Six Thinking Hats - Structuring Creative Thinking (Parallel Thinking Technique)

Six Thinking Hats" is a way of approaching and investigating an issue, change, or process from various perspectives in a clear, conflict-free way.  This can be done by an individual, by team members each wearing a different hat(s), or by a group ‘wearing the same hat’ in sequential order.  The Six Thinking Hats approach was created by Edward de Bono (1933 - 2021), a Maltese physician, psychologist, author, inventor, philosopher, and broadcaster.  de Bono originated the term 'Lateral Thinking' and wrote 85 books with translations into 46 languages. He taught his thinking methods to government agencies, corporate clients, organizations, and individuals, privately or publicly in group sessions. 

In 1985, Edward de Bono was inspired to write Six Thinking Hats which structures creative thinking to avoid confusion and disagreement, especially in groups.  This technique facilitates a highly organized thinking process; every angle tends to be considered, which helps further weigh information, remove unnecessary details, and promote streamlined decision-making. Six Thinking Hats has been revised several times; this multimillion-copy bestseller teaches you how to run better meetings and make better decisions. 

Six Thinking Hats" is a way of approaching and investigating an issue, change, or process from various perspectives in a clear, conflict-free way.  This can be done by an individual, by team members each wearing a different hat(s), or by a group ‘wearing the same hat’ in sequential order. Significant complex issues can also be set up with six separate teams meeting with representatives from each meeting to assess all perspectives. Significant complex issues can also be set up with six separate teams meeting with representatives from each meeting to evaluate all perspectives.

Blue Hat: "the Conductor's Hat"   (also the Group Moderator)

• focus on controlling your thinking and managing the decision-making process

Green Hat: "The Creative Hat"

• green is grass, vegetation (abundant growth) - green hat indicates creativity, new ideas

Red Hat: "the Hat for the Heart"

• express your feelings; the red hat gives the emotional view

Yellow Hat: "the Optimist's Hat"

• yellow is sunny and cheerful; it looks at issues in the most positive light possible

Black Hat: "the Judge's Hat"

• the black hat is sad and serious; focuses on being cautious and assessing risks

White Hat: "the Factual Hat"

• the white hat is neutral and concerned with objective facts and figures

• Learn how meetings can be transformed to produce quick, decisive results every time. The Six Hats method is a devastatingly simple technique based on the brain's different modes of thinking.
• Inspire idea generation as an ice-breaker activity by having different people play different roles.
• Get past stopping points and guide your team beyond their instinctive positions.
• Explore multiple ways of viewing problems (from different perspectives) in conflict-free ways (parallel thinking).
• Avoid arguing your case or making snap decisions about what's "right" or "wrong."
• Besides improving the quality of your decisions, the Six Thinking Hats technique has more benefits to offer:  more organized thinking, improved creativity, better thinking skills, more vital interpersonal skills, and greater inclusivity in teams.
• Help people set aside preconceptions and focus on seeing things from the same perspective for a while. The debate will happen, but it will be based on shared understandings which can help everyone to feel included.
• Meetings can be transformed to produce quick, decisive results. When traditional solutions are unlikely to get the desired effect, this technique will help form original answers to difficult questions.  
• The intelligence, experience, and information of everyone is harnessed to reach the right conclusions quickly. These principles fundamentally change the way you work and interact.
• The Six Hats method is a devastatingly simple technique based on the brain's different modes of thinking.
• When traditional solutions are unlikely to get the desired result, this technique will help form original answers to difficult questions.  
• The intelligence, experience, and information of everyone are harnessed to reach the right conclusions quickly. These principles fundamentally change the way you work and interact.
• The Six Hats method is a devastatingly simple technique based on the brain's different modes of thinking.

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Ken Zabel began his career in quality management working for global product certification agencies.  After working for NSF International for ten years, he managed certification programs at ETL Semko (Intertek) and CSA International (Canadian Standards Association). Ken has trained certification engineers and auditors across North America, Europe, and Asia.   He currently works with major medical device manufacturers to document compliance with European RoHS Directives.  He has worked with problem-solving teams (and CAPA) from the perspective of a quality representative at automotive and medical device suppliers, as a management customer service representative working with customers, and as an internal and third-party auditor to verify CAPA effectiveness.