case study for 6 thinking hats

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Six Thinking Hats: use parallel thinking to tackle tough decisions

Stuck in a stalemate? Try this time-honored technique on for size.

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Think back to the last major decision your team made together. Was there a struggle to get everyone to offer input? Did one person dominate the discussion? Did everyone quickly rally around one idea without exploring alternatives?

The brilliance of a diverse team is that each individual has unique perspectives to contribute to the larger picture. But tapping into those insights can be a challenge when multiple people are involved in a discussion – especially when a team is tasked with making a difficult decision.

If you’re seeking a more balanced, systematic approach that makes room for everyone’s voice, try the Six Thinking Hats. Below, we’ll explore this decision-making tool that teams at IBM and NASA have used to break down biases and tackle tough choices.

Six Thinking Hats: what is it and where did it come from?

Physician, psychologist, and author Edward de Bono conceived of the Six Thinking Hats and describes how it works in his 1985 book of the same name. In this role-playing exercise, participants “put on” six different metaphorical hats that each represent a certain type of thinking.

According to de Bono, the Six Thinking Hats method serves two main purposes:

• It eliminates confusion by focusing the discussion on one aspect of the decision at a time, such as potential risks or possible benefits.
• It encourages more expansive thinking so a person does not get boxed into only looking at the risks, or conversely, only focusing on the benefits.

De Bono asserts that Western thinking is based on an argument system, where one person makes a statement and another challenges it. The Six Thinking Hats offers an alternative: parallel thinking. 

“Parallel thinking means that at any moment everyone is looking in the same direction,” de Bono writes in Six Thinking Hats. While argument focuses on “what is,” parallel thinking looks at “what can be.”

By looking in the same direction at the same time, the entire team can collaborate on a solution and continuously move the discussion forward, instead of getting mired in debate, resulting in more balanced decision-making.

How it works

In his book, de Bono encourages the use of bits and pieces of his technique and its nomenclature in a variety of situations. You can use the hats in everyday workplace conversations as symbols to request a type of thinking. However, the Six Thinking Hats method as a formal, structured sequence (which we’ll describe below) is best suited for:

• Complicated or significant decisions
• Decision-making discussions involving multiple people
• Discussions in which you’re having a hard time getting everyone to participate (e.g., one person is doing most of the talking or a couple of people are hesitant to speak up).
• Brainstorming sessions where you need to cover all the bases and possibilities thoroughly
• Any situation where you want to explore options and ideas more holistically and be inclusive of everyone’s thoughts and feelings

Step 1: Define an issue to discuss. Six Thinking Hats sessions should be focused on a particular problem that needs to be solved or a decision that needs to be made.

Step 2: Assign the blue hat to one person. The blue hat is the meeting leader who starts and ends the discussion and announces when it’s time to change hats.

Step 3: As a group, go through each hat, one at a time. How much time should your team spend under each hat? De Bono recommends one minute per attendee. So if five people are present, dedicate five minutes total to each hat. If you need to go over, you can extend the time, but de Bono recommends keeping each “hat session” brief and focused. 

Step 4: Define the outcome. By the end of the session, your team should be able to make a decision and decide on the next steps.

The six hats defined

Let’s use an example to illustrate how a team might use the Six Thinking Hats to have more productive discussions and make better decisions faster, based on de Bono’s method.

With this problem statement in mind, let’s cycle through each of the six hats and show how they might be used to solve this issue.

🔵 Blue hat: moderator

When you think of the blue hat, think of the sky overhead: all-encompassing. Under the blue hat, you’ll be “thinking about thinking.”

More on the blue hat

One person wears the blue hat – in essence, acts as a moderator – for the entirety of the session, but all attendees are asked to participate in two “blue hat sessions”: one at the beginning of the discussion to frame the conversation and one at the end to define the outcome and next steps. All the other hats are “worn” by the whole group together.

Whoever puts on that blue hat is the neutral moderator who: 

• Kicks off and ends the meeting
• Frames the intent of the discussion and sets the agenda
• Announces the change of hats
• Poses questions
• Enforces rules
• Asks for the outcome of the discussion

⚪️ White hat: information

The white hat is concerned with “just the facts.” White-hat thinkers remain neutral, looking only at the available information without making interpretations about it. Under the white hat, you may put forth facts that are doubtful (beliefs), but only if you make it clear that you’re unsure of their veracity. If necessary, you can fact check them later.

🔴 Red hat: emotions and instinct

When teams put on the red hat, individuals are free to voice their emotions, but not explain or justify them. The red hat phase is about normalizing and legitimizing gut feelings, which is an important part of the decision-making process that often gets ignored.

Note: Your team should spend as little time as possible under the red hat – you want people to express their gut reaction, without overthinking or explaining. You might need only one minute total for everyone to share their red hat statements.

⚫️ Black hat: Risks

The black hat is the lens of caution. Black hat thinking requires you to consider the potential risks and how you might tackle them. Note that it is not a bad hat, but an essential one that could save money, time, and a variety of other headaches. In fact, de Bono calls the black hat “the most valuable of all the hats and certainly the most used.”

🟡 Yellow hat: Benefits

Like sunshine and smiley face emojis, the yellow hat conjures up positivity and optimism. Wearing the yellow hat requires you to identify the benefits of a suggestion and think of ways to put an idea into motion. De Bono warns that yellow hat thinking is harder than black hat thinking because humans are naturally sensitive to danger. That’s why the yellow hat is so crucial: it inspires us to find the value in an idea.

Note: Yellow hat thinking must be backed by evidence; otherwise, it’s just a positive feeling, and therefore would fall under red hat thinking.

