I’m stuck in the startup phase of my marketing research business. I’m on the lookout for decision making tools that can help me clarify my strategy. I remembered the Six thinking hats exercise. Have you ever used it? What approach do you use to look at a decision from all sides?
I used to teach business courses to adults at a career college. My favorite course to teach was a management course, in which I introduced the students to the idea of using multiple approaches to decision making. One of the decision making tools was Six Thinking Hats, created by Edward de Bono. The Six Thinking Hats tool helps a group look at decisions from six important perspectives, inviting the group members to move outside their habitual thinking styles. In theory, this approach should lead to deeper insights into the problem, and generate decisions that are more effective.
Six thinking hats
Each virtual thinking hat is a different color, representing a different way of looking at the problem, situation, or decision. De Bono’s six thinking hats are as follows:
- White hat: Looks at the data and information available
- Red hat: Uses intuition, gut reaction, and emotion
- Black hat: Acts as the devil’s advocate, using caution and defensive thinking
- Yellow hat: Approaches with optimism and positive thinking
- Green hat: Develops creative solutions in a free-wheeling way
- Blue hat: Manages the overall process, helps the other hats avoid switching views, and includes outside stakeholders in the discussion
I added one more hat, the Purple hat, to include the ethical implications of the issue.
How does it work?
One term a few years ago, I had a very small class, only six students. Perfect, I thought. One hat for each person! All women, varying ages, all in the healthcare administration program; this will be great. I made table tents in bright colors and assigned each person a table tent to place in front of them. As I folded the table tents and handed them around, I explained the exercise.
“Many of us think from a rational, positive point of view, but may fail to look at a problem from an emotional, intuitive, or negative point of view,” I said. “This means we may underestimate the resistance to our plans. We may fail to make creative leaps, or not make essential contingency plans. This method helps us look at a problem from all directions.”
I smiled. They looked at me skeptically.
“OK, let’s give it a try,” I went on gamely. “Here is a scenario.” I read a paragraph about a situation in which Congress had to decide whether to create a computerized national AIDS registry, using data collected by researchers in Africa. “Should Congress approve a bill to create this registry?” I asked. “Let’s start with the white hat.”
After much fumbling around and some angry switching of hats, I realized that most of us aren’t used to thinking about a situation from many different angles. We have our one or two tried and true methods and we stick to them, year after year. For example, I’m a pessimistic strategic thinker with a creative streak and a love of research. I could easily do White Hat, Black Hat, or Green Hat. But Yellow Hat, you’ll have to force it on my head: I don’t do positive thinking; and I’m embarrassed to confess I rarely consider how my decisions will affect others, so maybe I need to spend some time wearing the Purple Hat.
Fast forward to now. I’m wondering if switching between thinking hats in a semi-structured exercise could help me clarify my business strategy. Here are the questions I plan to answer in writing. I’ve summarized them in an infographic, which you can download for free: ThinkingHats infographic.
WHITE HAT: The Researcher
Focus on the data and information that you have available to you, and see what you can learn from it.
- What do I know about the problem?
- What information do I lack?
- What has happened in the past?
- Can I use past data to predict the future?
RED HAT: The Intuitive
Look at the problem using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion.
- Who will be affected by this decision?
- If I implement this decision, how might other people feel?
- What does this decision look like from the perspectives of others?
- How would I approach the decision with empathy?
BLACK HAT: The Pessimist
Look at all the bad points of the decision, using caution and defensive thinking. Be the devil’s advocate.
- What can go wrong with this decision?
- What are the weaknesses in my plan?
- Are there any fatal flaws?
- Looking ahead, what problems might I encounter in the future if I do or don’t implement this decision?
- What will I learn if something goes wrong?
- What will I do if the decision fails?
YELLOW HAT: The Optimist
This is where you think positively about the problem.
- What are the benefits of implementing this decision?
- What is the value in the decision for myself? For others?
- What if my decision is a huge success? What will I learn? What will I do?
GREEN HAT: The Creative
This is the creative approach. Use this approach to develop creative solutions to the problem. It’s a freewheeling way of thinking, where you brainstorm a range of solutions with little criticism of ideas.
- If time were no object, what would I do?
- If money were not limited, what would I do?
- If I could wave a magic wand right now, what would I ask for?
- What would be my ideal vision of this decision?
PURPLE HAT: The Ethicist
Consider the ethics of the issue. Think about your personal values and the values of the organization. Use this approach to consider the possible ethical consequences of a decision.
- Is this decision legal? Is this decision ethical?
- Who or what could be harmed by this decision?
- Do all affected parties have a say in this decision? To be equitable, should they?
- What is the “right” action to take?
- How do I explain my decision to those who may be harmed?
BLUE HAT: The Manager
This is the process control thinking used by managers and chairpersons. When ideas are running dry, the manager will direct the group toward green hat thinking or black hat thinking. The leader also keeps other members from switching styles during the discussion, or from criticizing others’ points of view. This is overview thinking. Use this thought mode to look at the problem from the point of view of the various stakeholders involved to get a sense of the big picture.
- How would my employees see this decision?
- How would my customers see this decision?
- How would my investors/shareholders see this decision?
- How would members of the community see this decision?
- What effect would this decision have on my industry?
- How does my decision affect the environment?
I like management tools that help me see challenges more clearly. The Thinking Hats exercise is a tool anyone can use to clarify an approach and make a better decision. Let me know what you think.
SQMRC | Service Quality Marketing Research & Communications
Carol M. Booton, Ph.D.
For more info on Edward de Bono: http://www.debonogroup.com/edward_debono.php
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