The Six Thinking Hats technique, developed by Edward de Bono—recognized as one of the world’s most creative thinkers—is a system focused on fostering creative thinking. De Bono states, “In this era of technology, accessing information is no longer difficult. What matters is how we gather that information and use it to create superior value. Today, the most fundamental assets are cash, competencies, and creativity.” The Six Thinking Hats method explains how we can utilize these assets to create impact. It encourages individuals to think from different perspectives, enabling them to see an issue from multiple angles. Widely used across various sectors and in education today, this technique is a simple and effective group discussion method.
De Bono chose hats to symbolize different types of thinking because they are accessories that can be easily put on and taken off. Hats also often convey social status or lifestyle information. In this technique, hats are associated with specific types of thinking. Each participant wears a “hat” and thinks according to the style it represents. The six hats, in different colors, symbolize the fundamental aspects of thinking. This system aims to help individuals think systematically and make accurate decisions by focusing on emotions, logic, information, hope, and creativity one at a time. It encourages participants to adopt diverse perspectives, enhances empathy, and prevents unnecessary arguments.
The Six Hats
White Hat
Neutral and objective, the White Hat focuses on facts and data. Participants wearing the White Hat analyze the information they have, determine what information they need, and figure out how to obtain it. The goal is to be practical and assess the accuracy of the data. The White Hat thinker strives to be “clear-cut” at all times.
Red Hat
The Red Hat represents emotions, intuition, passions, and excitement. Those wearing the Red Hat reveal subconscious feelings like fear, anger, hatred, or jealousy. Red Hat thinkers say, “These are my feelings about the issue.” This way, the emotional aspect of the thinking process is mapped out, allowing for the influence of emotions to be identified.
Black Hat
The Black Hat symbolizes pessimism, negativity, and critical thinking. Its primary role is to criticize. Black Hat thinkers identify risks and explain why decisions might not work. While highly beneficial for identifying potential dangers and taking precautions, overuse can be problematic. It is an objective analytical tool.
Yellow Hat
The Yellow Hat focuses on optimism, feasibility, and benefits. It identifies advantages and positive outcomes. Wearing the Yellow Hat encourages efforts to determine the value and benefits of a proposal. It is a constructive and productive way of thinking that leads to tangible decisions.
Green Hat
Representing creativity, energy, growth, and new ideas, the Green Hat fosters innovation. Green Hat thinkers propose creative ideas and explore various alternatives. They remove any barriers to their thoughts and use “provocation” to think outside conventional patterns and boost creativity.
Blue Hat
The Blue Hat stands for calmness, maturity, foresight, and systematic thinking. It oversees the thinking process and ensures everything proceeds according to plan. Acting as a final evaluation, it answers questions like “What have we done so far, and what should we do next?” Blue Hat thinkers organize discussion data and lead to the most accurate decision.
Example Use Case: Buying a Car
A person using the Six Thinking Hats technique to decide on purchasing a car might think as follows:
- White Hat: 70,000 km, 1996 model, priced at $25,000.
- Red Hat: I’m excited—I love driving and can’t wait to own a car.
- Black Hat: What if the mileage has been tampered with? It’s an old car; I hope it doesn’t break down often.
- Yellow Hat: I’ll save time, shop more freely, and wake up later in the mornings.
- Green Hat: If I repair it and spend $3,000, I could sell it for a higher price.
- Blue Hat: It’s better not to buy this car.
Purpose and Benefits
The Six Thinking Hats technique aims to focus on and refine the thought process, encourage creativity, enable parallel and lateral thinking, improve communication, accelerate decision-making, and avoid conflicts. It fosters individuals’ ability to see various perspectives, think multidimensionally, analyze situations, and make informed decisions.
Conclusion
By using the Six Thinking Hats, people can develop the skills to analyze situations from multiple perspectives, leading to better decision-making.