🟢 Green hat: Creativity

Use divergent thinking to generate fresh ideas in your next brainstorm

When faced with a decision, people have a tendency toward tunnel vision, seeing only option A or option B when there might be an option C, D, and so forth. The green hat mitigates this bias by encouraging creative solutions that otherwise might not be considered. It is also the green hat’s role to come up with solutions to the challenges presented under the black hat.

Creating a shared language

Beyond the structured process described above, you can use the Six Thinking Hats informally in a variety of workplace situations. For example, if you sense that a colleague has a bad feeling about a business deal you’re about to close, you might say: “Hey, what’s your red hat thinking on this?” Framing the question in that way frees up people to express emotion, which can be difficult to do in a workplace. The Six Thinking Hats creates a shared vocabulary and symbolism that you and your team can use to communicate more effectively and direct your ways of thinking.

How to reach a decision using the Six Thinking Hats technique

By the end of a Six Thinking Hats session, you’ll have accomplished something that teams stuck in the argument style cannot: You’ll have included everyone in looking at every aspect of a problem, together . This ensures balance, fairness, and as little bias as possible. 

To close the discussion, the designated blue hat wearer asks the group what they’ve concluded. Thanks to the balanced discussion and new insights gained through this role-playing exercise, your team should naturally arrive at a decision and define next steps.

But what happens if you reach a stalemate? Interestingly, de Bono himself recommends that if you’re still stuck on a decision, go with your gut.

“In the end, all decisions are really ‘red hat,’” he writes. “We lay out the factors but the final decision is emotional.”

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How to Lead a Six Thinking Hats Exercise (+Questions and Template)

Whether you’ve heard of the Six Thinking Hats before, consider this as your sign to give it a try for yourself at least once. Here’s why. Not only is it an exercise you can do as an individual or as part of a team, but it can also be applied to a wide variety of situations we encounter every day in the workplace. It’s as the founder of the concept, Dr. Edward de Bono, wrote in his book, “It is the sheer convenience of the Six Thinking Hats that is the main value of the concept.”

In the following article, we’ll provide you with a brief but straightforward explanation of the Six Thinking Hats, a list of questions, instructions on how to lead an exercise of your own, and a template to get you started. Let’s begin.

What Is the Six Thinking Hats Exercise?

The Six Thinking Hats is an exercise that can be used to make decisions, develop ideas, challenge assumptions, and spark conversation. Today, it is used by individuals, leaders, and teams around the world in all industries, including business and government.

Originally, the concept was published in the 1985 book, Six Thinking Hats by physician and psychologist Dr. Edward de Bono. In the book, Dr. de Bono explained, “In many cultures, there is already a strong association between thinking and ‘thinking hats’ or ‘caps’. The value of a hat as a symbol is that it indicates a role. Another advantage is that a hat can be put on or taken off with ease.”

How Do You Use the Six Thinking Hats in the Workplace?

The great thing about this exercise is that you can use it in countless different situations, whether with a group or on your own. In fact, here are a few of the most common use cases of the Six Thinking Hats in today’s workplace:

Decision-Making

The arguably most common use of the Six Thinking Hats exercise is during the decision-making process, prompting you to think about a decision from all angles and perspectives.

Debrief/Retrospective

Whether you’re debriefing a project, mistake , or problem, it can be difficult to get everything you need out of retrospective and post-mortem meetings . The Six Thinking Hats exercise is the ideal remedy for this, as it provides structure and ensures every perspective is covered.

Conflict Resolution

When dealing with a workplace conflict where all sides have dug in their heels, the Six Thinking Hats exercise can be used to get people thinking about the situation from a different perspective, which in turn, can make them more amenable to a resolution.

If you’ve come up with an innovative idea or solution, the Six Thinking Hats exercise will help you develop that idea further and come to a conclusion about whether or not it is an idea you want and are prepared to pursue.

Change Management 

After announcing a change initiative, you can use the Six Thinking Hats exercise to help gain buy-in and reduce resistance to change , as it makes people think about the initiative from a perspective they might not have otherwise.

What Do The Six Thinking Hats Stand For?

So, what are the six metaphorical thinking hats, exactly? Here is a brief overview of them and the specific role they play in this exercise:

Blue Hat - The Conductor

The blue hat focuses on translating the thinking of all the other hats into actionable steps. In his book, Dr. de Bono likens the blue hat to a conductor as “conductors get the best out of the orchestra by seeing that what should be done is done at the right time.”

• Where are we now?
• What conclusions can be drawn?
• What do we need to do next?
• Who needs to do what?

White Hat - The Voice of Reason

The white hat is objective and logical. It remains neutral by focusing on facts, data, and information that can be proven, not on offering ideas or opinions of its own.

• What information do I have?
• What do I know to be true?
• What information do I need to obtain?

Red Hat - The Instincts

The red hat leans into their emotions, feelings, instincts, and gut feeling. As Dr. de Bono points out, “Using the red hat gives you an opportunity to [these things] without any need to explain or to justify them.”

• How does this make me feel?
• What is my heart/gut telling me?
• What feels right/appropriate?
• What is making me feel this way?

Yellow Hat - The Optimist 

The yellow hat leans into the desire to “make things happen,” says Dr. de Bono. They are focused on being optimistic and finding value in the problem/decision/task at hand.

• Why is this a good idea?
• Why is this valuable? To whom is it valuable?
• What are the possible benefits/advantages?
• How can I/we make this work?

Black Hat - The Devil's Advocate

The black hat is the one that points out all the reasons why something won’t work. They are focused on foreseeing possible dangers, risks, consequences, difficulties, and roadblocks.

