Six Thinking Hats – Edward de Bono

The Six Thinking Hats approach was created by Edward de Bono, a Maltese physician, psychologist and philosopher. He wanted it to be a practical tool for everyday problem solving.

The 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.”

What is 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 potential opportunities.

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. Also, things can get even more complicated 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.