Six Thinking Hats
by Edward de Bono
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Book Reviews of Six Thinking Hats
Book Review: Simple, interesting, easy to remember and helpful
Summary: 4 Stars
Though I despise the author's self boasting and over exaggeration of the impact and influence which he wrote in the preface that "The Six Hats method may well be the most important change in human thinking for the past twenty-three hundred years" and "the introduction of it increased thinking productivity by 493 percent in a simple experiment with three hundred senior public servants", I am obliged to describe it simple, interesting, easy to remember and helpful.
In short, the six hats refer to six different perspectives (white-facts, red-emotions, yellow-positive views, black-negative views, green-creative/alternatives, blue-organizing/goals). The author suggests that by putting one hat/perspective at a time, thinking and thus problem solving will be much enhanced, both on an individual and on a group discussion setting when all participants are required to put on the same color of hats together sequentially.
Of course the reality is more complicated and difficult than what the author paints as office politics always come into play. Nevertheless, this book reminds me of "Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth H. Blanchard" in that readers can easily recall the concept well. Anyway, it's an outstanding book not to be missed.
Book Review: Book Review
Summary: 5 Stars
De Bono has written and conceptualized a book with great ideas and actions that teach us to look at different angles of a decision making process. In the western culture we tend to argue for what we believe is correct, but De Bono states that we should seek all angles of attack. Everyone (whether for or against the situation) approaches the statement with a total of 6 different mindsets all working towards one goal. With this approach, all topics have been explored and everyone is "thinking on the same page". In doing so, the best decision is typically made with a significant amount of time saved for other topics of discussion.
Highly recommend this book if someone is seeking a more efficient way to run meetings and organizations. Instead of the typical argumentative approach, it now transforms into a cooperative thinking that lays out all scenarios. In turn it reduces the drama affiliated with the art of debate.
Other than that, The Six Thinking Hats is an enjoyable read that is easy to teach to others who are unfamiliar with the technique presented. The only downfall to this book is the excessive use of examples which become a little overwhelming that could persuade an individual to begin "skimming" the book. However, this is so small as compared to the theories that can help any team save time and effort.
Book Review: Excellent tools for structuring creative thinking
Summary: 5 Stars
For problem-solving requiring creativity, this is an excellent approach. I am currently using the CoRT package for teaching thinking, and while it is simplistic (after all, thinking is straightforward for most of us, owing to long practice), it is effective.The purpose of the hats and colors, as well as the apparent simplicity, is to guide the mind along the appropriate paths. Read De Bono's "Mechanism of Mind" for a detailed explanation of what is going on.
This book goes beyond CoRT, in that it provides a more flexible approach than TEC-PISCO, but CoRT does provide the creativity tools for actual work under the green hat. CoRT also has specific tools for under the other hats, too, but is a lengthier process. CoRT is nearly 30 years old now, and has influenced a lot of later writers and their methods.
There are other approaches to this. But you don't need brainstorming and all that stuff, to do creative problem-solving. You can work through things by being in calm control of your mind, and by yourself (rather than in a brainstorming group). The techniques work if you use them: if you don't actually use them, don't expect a benefit.
Compact, terse and readable. Also, very implementable, with good results if you get into it. If you treat it like you already know all about it, you will not see any benefit.
Book Review: Six Thinking Hats
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was really helpful in giving a good example of how to create a meeting in which people can not become biased. Argumentative thinking, lateral thinking and parallel thinking are ways of thinking that can be obtained. In argumentative thinking each person has a stance and they try to prove each other wrong through argument. This is how we all grew up, debating and proving your thoughts are correct. In this book you learn the idea of lateral thinking, in lateral thinking each person has a different view or perspective of the problem and together everyone can view the picture as a whole. Parallel thinking is a kind of co-coordinated and co-operative thinking. This kind of thinking is just like how two people are staring at a house and yet each person is staring at it from different sides, because each person has different views and can say something that is true but yet doesn't believe each other. With parallel thinking, we want people to have the same views and discuss them. These are the things that I learned about the book. After reading it I gained a good handful of knowledge that I can one day apply in the future. I recommend this book if someone was to really want to improve a meeting that would have taken a few days or a few weeks and turn it into a quick non-wasteful time of thinking.Book Review: This is an excellent method
Summary: 5 Stars
Good thinking is simple. The goal of effective thinking is to make complexity managable. The Six Thinking Hats Method is by design a KISS system that is not intended to emphasize how clever any individuals in a group are, but to make actionable decisions--in most cases to achieve business results (as de Bono wryly notes elsewhere, most academics aren't interested in effective thinking).The reason I'm writing this review is to correct an inaccuracy in the previous review. Having each person in a group adopt a different hat is exactly the OPPOSITE of what is intended with the Parallel Thinking method (a virtual synonym for the Six Hat method). The idea is that everyone in a group focusses on a specific element (Hat) at the same time, not individually. Doing it this way reduces argument and the role of ego in the conversation.
As de Bono notes, an important element in his work is also to demystify creativity, and help people understand you don't need lava lamps and candles to "do" creativity effectively. You don't have to be goofy. Ordinary business people working on engines and vaccines--and, as far as that goes, Accounts Payable, Sales, and Project Management--need creativity to be effective and competitive in a 24 hour global marketplace.
I teach this course. ....