• Why won’t this work?
• What problems could this cause?
• What are the drawbacks/risks?
• Will this create problems or challenges? For who?

Green Hat - The Creative Thinker

The green hat asks, “What’s possible?” They are focused on finding creative, out-of-the-box solutions and alternatives.

• What haven’t I/we thought about?
• Are there any alternatives?
• How can I change/improve this?

Instructions: How To Lead a Six Thinking Hats Exercise

Given that this concept has been around for nearly 40 years, today, many opinions exist about the best way to lead a Six Thinking Hats exercise. While the instructions below are certainly one way to go about it, they aren’t your only option. We encourage you to experiment with them and make them your own over time so that they work as you need them for your team and workplace.

Step 1 - Establish the Order

Always starts and ends up with the blue hat. Beyond that, the rest of the hats have no right or wrong order. Here’s an example: Blue, White, Red, Yellow, Black, Green, Blue.

Step 2 - Allow Time For Prep

Give everyone time to collect their thoughts and make notes under the relevant hat using this Six Thinking Hats template .

Step 3 - Set a Time Limit

Before opening up the floor, set a time limit for each hat so that you don’t accidentally spend the entire time allotted for the exercise on only one or two of the six hats. Of course, if the discussion is going well for a particular hat, you can allow for extra time as needed.

Step 4 - Explain the Exercise

As the leader, outline the purpose of the exercise, explain the situation/decision/problem, set ground rules, and describe what you want to achieve by the end of the exercise.

Step 5 - Open the Floor For Discussion

Start the timer and open the floor for discussion. As the leader, it’s your job to ensure the discussion remains on the hat in question and does not deviate to another. It’s also up to you to capture everyone’s thoughts and take notes. If you’re conducting the exercise virtually, Google Docs or Canva Whiteboards will allow you to do this together in real time. Though, a whiteboard or a wall and some sticky notes will have a similar effect if you’re doing the exercise in person. If you choose the latter, just be sure to snap a picture at the end.

Step 6 - Work Through Each Hat

Repeat the previous step for each of the remaining hats.

Step 7 - Return To the Blue Hat

Once all the hats have been discussed, return to the blue hat so you can draw conclusions and assign any action items that came from the exercise.

Step 8 - Return to the Red Hat (Optional)

In his book, Dr. de Bono notes that, in some cases, you may want to return to the red hat one final time. He writes, “This final red hat reflects back on the ‘thinking performance’: What do we feel about our thinking? Are we happy with the outcome? Did we do a good job?”

Step 9 - Send a Copy to Participants

After the exercise, don’t forget to send a copy of the notes you took to everyone who participated.

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The six thinking hats method: how to use it for effective brainstorming

August 10, 2023 by MindManager Blog

Learn how to effectively use the six thinking hats method to foster diverse perspectives and improve decision-making. Discover practical tips and techniques to promote more productive and collaborative thinking in your team!    

What is Edward De Bono’s six thinking hats brainstorming method?  

Edward De Bono’s six thinking hats is a decision-making and problem-solving method that encourages parallel thinking and creativity.   

Parallel thinking is a term coined by De Bono. It’s a collaborative thought process where people explore different perspectives on a topic, enabling a balanced and productive brainstorming environment. 

The six thinking hats process involves a facilitator guiding participants through different thinking styles by symbolically wearing different hats. Using these hats, participants explore a topic, one perspective at a time, giving everyone an equal chance to contribute without debate or criticism. 

We’ll dive deeper into this later, but for now, here’s a quick breakdown of what each hat represents and its related thinking style: 

• White hat: Objective data analysis. 
• Red hat: Emotional and intuitive responses. 
• Black hat: Critical judgment for identifying risks and flaws. 
• Yellow hat: Positive thinking for exploring benefits. 
• Green hat: Creative and innovative ideas. 
• Blue hat: Facilitation and process control. 

In all, the six thinking hats process provides a framework that improves collaboration, decision-making, and problem-solving by leveraging the power of parallel thinking and tapping into group intellect. 

The 6 benefits of six thinking hats  

There are many benefits of the six thinking hats brainstorming technique that may be of interest when problem-solving and decision-making. Some of these include: 

1. Enhanced creativity  

The six thinking hats method stimulates creative thinking by encouraging participants to explore various perspectives, generate new ideas, and think outside the box. 

By wearing different hats, individuals are encouraged to step out of their comfort zones and explore uncommon ideas. Overall, the method promotes nontraditional thinking and unlocks fresh ideas and possibilities. 

2. Balanced thinking 

Each of the six hats ensures balanced thinking by considering all angles of a topic, including:  

• Facts 
• Emotion 
• Critical judgments 
• Positive thinking 
• Creativity 
• Process control 

When all of these factors are considered, the results are more balanced and fairer. This allows participants to see the topic, idea, or problem comprehensively. 

3. Improved collaboration 

The structured framework of the six thinking hats facilitates effective collaboration by ensuring that all participants can contribute to the discussion. Furthermore, they have the opportunity to share their viewpoints without conflicts or interruptions.  

4. Efficient decision-making 

The method enables faster and more efficient decision-making by systematically analyzing different aspects, risks, benefits, and alternative possibilities. 

By doing so, the method helps streamline the decision-making process, reducing the time spent on deliberation and enabling timely outcomes. Moreover, the approach minimizes the risk of overlooking important factors, which helps to create solid solutions. 

5. Reduced bias and subjectivity 

The six thinking hats technique asks participants to temporarily set aside their personal biases and judgments and focus on the specific thinking style that their appointed hat represents.  

