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Tools for Innovation:DeBono’s Six Hats

Darrell Kleinke & Jonathan WeaverUDM Mechanical Engineering Department

Development support by Prerak Shah

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References

• Edward de Bono, Six Thinking Hats, Little, Brown and Co., New York, 1999, isbn 0-316-17831-4

• Edward de Bono WEB page http://www.edwdebono.com/

• BBC Interview with Edward de Bono http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2009/09/090901_theinterview_290809_1.shtml?s

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Agenda

Thinking about thinking

The six hats described

The six hats approach

Six hats class project

Conclusion

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Thinking About Thinking Our “Thinking System” is Ineffective

IllustrationI asked four students to stand in front of Angell Hall and describe what they see. Here’s what they reported:

2. It has Roman columns

1. It is red-brick and glass

3. It inspires me to study

4. It is energy inefficient

They all thought they deserved “A” grades. Are they right?

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Thinking About Thinking Conventional thinking seeks to define “truth”

2. It has Roman columns

1. It is red-brick and glass

3. It inspires me to study

4. It is energy inefficient

Which one is Right?

She’s right, from her perspective

She’s right, her facts are accurate

She’s right, her emotions are hers

She’s right, her critique is valid

Debating right or wrong is not efficient when lookingat something new, but it is the thinking style we know!

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Thinking About Thinking Innovation requires a different way of thinking

There are six fundamental types of thinking.

Thinking becomes too confusing if we try to think in all modes simultaneously.

Example: Deer in the headlights

Thinking becomes more effective if we use one type of thinking at a time. This is accomplished by figuratively putting on “thinking caps,” one by one.

If groups of people can think in a common mode, they can devise better solutions to problems at a more rapid pace! Consider the time wasted when we are not “on the same page”!

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The Six HatsHats and colors are simple icons

The hats are symbolic. It is intended to remind us of the phrase “Let’s put on our thinking caps.” Hats can be easily taken on and off, just as thinking styles can be turned on and off.

The hats de-personalize discussions. For example, rather than accusing a person of being too emotional, you would say “that sounds like red hat thinking.”

The colors are not intended to indicate any sort of rank order.

The colors are memory aids, to help us recall the thinking mode of each hat.

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Six HatsEach hat signifies a thinking mode White: The information hat Visualize white paper with information written on it.

Red: The emotion hat Visualize “seeing red,” passion, valentine hearts.

Black: The caution hat (note: this is not a cowboy “bad guy” hat) Visualize dark consequences.

Yellow: The optimism hat Visualize the yellow sunshine on a bight new day.

Green: The creativity hat Visualize green pastures, open fields on which to roam.

Blue: The procedure hat Visualize the sky over us, we work under the blue sky.

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Six HatsThe approach promotes parallel thinking

The hats are used one at a time. Sometimes hats are used more than once or a subset of hats are used.

The ideation session begins with the blue hat. Using blue hat thinking (procedures) the team decides on which hats to use and in which order. The team also decides the problem statement.

The team attacks the problem by having ALL members simultaneously apply a COMMON hat color. For example, all members discuss an idea optimistically during “yellow hat,” then all members become pessimistic during “black hat.”

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Six HatsThe goal is to “Design a way forward”

Rather than arguing over who is on the right (or wrong) path to a solution, the team is working together to build on each other’s view of the situation (parallel thinking).

Visualize the team creating a map of a previously uncharted territory. The team uses collective knowledge to depict the known territory and identify where unknown territory remains.

Finally, with map in hand, the team can see a way forward. In most cases, once the map is created, the best path becomes obvious.

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Today’s ExerciseA mature product in need of innovation

The product : Bottled water

Your task is to come up with new products or improvements related to or inspired by this product. (note: this is a blue-hat statement)

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Blue HatControl and organize the thinking process

Blue hat thinking typically is the first and the last hat used.

Blue hat thinking is used by the team or facilitator to determine which hats to use and the sequence of use. A final blue hat is used to as a process check and to decide next steps.

For expediency of today’s demonstration, the instructor has taken the liberty of making blue hat decisions and will guide us through the other hats.

The meeting facilitator wears a blue hat throughout the session.

Blue

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White HatInformation, facts and figures

Ask:

• What data do we have?

• What data do we need?

• What questions need to be asked?

Guidelines using the White Hat:

• Stick to the facts - in an objective manner

• Attempt to be as un-emotional as a computer

• Postpone trying to interpret the facts

• Uncertain “facts” get rated by the likelihood of being true

White is a neutral color as a reminder to not make judgments during white hat.

