Six Thnking Hats

Six Thinking Hats 1
Six Thinking Hats
The de Bono Hats system (also known as "Six Hats" or "Six Thinking Hats") is a thinking tool for group discussion
and individual thinking. Combined with the idea of parallel thinking which is associated with it, it provides a means
for groups to think together more effectively, and a means to plan thinking processes in a detailed and cohesive way.
The method is attributed to Dr. Edward de Bono and is the subject of his book, Six Thinking Hats[1] .
The paternity of this method is disputed by the School of Thinking.[2]
The method is finding some use in the UK innovation sector, is offered by some facilitation companies and has been
trialled within the UK civil service.[3]
Underlying principles
The premise of the method is that the human brain thinks in a number of distinct ways which can be identified,
deliberately accessed and hence planned for use in a structured way allowing one to develop strategies for thinking
about particular issues. Dr de Bono identifies six distinct states in which the brain can be "sensitised". In each of
these states the brain will identify and bring into conscious thought certain aspects of issues being considered (e.g.
gut instinct, pessimistic judgment, neutral facts).
A compelling example presented is sensitivity to "mismatch" stimuli. This is presented as a valuable survival
instinct, because, in the natural world, the thing that is out of the ordinary may well be dangerous. This state is
identified as the root of negative judgment and critical thinking.
Six distinct states are identified and assigned a color:
• Information: (White) - considering purely what information is available, what are the facts?
• Emotions (Red) - instinctive gut reaction or statements of emotional feeling (but not any justification)
• Bad points judgment (Black) - logic applied to identifying flaws or barriers, seeking mismatch
• Good points judgment (Yellow) - logic applied to identifying benefits,...