By encouraging a temporary shift in thinking, individuals can approach a problem or idea with an objective mindset. This enables them to consider perspectives based on logical reasoning rather than personal biases.  

6. Increased productivity 

The six hats process provides a structured and organized approach to brainstorming , ideation, and planning, which increases productivity. 

During a session, discussions remain concentrated on the overall goal. By channeling efforts towards a common objective, participants can streamline their thought processes, eliminate distractions, and maintain focus throughout the session. 

This increased clarity contributes to heightened productivity as team members use their collective intelligence to achieve outcomes quickly. 

The six thinking hats step-by-step process  

The six thinking hats process, developed by Edward De Bono, is a structured method for brainstorming, problem-solving , and decision-making.  

The process involves the following steps, participants, facilitation, and tools: 

• Define the focus. The session begins by clearly defining the problem, idea, or topic of discussion that requires brainstorming and decision-making.   
• Select participants. Select a diverse group of individuals who bring different perspectives, expertise, and roles to the discussion.   
• Introduce the six hats. The chosen facilitator introduces the concept of the six thinking hats and explains the meaning and role of each hat color. Participants are briefed on the thinking styles associated with each hat and the purpose they serve during the session.   
• Assign hat roles. The facilitator assigns specific hat roles to participants. Each person is responsible for wearing a particular hat for a given period.   
• Hat rotation. The session progresses with hat rotation, where participants switch roles by changing hats at designated intervals. This rotation ensures that every participant has the chance to contribute from different perspectives and prevents individuals from becoming fixated on a single thinking style. 
• Hat exploration. While wearing a specific hat, participants share their thoughts, ideas, observations, or questions related to the topic. The facilitator guides the discussion, ensuring that the focus remains on the thinking style represented by the current hat. 
• Facilitator’s role. The facilitator plays a crucial role in managing the session. They guide the flow of the discussion, enforce hat rotation, encourage active participation, and maintain a balanced and inclusive environment. The facilitator also ensures that all participants have an opportunity to express their views and that the session stays on track.   
• Tools and visual aids. The brainstorming process can be supported by visual aids so that participants can jot down key points, ideas, or observations associated with their hat. Visual representations help in organizing thoughts and summarizing outcomes. 
• Summarize and analyze. At the end of the session, the facilitator summarizes the key insights, observations, ideas, and conclusions from each thinking style. This summary helps to consolidate the collective understanding, identify patterns, and inform subsequent decision-making processes. 

The six thinking hats colors and what they represent 

Each hat in the six thinking hats method represents a distinct thinking style. The collective use of these hats during a brainstorming session facilitates the evaluation of ideas and well-rounded decision-making. 

Red hat  

The red hat represents emotions and intuition. When wearing the red hat, participants can express their feelings, gut instincts, and subjective opinions without the need for justification.  

This hat encourages the open sharing of personal perspectives and taps into the intuitive and emotional aspects of decision-making. It helps to foster a more holistic understanding of the topic at hand. 

Green hat  

The green hat symbolizes creativity and new ideas. Participants wearing the green hat are encouraged to think innovatively, develop fresh ideas, and explore alternative possibilities.  

This hat promotes divergent thinking, encourages brainstorming, and stimulates creative solutions. It adds a spark of inventiveness to the session. 

Blue hat  

The blue hat represents process control and organization. It plays the role of a facilitator in the brainstorming session.  

The blue hat wearer manages the overall thinking process, guides the discussion, and ensures the session stays on track. They summarize outcomes, coordinate the contributions of different hats, and keep the session focused and productive. 

Yellow hat  

The yellow hat signifies positive thinking. Participants wearing the yellow hat focus on exploring the benefits, advantages, and positive aspects of the ideas or proposal.  

Yellow hat wearers look for value, prospects, and optimistic perspectives. In addition, they help to create a constructive and forward-thinking atmosphere. 

White hat  

The white hat is associated with facts and information. It represents a logical and objective thinking style.  

Participants wearing the white hat gather and analyze data, facts, and information relevant to the topic. They provide an objective foundation and add evidence-based insights, helping the group make well-informed decisions. 

Black hat  

The black hat embodies critical judgment. Participants wearing the black hat take a cautious and critical approach.  

They identify potential risks, flaws, and negative aspects of ideas or proposals. The black hat thinking style aims to identify pitfalls, challenge assumptions, and encourage careful evaluation. 

When to use the six thinking hats method 

The six thinking hats method provides a framework for collaborative brainstorming that maximizes the potential of a team’s collective intelligence. As a result, sessions may be more creative and effective. 

The six hats thinking method is particularly useful in situations where: 

• A team needs to generate new ideas or solutions. 
• There are diverse opinions or conflicts among team members. 
• A comprehensive evaluation of ideas is required. 
• Emotional or intuitive aspects need to be considered alongside logical reasoning. 
• The decision-making process needs to be more objective and rational. 

