The 6 thinking hats according to de Bono: an innovative coaching method
10. Jul 2024
Our coaches use a variety of methods for their work and workshops. One of these is The Thinking Hats by psychologist and creativity expert Edward de Bono, which are designed to promote creative thinking in groups and individuals. One of the method's strengths is the variety of perspectives it offers, allowing problems to be viewed from a wide range of angles. When working with teams, it is a very good support for developing new ideas and improving decision-making processes.
Lesezeit: 10min
But first to the basics: how do the thinking hats work?
Basically, the 6 thinking hats are a method for structuring thinking and each of the 6 hats stands for a way of thinking. In application, this means that a previously defined problem or question is gradually considered and discussed from each perspective, i.e. with the help of each hat. Only at the end are the findings from each individual hat round summarised so that the team can develop a well-founded decision or strategy.
What are the 6 thinking hats?
1. the white hat: this is primarily about facts and information. The focus is on data, figures and objective information and the discussion perspective and the corresponding questions are derived from this: What do we know and what do we still need to know?
2. the red hat: according to its colour, the focus here is on emotions and intuition and the aim is to communicate feelings, gut feelings and emotions about the problem or issue.
3. the black hat: the focus is on critical thinking and scrutinising the problem.The aim is to identify risks, weaknesses and negative aspects that could also lead to failure in the future.
4. the yellow hat: here, too, the colour is the programme and optimism is required. What advantages are there, what could help to make it work? Together we look for positive results and opportunities.
5. the green hat: the innovative approach encourages the development of new ideas and alternatives - so what could be done differently to achieve a successful result?
6 The Blue Hat: This perspective is quite pragmatic and focusses on process control. Thought processes, structure and organisation are examined and scrutinised. What is the goal and what next steps will take us there?
Advantages
The advantages of this method can be recognised quite quickly. In addition to the obvious fact of the diversity of perspectives, the process also brings structure to the problem-solving process. The successively used hats organise the thought process and guarantee that no perspective is forgotten. The different focussing of the hats helps to address the different strengths of the team members and at the same time to empathise with perspectives that may be individually rather weak. In the best-case scenario, this opens up new communication channels that have a long-term positive influence on collaboration and dialogue within the team. The clearly separated approaches and targeted changes to these promote the development of new and creative solutions and can minimise misunderstandings and conflicts.
Challenges
One challenge with the method is to consciously keep the participants in their respective thinking hats. People often fall into their usual thought patterns. It is important that the facilitator pays close attention to this and intervenes. It is helpful to make the respective hat visually present, be it virtually on a board or by placing the current hat made of paper in the centre for the group to see.
