Most of us have seen this
image before. Some swear it’s a duck, while others swear it is a rabbit. Both
are correct! But this exercise gives us a clear example of how individuals
naturally see the world differently. And in the work environment, this different
way of seeing things, if leveraged, presents a huge advantage.
Seeing the world, and
situations, in only one way can interfere with our ability to problem solve. We
look at situations in a way that comes naturally, and are blind to other
perspectives that may increase our ability to solve problems or innovate. Each
of us benefits greatly from the perspectives of others at the workplace.
Yet it doesn’t always feel
that way. Often times sharing an idea in a meeting is like morphing into a
dartboard. You share your idea, and then everyone throws darts at it. You may
even try to get the buy-in from coworkers in advance of the meeting to mitigate
getting shot down, frustrated—even embarrassed—so quickly.
What if I told you there was
an easy and fun way to prevent this kind of meeting? What if you were able to
use a simple methodology that instigates participation and positive outcomes to
problem solving?
Enter the “Six Thinking Hats,”
developed by Edward de Bono. As Freddi Donner explains, the Six Thinking Hats
is “a tool for group discussion and individual thinking that involves six
colored hats. “Six Thinking Hats”, and the associated idea parallel thinking,
provide a means for groups to execute a thinking process in a detailed and
cohesive way, which allows them to think together more effectively.”
What Are The Six Thinking Hats?
Here’s a great video
explaining what the Six Hats are, and how the method works.
De Bono writes, “Each
thinking role is identified with a colored symbolic ‘thinking hat.’ By mentally
wearing and switching ‘hats,’ you can easily focus or redirect thoughts, the
conversation, or the meeting.”
To understand each hat
and the associated roles, take a look at the table below.
As a basic example, if you
were “wearing” the green hat, you would approach an issue or conversation as
creatively as possible. You’d look for possibilities, alternatives, and new
ideas.
Yet if you were “wearing” the
black hat, you’d look at the same issue or conversation with a keen eye for
danger. You’d attempt to ferret-out anything that could go wrong.
Now, you must be prepared to
be a little uncomfortable. It’s common to feel uneasy approaching an issue in a
way you’re not used to. For example, if you’re someone who informs your own
decisions based solely on facts, you may feel awkward or resistant to
approaching an issue by expressing your fears, likes, dislikes, loves or hates.
After all, you’re a facts person, not an emotions person. But forcing yourself
to think from that perspective might surprise you with innovative ideas.
A Basic Example of Using the Six Thinking Hats
Let’s take a look at basic
example and run through each of the six hats in action. Let’s say you are the
leader at a software development company, which has been steadily growing.
While you still feel like a startup, the fact is, you’ve outgrown your office.
Employees are sharing desks, the space is crowded and cluttered, and two of the
three meeting rooms have had to be converted into offices. This leads to
unnecessary tension in the office, and people are starting to complain. You
haven’t made the move yet because you know it will significantly increase
operational costs.
Let’s approach this problem
using the six thinking hats as a guide:
White Hat: What are the facts about this problem?
The basic facts are there are
50 employees (and growing) in an office space that comfortably accommodates 30.
Yellow Hat: What is good about having this problem?
It’s great to be growing!
We’ve added amazing talent to the team and we will now be able to accomplish
even more as a company. We can expand our current offerings and add new
products to grow the business even more.
Black Hat: What is the worst that could happen if we don’t fix
this problem?
If we stay in this office, the
worst that can happen is expensive attrition. We will lose the great talent
that it took us months to find. That will lead to low employee engagement,
which leads to poor productivity and even more attrition. We won’t be able to
move forward as a business without our talent.
Red Hat: What do I feel about this problem?
I feel conflicted. On one
hand, my employees and their needs are the most important thing to me, so
seeing them crammed in together makes me feel like I’m disappointing them. On
the other hand, I’m hesitant to increase expenses in what feels like a pivotal
time in the business. That makes me very nervous.
Green Hat: What are some creative ways to address this situation?
One idea is to have some of
our team work from home to free up space in the office. Another possibility
would be moving into a shared office space with another startup. This would cut
the costs of a larger office space. Also, we could leave this area of town and
move to the new burgeoning warehouse district, where rent is cheaper.
Blue Hat: How do you know you are following the six hats method?
I’ve written all of these
questions down and written my answers under the designated color for each hat.
I can share these notes with my VP and get her feedback.
In the end, this leader
decided to create a small task force to investigate the new warehouse district,
and possible shared office spaces with the other startups around town. They
have a three-week discovery period, after which the team will meet with the
heads of each department to vote on the best course of action. They will use
the six hats again!
As you can see, this exercise
enabled the head of our hypothetical software development company to think
through the situation from several perspectives. And by forcing the
consideration of different perspectives she may not naturally be drawn to, she
achieved “parallel thinking,” which is a more dynamic way to work through a
problem.
Let’s move beyond the
individual and discuss how to incorporate the Six Thinking Hats method into our
workplace. Here is a step-by-step guide.
A Step-By-Step Guide to Incorporating the Six Thinking Hats at
Work
1. To prepare, choose a work challenge and form a
small team of 4 or 5 people.
2. Make sure that your attendees are aware that
you will be using this method and that your goal is to fully investigate the
situation at hand and develop an execution plan based on the meeting.
Therefore, all attendees who can contribute to the facts should plan to bring
them to the meeting.
3. Before the meeting, create an agenda,
including a video link from the first lesson in this course, and ask your team
to watch this video before the meeting. Ask your participants to be prepared to
use this methodology when coming to the meeting.
4. Make sure it is a safe environment and that no
one is “wrong” for adding to the content of the meeting. Even if you do not
agree, say, “That’s interesting” or “Let’s note that point of view”.
5. Be sure to ask one of the participants to
record all the points of view.
6. Be sure to ask one of the participants to
record all the points of view.
White Hat: The facts. What do you already
know?
Note: Facts often get
disguised as opinions. If someone states a “fact” that appears to be an
opinion, ask the participant (without judgment): “What specific behaviors cause
you to think that?” Or “How do you know that?” Listen for the fine line between
opinions and fact.
Red Hat: What is your
gut feeling about the situation? How do you feel about the situation? (Happy,
angry, etc.; all emotions are to be recorded.)
Black Hat: What do we
need to look out for?
Yellow Hat: What are
the reasons to say yes? What are the benefits and upsides of this situation?
Green Hat: What are
other ideas that can be a part of this thinking?
Blue Hat: Make sure
all the participants are maintaining the parallel thinking.
These questions should
really get the team thinking and spur an active discussion. For fun, if you can
access paper (or hats) in the six colors, bring them to the meeting to
reinforce the colored thinking. Bandanas would work as well.
If you’ve never tried
the Six Thinking Hats method, we are excited for you to do so. As De Bono says,
The Six Thinking Hats is “A powerful tool set, which once learned can be
applied immediately!” We’d love to hear about your experiences with this
method.
Let’s share experiences. Leave a comment below, send us an email, or find us on Twitter.
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