Six thinking hats example  

To understand the six thinking hats method more fully, here’s an example of how the process may play out in a real-life scenario:

• Team : The marketing team at a tech company. 
• Objective : Generate innovative marketing campaign ideas for a new product launch. 
• Process : The team leader introduces the six thinking hats method and assigns specific hat roles to each team member. 
• Red hat (emotions and intuition): The individual wearing the red hat openly expresses their gut feelings and emotional responses towards the marketing campaign ideas at hand. They discuss their personal inclinations and share their enthusiasm or concerns about specific campaign concepts. 
• Green hat (creativity) : The green hat team member freely shares creative marketing campaign ideas without criticism. They generate diverse ideas, such as viral videos, interactive social media campaigns, and experiential events. 
• White hat (facts and information): The team transitions to the person wearing the white hat. Here, the individual analyzes the feasibility and gathers data on the market campaign ideas. They consider budget constraints, target audience demographics, and competitor analysis. 
• Black hat (critical judgment): Moving to the black hat, this individual critically evaluates the ideas on the table. They identify potential risks, such as legal implications, negative public perception, or budget overruns. They weigh the pros and cons of each idea and highlight any drawbacks or challenges. 
• Yellow hat (positive thinking): The person wearing the yellow hat focuses on the positive aspects of the campaign ideas. They discuss potential benefits, advantages, and opportunities for each concept. They also highlight the possible impact on brand awareness, customer engagement, and market differentiation 
• Blue hat (process control): This team member takes on the role of session manager. They summarize the key insights and guide the discussion toward the most promising ideas. They also highlight the most feasible concepts from the overall hat discussion. 
• Results : The brainstorming session allowed the marketing team to explore various creative marketing campaign ideas. The team considered diverse perspectives, backed by data and discussion. 

The session facilitated inclusive participation and balanced the exploration of ideas. As a result, the team identified three promising campaign concepts:  

• A gamified social media contest. 
• An influencer-driven product launch event. 
• An interactive augmented reality experience.  

The team left the session with a clear direction for further developing and refining these ideas. This led to a more informed and effective marketing strategy for the new product launch. 

Unleash the power of the six thinking hats method for brainstorming and take your ideation sessions to new heights!  

Explore the benefits of MindManager®, the ultimate mind mapping tool, to unlock innovative ideas, foster collaboration, and make informed decisions.  

Sign up for a free trial today and supercharge your brainstorming sessions with MindManager!

Six thinking hats frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Below are a few commonly asked questions about the six thinking hats brainstorming method:  

What is six thinking hats? 

The six thinking hats is a method developed by Edward De Bono for structured thinking and decision-making. It involves wearing six metaphorical hats, each representing a specific thinking style. 

This technique explores ideas, analyzes information, considers emotions, and facilitates well-rounded and effective discussions.  

How do teams use six thinking hats?   

Teams use the six thinking hats to develop unique perspectives and ideas. By assigning different hats to each participant, teams can work together to think outside the box and enjoy efficient and productive brainstorming, problem-solving, and decision-making. 

What are the benefits of six thinking hats?   

The benefits of six thinking hats include: 

• Enhanced creativity 
• Balanced perspectives 
• Improved decision-making 
• Efficient collaboration 
• Effective problem-solving 
• Increased productivity 

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Article • 5 min read

Six Thinking Hats®

Looking at a decision in different ways.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

What's your instinctive approach to decision making? If you're naturally optimistic, then chances are you don't always consider the potential downsides to a decision. Similarly, if you're very cautious, you might not focus on opportunities that could open up.

Whatever your gut tells you, the best decisions usually come after you've explored several ways of viewing a problem.

However, it's easy to feel confused if you try to consider multiple angles at once. And things can get even more complicated – even combative – if your whole team weighs in with different points of view.

"Six Thinking Hats" is a way of investigating an issue from a variety of perspectives, but in a clear, conflict-free way. It can be used by individuals or groups to move outside habitual ways of thinking, try out different approaches, and then think constructively about how to move forward.

In this article, we'll explain the principles behind the Six Thinking Hats technique and examine how it could improve decision making for you and your team.

Who Invented "Six Thinking Hats"?

The Six Thinking Hats approach was created by Edward de Bono , a Maltese physician, psychologist and philosopher. He used it in his work advising government agencies, but he also wanted it to be a practical tool for everyday problem solving. It first appeared in his 1985 book of the same name, which has since been revised several times. [1]

De Bono – who died in 2021 – was also the inventor of "lateral thinking," a method of solving problems indirectly, often in creative and surprising ways. Similarly, Six Thinking Hats is a way to understand and explore different types of thinking.

Six Thinking Hats for Decision Making

The Six Thinking Hats technique gets you to look at a problem in six different ways. It takes you and your team beyond any instinctive positions, so that you explore a range of perspectives. That way, you can carefully consider each one, without having to argue your case or make snap decisions about what's "right" or "wrong."

By the time you've tried out all six hats, you should have a rich collection of insights that will help you to decide your next steps.

Here's what each of the Six Thinking Hats represents:

Blue Hat: "the Conductor's Hat"

When you or your team are in blue hat mode, you focus on controlling your thinking and managing the decision-making process. You have an agenda, ask for summaries, and reach conclusions.

Green Hat: "the Creative Hat"

The green hat represents creative thinking. When you're "wearing" this hat, you explore a range of ideas and possible ways forward.

Red Hat: "the Hat for the Heart"

This hat represents feelings and instincts. When you're engaged in this type of thinking, you can express your feelings without having to justify them logically.

Yellow Hat: "the Optimist's Hat"

With yellow hat thinking, you look at issues in the most positive light possible. You accentuate the benefits and the added value that could come from your ideas.

Black Hat: "the Judge's Hat"

This hat is about being cautious and assessing risks. You employ critical judgment and explain exactly why you have concerns.

The black hat is one of the most powerful hats, but it's often overused. Make sure that you and your team can justify any critical or cautionary comments, so that this mode of thinking doesn't dominate your decision making.

White Hat: "the Factual Hat"

The white hat represents information gathering. Think about the knowledge and insights that you've collected already – but also the information you're missing, and where you can go to get it.

Reproduced with the permission of Penguin Random House U.K and the trademark and copyright holder deBono.com. To find out how to use the Six Thinking Hats®️ in teams please contact debono.com .

