Six Thinking Hats

Six Thinking Hats is a decision-making technique created by Edward de Bono. It helps groups and individuals look at a problem from six distinct perspectives, ensuring a more thorough and balanced analysis.

Each "hat" represents a different thinking style. Consider your problem through each hat:

1. 🎩 White Hat — Facts — What do we know? What data do we have? What information is missing?
2. 🎩 Red Hat — Emotions — What does your gut say? What are your feelings about this? Don't justify them.
3. 🎩 Black Hat — Caution — What could go wrong? What are the risks and weaknesses? Play devil's advocate.
4. 🎩 Yellow Hat — Optimism — What are the benefits? Why could this work? What's the best-case scenario?
5. 🎩 Green Hat — Creativity — What are the alternatives? Can we do this differently? Generate new ideas.
6. 🎩 Blue Hat — Process — What's our thinking process? What hat should we use next? Summarize and conclude.

• White: Companies like Microsoft Japan saw 40% productivity increase. Our industry avg is 5-day.
• Red: The team is excited. Management feels uneasy.
• Black: Client expectations for availability. Potential salary concerns.
• Yellow: Better work-life balance. Improved retention. Competitive advantage in hiring.
• Green: Trial it for one quarter. Do 4 x 10-hour days. Alternate Fridays and Mondays off.
• Blue: We've covered all perspectives. Let's trial it for Q3.

Six Thinking Hats helps you avoid groupthink and blind spots by systematically exploring a decision from multiple angles. It makes discussions more productive and inclusive.