White

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White Hat – Applied to Bottled Water

Let’s take a few minutes to apply White Hat thinking to our bottled water example

White

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"The most important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts, as to discover new ways of thinking about them." 

Sir William Bragg (1862-1942) was a British mathematician, physicist and chemist who uniquely shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with his son in 1915.

Editor's Note:  When it comes to innovation, facts alone don't get the job done.  Those facts must be combined with new ways of thinking. 

ideaology   www.ideaologists.com

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Red HatEmotions, feelings, intuition, hunches, opinion

Never need to justify the logic (or lack thereof) during red hat.

Important; comments validating your feelings are NOT permitted because you will cause others to conceal their feelings.

Unique and unusual ideas tend to emerge since there is no need to validate an emotion-based idea.

If emotions were not permitted, they would lurk in the background and affect the thinking process in some hidden way.

Emotions, feelings, intuition and hunches are real. Encouraging sharing and exploring can result in great ideas.

Red

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Red Hat – Applied to Bottled Water

Let’s take a few minutes to apply Red Hat thinking to our bottled water example

Red

186 HatsYellow Hat

Optimism, positive, constructive assessment

Unlike red hat, yellow hat statements must be supported with logic and reasoning, otherwise it’s just another red hat.

Yellow hat can be about speculation – you cannot be certain about the future, but try to see the brighter side of things.

Optimism must be balanced with realism to avoid foolishness. Unfounded optimism and euphoria is red-hat thinking.

The spectrum can range from the initial vision to an extension of the solution with more ideas.

This process is constructive and generative resulting in

concrete suggestions.Yellow

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"Don't confuse facts with problems.  Facts describe what we believe to be so.  Problems are demoralizing stories made up about the facts.  In other words, facts are to be challenged but problems, now they are really a problem."   

Sue McPhail (1956-) American writer, attitudinal and behavioral change professional, a pioneer in the emerging field of innovation-specific corporate cultural change.

Editor's Note:   Think back to the last time an idea with great potential was discarded by you or your business.  Most likely, someone decided there were just too  many problems associated with the proposed innovation for it to be viable.  Really?  What might have happened if the issues had been considered facts rather than problems? 

This week, try a little experiment.  Every time you hear or find yourself using the term “problem,” stop.  Rephrase the sentence, this time saying, "This is what we believe is so."  Then, challenge the belief.

ideaology   www.ideaologists.com

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Yellow Hat – Applied to Bottled Water

Let’s take a few minutes to apply Yellow Hat thinking to our bottled water example

Yellow

216 HatsGreen Hat

Creativity, new ideas, possibilities

Green hat thinking is to look for alternatives, to see beyond the normal and obvious.

Green hat explores new ideas further and builds on them. Some people are satisfied with the answers obtained very early

and discontinue thinking about new ideas. During green hat, everyone is expected to either come up with

ideas or remain absolutely silent. Black and Yellow hats are off limits!

Green

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Green Hat – Applied to Bottled Water

Let’s take a few minutes to apply Green Hat thinking to our bottled water example

Green

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Caution, risk avoidance, critical assessment

Black hat is as natural as a “survival” instinct. It stops us from doing things that are reckless, unethical, harmful, etc. …

Black hat is the basis of ‘critical thinking’, focusing on what, why and how things may NOT work as planned.

Black hat statements should be defensible – otherwise they become red hat statements.

This hat should be used sparingly or it tends to stifle creativity; I’ve left it for last. Black

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Black Hat – Applied to Bottled Water

Let’s take a few minutes to apply Black Hat thinking to our bottled water example

Black

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Blue HatControl and organize the thinking process

Blue hat is a useful last step, used to summarize results, formulate next steps, and document the findings. Don’t forget to capture all the green hat ideas, they may come in handy!

The blue hat could also be used to apply special decision making methods such as a Pugh matrix; however, the “best” choice is very often apparent to all participants.

Under the final blue hat, the team compares the session outcome to the original objectives for the session.

Blue

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Should we go forward?

Despite all the analysis, rigor, engineering, planning, etc, the final decision to go forward ultimately comes down to which hat?

Red

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Conclusions

The Six Hats method allows teams to take things ‘one at a time’ thereby removing confusion.

All team members remain on the “same page,” dealing with pure information, expressed emotions, unleashed creativity, hopeful optimism and non-threatening criticism, all with personal sensitivity and process rigor.

Hats de-personalize discussions and encourage all team members to build each other up, rather than argue, debate and tear down.

A careful mix and sequential use of the hats ensures a thorough exploration of the design space and makes the end route obvious.