Some colors have cultural implications, so you may have to pick new colors for one or more of your hats. In China, for example, a green hat can mean an unfaithful spouse. And you might decide to change the black hat to grey, so as not to associate black with faultfinding.

It's fine to use any colors that are appropriate for you and your team – just as long as all six are different, and you stick with the same colors each time you use this technique.

There are several other decision-making techniques that explore problems from different angles.

The Reframing Matrix encourages you to try out a range of perspectives when you're designing a product or service. What are the key considerations from a marketing perspective, say, or from the point of view of your manufacturing team?

Constructive Controversy involves pitting different approaches against each other. This means that it's more combative than Six Thinking Hats. But it can also generate energy, help people to reconsider their positions, and result in well-tested decisions.

And Empathy Mapping is a useful tool when you want to understand the perspectives of key stakeholders, in order to incorporate them in your plans.

The Benefits of Six Thinking Hats

As well as improving the quality of your decisions, the Six Thinking Hats technique has some other benefits to offer:

More organized thinking. You can be confident that you've considered every angle, and it helps you to weigh up the information you obtain efficiently and accurately.

Improved creativity. It gets you to step away from your default positions and approaches. And comparing or combining different perspectives can sometimes spark novel thoughts .

Better thinking skills. It's a great way to strengthen important skills such as curiosity and critical thinking.

Stronger interpersonal skills. It encourages you to practice listening , questioning and answering . So it can also make you more persuasive, better at spotting when others need support, and more confident to resolve conflicts when they arise.

Greater inclusivity in teams. It requires people to set aside any preconceptions and to focus on seeing things from the same perspective for a while. Debate still happens, but it's based on shared understanding – which can help everyone to feel included.

It's important to remember that some members of your team might find some types of thinking challenging – possibly due to neurodivergence – and need reassurance or support. However, they may also excel while wearing particular hats! So use this technique as a chance to play to everyone's strengths.

De Bono's Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for looking at decision making from different perspectives.

It involves six distinct types of thinking, which you can do on your own or with your team. Each thinking style is represented by a different hat:

Blue Hat: organization and planning

Green Hat: creative thinking

Red Hat: feelings and instincts

Yellow Hat: benefits and values

Black Hat: risk assessment

White Hat: information gathering

By "wearing" each of the Six Thinking Hats in turn, you can gain a rich understanding of the issues you face – and the best ways forward. You also encourage everyone to be fully involved in the decision-making process.

[1] De Bono, E. (1999). “Six Thinking Hats: revised ed.,” New York: Back Bay Books.

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Six Thinking Hats: Techniques and Examples

“Put on your thinking hat” is something we’ve heard quite a few times. Making a decision is a straightforward yet…

“Put on your thinking hat” is something we’ve heard quite a few times. Making a decision is a straightforward yet very complex task. Sometimes it’s easy to make a quick decision, while many situations require deep thought to arrive at a sound decision. Effective decision-making can be achieved with the help of six thinking hats.

Who Came Up with The Six Thinking Hats?

What are the six thinking hats, six thinking hats – questions to ask, benefits of the six thinking hats technique, how the six thinking hats work together, examples of six thinking hats.

Dr Edward de Bono pioneered the six thinking hats technique. His book showcasing the method was first published in 1985 and has been revised many times. The book was inspired by the confusion and disagreements that often occur when creative thinking occurs in a group.

Six thinking hats is a simple and effective parallel thinking process. It enables individuals to be more focused and productive. These hats are extremely powerful and can be used effectively as soon as they are learned.

Think of the six hats as six different perspectives. Each hat color represents a type of perspective. Applying this method of thinking involves using a different hat at various points in a discussion to make the best decision. Think of the hats as a milestone. At each juncture, one thinks of an aspect of the issue and nothing more. By doing so, the discussion flows effectively.

The focus of this hat is on the facts. The data at hand and its analysis are the prime focus. The idea behind this hat is to take a rational approach.

Brightness and optimism are the focus of this hat. While using this hat, the situation is probed to see what positive outcomes and value can come from it.

The Green Hat emphasizes originality, including options, choices, and fresh concepts. It’s a chance for everyone involved to communicate new ideas and viewpoints.

This hat is about caution. It’s sometimes known as the risk management hat and may be the most potent hat. It identifies challenges where things might go wrong and why something might not work. It’s fundamentally a tool for taking action to highlight risks and resolve them. However, it can be problematic if overused.

The hat is used to control the process. It’s used to direct the flow of the discussion and ensure its progress in case those involved get stuck during the conversation.

This hat is all about emotions. How you feel about the subject of the discussion can be brought up using this hat. How others might react is also a factor. The red hat allows emotions to be a part of an otherwise rational process.

While it’s good to know what these hats are, it’s also essential to understand what type of questions one can ask while donning one.

Benefits of the Six Thinking Hats Technique

Effective use of the six thinking hats leads to a plethora of benefits. They foster the growth of organizations and enable them to tackle any situation head-on in the best way possible. The proper utilization of these hats leads to:

• Having organized, productive and efficient meetings which are highly focused.
• Creating a productive atmosphere for the entire team that minimizes counterproductive behaviors.
• An environment that leads to minimal conflict as everyone’s views and opinions are brought to the table.
• Encouragement of teammates and coworkers to embrace innovation and explore new ideas.
• Improvement of the overall problem-solving effectiveness and efficiency of the team.
• Thorough evaluation of problems.

Overall, the six thinking hats enable a team to go beyond the usual, see things from various perspectives and come to an informed decision or solution.

How the Six Thinking Hats Work Together

Understanding what they are and what one can gain from them is very important. The “what” has been thoroughly discussed. Now let’s look at the “how” and ponder over an ideal scenario in which the six thinking hats work together.

