure its progress in case those involved get stuck during the conversation.

This hat is all about emotions. How you feel about the subject of the discussion can be brought up using this hat. How others might react is also a factor. The red hat allows emotions to be a part of an otherwise rational process.

While it’s good to know what these hats are, it’s also essential to understand what type of questions one can ask while donning one.

Benefits of the Six Thinking Hats Technique

Effective use of the six thinking hats leads to a plethora of benefits. They foster the growth of organizations and enable them to tackle any situation head-on in the best way possible. The proper utilization of these hats leads to:

• Having organized, productive and efficient meetings which are highly focused.
• Creating a productive atmosphere for the entire team that minimizes counterproductive behaviors.
• An environment that leads to minimal conflict as everyone’s views and opinions are brought to the table.
• Encouragement of teammates and coworkers to embrace innovation and explore new ideas.
• Improvement of the overall problem-solving effectiveness and efficiency of the team.
• Thorough evaluation of problems.

Overall, the six thinking hats enable a team to go beyond the usual, see things from various perspectives and come to an informed decision or solution.

How the Six Thinking Hats Work Together

Understanding what they are and what one can gain from them is very important. The “what” has been thoroughly discussed. Now let’s look at the “how” and ponder over an ideal scenario in which the six thinking hats work together.

The ideal meeting would start with the blue hat, which decides the flow of the meeting and ensures that everyone sticks to it.

Once the meeting begins, each hat is given a turn, and everyone speaks from the perspective of that hat. If green hat thinking is taking place, the blue hat will ensure that no views from other hats, such as emotions from the red hat, are included.

It’s important to note that the six hats are a tool that can be used to analyze situations and come to unbiased and informed solutions. As such, the hats can be used in any order; sometimes, not all hats need to be used. It depends on what the team is trying to achieve through the discussion.

To fully comprehend the extent to which the hats are an excellent tool for finding a solution, let’s look at a six thinking hats example.

The Hypothetical Problem

A restaurant has a growing number of complaints from their customers who are ordering online. The delivery of their food is taking too long.

A team of ten people must figure out a solution to this problem. As far as everyone is concerned on an individual level, they’re doing nothing wrong.

The Process – Using the Six Thinking Hats

The manager at the restaurant calls the team in for an exercise using the six thinking hats. She introduces the concept to the team and then separates them into groups of five. She creates variety in the groups by mixing everyone, so different thought processes work together.

Each group then takes part in 15-20 mins rounds per hat where they discuss their ideas, put them up on a board and try to see the problem from every possible angle. The rounds are facilitated by the manager, who guides the teams and answers any queries.

Once all the rounds have taken place, and everyone has shared their points of view in the groups, the manager brings everyone together. She then places all the questions and answers on a board in front of everyone after everyone has shared their thoughts and points of view. This allows all team members to fully understand the problem and its potential solutions.

The six thinking hats are an excellent way to include everyone and understand the whole picture. After all the discussions, meetings and analyses, the culmination should be a new way forward. The method should provide all the information one needs to effectively understand and tackle a problem .

Harappa’s Champion Creativity pathway will help you take the next steps you need to approach problems creatively. The pathway will allow you to think bigger, embrace obstacles and challenges, explore uncharted territories and unleash your inner creativity as you encounter new situations every day.