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Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats is a technique designed to help individuals deliberately adopt a variety of perspectives on a subject that may be very different from the one that they might most naturally assume. In wearing a particular thinking hat, people play roles, or "as if" themselves into a particular perspective. For instance, one could play the devil’s advocate, even if only for the sake of generating discussion.  The purpose of devil’s advocacy is to deliberately challenge an idea: be critical, look for what is wrong with it. Note that a devil’s advocate does not necessarily believe in the viewpoint that he or she presents, but only behaves as if he or she did. Wise decision makers surround themselves with individuals with a variety of perspectives, even those that are in opposition to their own, to enable them to test the soundness of their decisions.
Each of the thinking hats is named for a color that is mnemonically descriptive of the perspective one adopts when wearing the particular hat. Indeed, devil’s advocacy is what one engages in when wearing the Black Thinking Hat. The following is a list of the six hats and the perspectives they represent.
| Hat (Perspective) | Description | | White (Observer) | White paper; Neutral; focus on information available, objective FACTS, what is needed, how it can be obtained | | Red (Self, Other) | Fire, warmth; EMOTIONS, FEELINGS, intuition, hunches; present views without explanation, justification | | Black (Self, Other) | Stern judge wearing black robe; judgmental; critical; why something is wrong; LOGICAL NEGATIVE view. | | Yellow (Self, Other) | Sunshine; optimism; LOGICAL POSITIVE view; looks for benefits, what’s good. | | Green (Self, Other) | Vegetation; CREATIVE thinking; possibilities and hypotheses; new ideas | | Blue (Observer) | Sky; cool; overview; CONTROL of PROCESS, STEPS, OTHER HATS; chairperson, organizer; thinking about thinking |
De Bono’s hats are indicative of both emotional states as well as frames of mind (i.e., perspective from which an issue is viewed). He notes that "emotions are an essential part of our thinking ability and not just something extra that mucks up our thinking" (1985:27). One thinking style (or hat) is not inherently "better" than another. A full, balanced team recognizes the need for all hats in order for the team to consider all aspects of whatever issues they are facing. Goals
- Role playing: Allowing us to say things without risking our egos
- Attention directing: Making us aware that there are multiple perspectives on an issue
- Convenience: mechanism for switching gears
- brain chemistry;
- rules of the game; the six hats provide rules for the game of thinking
Benefits- Focus thinking
- Lead to more creative thinking
- Improve communication
- Improve decision making
Using the Six Hats
In most group contexts, individuals tend to feel constrained to consistently adopt a specific perspective (optimistic, pessimistic, objective, etc.). This limits the ways and extent to which each individual and thus the group as a whole can explore an issue. With the Six Thinking Hats, one is no longer limited to a single perspective in one’s thinking. The hats are categories of thinking behavior and not of people themselves. The purpose of the hats is to direct thinking, not classify either the thinking or the thinker. Indeed, by wearing a hat that is different from the one that one customarily wears, one may chance upon a variety of new ideas. Wearing a hat means deliberately adopting a perspective that is not necessarily one’s own. It is important that all group members are aware of this fact. A group member must clearly identify the color of the hat he is wearing while making a statement. Wearing a clearly identified hat separates ego from performance. The Six Hat Method is useful even for individuals thinking by themselves.
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