The ideal meeting would start with the blue hat, which decides the flow of the meeting and ensures that everyone sticks to it.

Once the meeting begins, each hat is given a turn, and everyone speaks from the perspective of that hat. If green hat thinking is taking place, the blue hat will ensure that no views from other hats, such as emotions from the red hat, are included.

It’s important to note that the six hats are a tool that can be used to analyze situations and come to unbiased and informed solutions. As such, the hats can be used in any order; sometimes, not all hats need to be used. It depends on what the team is trying to achieve through the discussion.

To fully comprehend the extent to which the hats are an excellent tool for finding a solution, let’s look at a six thinking hats example.

The Hypothetical Problem

A restaurant has a growing number of complaints from their customers who are ordering online. The delivery of their food is taking too long.

A team of ten people must figure out a solution to this problem. As far as everyone is concerned on an individual level, they’re doing nothing wrong.

The Process – Using the Six Thinking Hats

The manager at the restaurant calls the team in for an exercise using the six thinking hats. She introduces the concept to the team and then separates them into groups of five. She creates variety in the groups by mixing everyone, so different thought processes work together.

Each group then takes part in 15-20 mins rounds per hat where they discuss their ideas, put them up on a board and try to see the problem from every possible angle. The rounds are facilitated by the manager, who guides the teams and answers any queries.

Once all the rounds have taken place, and everyone has shared their points of view in the groups, the manager brings everyone together. She then places all the questions and answers on a board in front of everyone after everyone has shared their thoughts and points of view. This allows all team members to fully understand the problem and its potential solutions.

The six thinking hats are an excellent way to include everyone and understand the whole picture. After all the discussions, meetings and analyses, the culmination should be a new way forward. The method should provide all the information one needs to effectively understand and tackle a problem .

Harappa’s Champion Creativity pathway will help you take the next steps you need to approach problems creatively. The pathway will allow you to think bigger, embrace obstacles and challenges, explore uncharted territories and unleash your inner creativity as you encounter new situations every day.

Six Thinking Hats

What is the Six Thinking Hats Technique by Edward De Bono?

The Six Thinking Hats is a role-playing model developed by Edward de Bono  in 1986.  Each hat represents a different lens or perspective on a particular issue and is an insightful activity that prevents narrow thinking. 

It serves as a team-based problem solving and brainstorming technique that can be used to explore problems through various perspectives in order to uncover options that might otherwise be overlooked. 

The basic premise behind the Six Thinking Hats is that most people think and reason in a specific way based on their personality type.  This means that a more emotional person may generate ideas differently than a more analytical person, and vice-versa. Similarly a pessimist will approach a situation very differently than an optimist.

An example of the benefit of running the thinking hats techniques is therefore to encourage different perspectives to be shared, seen and discussed as part of the decision making process.

The six types of “Thinking Hats” are:

• White Hat:  Similar to the calm and pure emotions associated with the colour white, this type of thinking focuses on analytical, objective thinking, with an emphasis on facts and feasibility.
• Red Hat:  We often associate the colour red with anger and heat and hence this represents emotional thinking, subjective feelings, perception, and opinion.
• Black Hat:  The colour black has been stereotypically linked with doom and gloom and so this forms a type of thinking that is critical, skeptical, focused on risks, and identifying problems.
• Yellow Hat:  Often symbolising sunshine and happiness, the yellow hat is about thinking optimistic, speculative, best-case scenarios.
• Blue Hat:  Blue being the colour of the sky and high above creates a sense of structured thinking, high-level overview of the situation, the big picture.
• Green Hat:  Associated with the colour of trees and nature, the green hat is about creative, associative thinking, new ideas, brainstorming, out-of-the-box.
• Pros and Cons
• PESTLE Analysis
• PEST Analysis
• Encourage each person to contribute to each of the perspectives. Avoid putting people into categories – Everyone can and should use all the hats.
• One or more hats can be used at any point during a discussion process.They are used as a convenience for directing and switching the thinking process as needed. (E.g. “Let’s have some black hat thinking…”)
• Simple sequences of two or three hats may be used together for a particular purpose, for example:
• The yellow hat followed by the black hat may be used to assess an idea.
• The black hat followed by the green hat may be used to improve a design.
• Six Thinking Hats is excellent at eliciting different perspectives, but there is less guidance on how to resolve conflicting views among the different hats. Sometimes a group will naturally move together toward one resolution during the discussion. If not, another framework might be needed to resolve the discourse.

Use the Six Thinking Hats for Better Meetings

Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for decision making that includes different points of view.

The process and methodology allows emotion and skepticism to be brought into what might normally be a purely rational process, and it opens up the opportunity for creativity within decision making.

Decisions made using the Six Thinking Hats technique can be more resilient and based on a holistic perspective, allowing you to avoid pitfalls and gaps before you have committed to a decision.

When Should I use the Six Thinking Hats Technique?

Use the Six Thinking Hats model to help with:

• Running better and more structured meetings especially if there tends to only be a single view at every meeting.
• Making better decisions by having a more holistic and wide ranging view of the problem. 
• Approaching problems from various angles of facts, emotions and creativity.
• Inspiring idea generation as an ice-breaker activity by having different people play different roles.
• More collaboration during brainstorming and decision making with assigned roles including facilitator responsibilities.

Six Thinking Hats Template Example

Imagine if you are facilitating a meeting to introduce a new product or service to the market. In doing so, you might ask people to wear different hats, or to navigate between the hats around this goal.

“What are the facts that we know?”

 – Our survey last month indicated a 5% preference of the green product by women aged 25 – 45.

– Return rates from sales has fallen by over 50% since the introduction of the new delivery packaging.

– There are new delivery routes available via Company Logistics.

“Why should we be optimistic?”

  – The new product could increase our revenue diversification stream and increase our family of products.

– We can start receiving better feedback and testimonials from our customers.

– The impact from damage from delivery will meet our service standards.

“What are your gut reactions?”

– The green colour inspires a sustainable look and is very appealing. This is even a great shade.

– The impact on the reduced return rates could mean additional resources.

– How do the new delivery routes impact our delivery times? I would certainly be interested in learning more about it.

 “How can we create opportunities?”

– A green range could be expanded to a different colour range set or be symbolic.

– Creating multiple channels will allow us to establish new partnerships and partners.

– Speeding up quality and reliability of delivery could allow us to bundle exisiting products.

“What risks should we keep in mind?”

– Is a 5% preference sufficient for us to make a single colour product? What happens if preferences change.

– What is the cost of maintaining the packaging quality and sustainability?

– The new delivery routes may not have been proven as reliable yet or may increase our costs.

“What systems or processes will be needed?”

  – Let’s go around the room and discuss the colour options based.

– How has the reduced return rates impacted our warehousing department?

– Would there be any other changes to our workflow with a new delivery partner and will it change our logistics technology?

How to Use the Six Thinking Hats to Run Better Meetings

Six Thinking Hats is a powerful technique for looking at decision-making from different points of view. By introducing a structured parallel thinking process, it helps people to be more focused and mindfully involved in a discussion.

Start brainstorming through each of the different hats.

Review the responses for common themes that can be grouped.

Have people voted on the topics that they would like to discuss the most.

Share the results and facilitate the discussion towards a decision.

Facilitate the conversation (wearing the blue hat).

As an inspiration, check the following example of how to use Six Thinking Hats sequentially to resolve a problem with alternative solutions:

• White Hat: Present the facts of the problem
• Green Hat: Generate ideas on how the problem can be solved
• Yellow Hat: Evaluate the ideas by listing their benefits
• Black Hat: Evaluate the ideas by listing their drawbacks
• Red Hat: Get everybody’s gut feelings about the alternatives
• Blue Hat: Summarise the discussion and agree on the conclusions

You may decide which sequence of hat use fits best for your purpose. In general, it is recommended that each hat is worn at some point however, there are some sensible sequences too.

Once you have completed the brainstorm for each thinking hat, review the responses and look for common themes which can be grouped into one.

This step is more time consuming if the brainstorming was performed individually – or completed at different times and locations. Using a software tool like GroupMap to group ideas can significantly reduce the time and effort required in this step – and result in a better outcome.

Now that there are clear themes, encourage your participants to vote on the top three ideas they would like to discuss further.

You can facilitate this by advising participants to vote based on: 

• the level of importance to action or implement; 
• aspects that they would like to discuss or explore further; 
• areas that they have questions on and require clarification. 

Combining individual voting into an overall score is much easier and faster if you use an online tool like GroupMap, especially if you can vote on ideas individually and independently.

With the votes tallied, you can now better facilitate the discussion in the meeting and help the group come to a more considered and educated decision.

Sharing the outcomes of the Six Thinking Hats process ideas and comments with the wider group of stakeholders as well as the team is essential to getting buy in! 

The results of your Six Thinking Hats should allow for the next steps of:

• Communication to relevant stakeholders. 
• Further analysis using other business tools such as a SWOT Analysis for each of your top voted discussions. 
• Product and design thinking activities, including customer personas.

Save effort, time and money with GroupMap

Whether you have your best minds together in the same room, or distributed around the world , GroupMap’s unique technology allows groups of up to 2000 to submit ideas independently at separate times, from different places, in different timezones. Prevent dominant personalities swaying the group, drowning out the opinions of others – GroupMap allows everyone to brainstorm independently then effortlessly combines that information to reveal the full spectrum of ideas. GroupMap templates keep the objective front and center throughout the session, keeping everyone on task. This ensures the activity identifies actionable issues rather than becoming just a discussion on ideas. GroupMap gives you all the group decision making tools you need to prioritize, decide and take action.

Create your first map and invite people in to start sharing their thoughts right NOW. Experience the power of GroupMap with our 14-day, no risk, FREE trial. You don’t even need to provide your credit card details to access to all of our features, including the entire suite of templates, for a full 14 days.

• White Hat: Interested in information which is known or needed – only facts.
• Yellow Hat: Is optimistic and confident, thus explores positives aspects.
• Black Hat: Will judge every detail and try to figure out what may not work.
• Red Hat: Emotionally going for feelings and intuition. Will search for fears, likes, dislikes, love, and hate.
• Green Hat: The creative one. What are the possibilities, alternatives, and other ideas.
• Blue Hat: The facilitator who supervises if everyone stays in their role.
• Prepare a (simple) question that needs to be discussed. Alternatively, this exercise can be performed consecutively to a brainstorming session so that you can re-evaluate the findings from that exercise.
• Prepare the six identity insignias (e.g. hats or shields etc.).
• Announce the given time frame (e.g. 20 min.) and distribute the hats to the participants.
• During the session, support the blue hat (or even be the blue hat yourself) and keep an eye on everyone staying in their roles.
• Instead of one long run, you can also have multiple shorter rounds and let the participants change their roles between the runs.

Identify and discuss common or diverging opinions within your team.

Structure and plan business models.

Break down complex topics to make them understandable for everyone.

Start a meeting with a relaxed and open minded atmosphere with this emoji quiz.

Real insights from users in their natural environment.