THE SIX THINKING HATS METHOD
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Transcript THE SIX THINKING HATS METHOD
OUT OF THE BLUE
CREATIVITY & PROBLEM SOLVING IN
LEADERSHIP
PERSONAL INTRODUCTIONS
Name
Role
Why here ?
PROGRAMME
Personal introductions
Simplicity
Critical thinking
It’s on the cards
How to provoke
The Six Thinking Hats method
Metaphorically speaking
Mind Mapping
Synectics
Reframing
SIMPLICITY
The workshop materials have been prepared with this
principle in mind
deBono said that we place far too much importance on
complexity & that simplicity is a value worth striving for
“dealing with complexity is an unnecessary & inefficient
waste of time, attention & mental energy”
“there is never any justification for things being complex
when they could be simple”
The Ten Rules of Simplicity
You need to
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Put a very high value on simplicity
Be determined to seek simplicity
Understand the matter very well
Design alternatives & possibilities
Challenge & discard existing elements
Be prepared to start over again
Use concepts
Break things down into smaller units
Be prepared to trade off other values for simplicity
Know for whose sake the simplicity is being designed
CRITICAL THINKING
The ability to be in control of one’s thinking
Examine how one is reasoning
Thinking about thinking
The ability to recognise strengths & weaknesses in
one’s thinking & improve it
Understanding the assumptions at the foundation of a
path of reasoning
Realising the limitations of one’s frame of reference
IT’S ON THE CARDS
(pairs)
List some work problems you would like to solve creatively
For each, record on a card :
- a label / name
- up to six defining characteristics
- your name at the bottom
PROBLEM LABEL :
CHARACTERISTICS :
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. YOUR NAME :
HOW TO PROVOKE
(after Edward deBono)
Creativity can be understood by regarding the human brain as a self
organising information information system
Such a system makes & uses patterns in a logical way which explains
creativity
These patterns become preferred, & our usual way of recognising
things
We think of any new situation through our existing patterns
The brain can only see what it is prepared to see
We tend to see only the idea we already have
This is powerful & efficient method
Think of a river (information) falling onto a surface (the brain)
The pattern is the water course
Lateral thinking is escaping the main track of thinking,
moving across this instead of along it, as in normal
thinking (vertical thinking)
Provocation (Po) is a deliberate & systematic attempt
to think differently, & produces a movement away to a
new position
eg cars should have square wheels
The tools & techniques for lateral thinking are the
means of provocation
One of these tools is the Six Thinking Hats method
THE SIX THINKING HATS
METHOD
Developed by Edward de Bono in 1986
A powerful,simple technique for Lateral
Thinking
IBM reduced meeting time by 40% but
kept effectiveness
Used in peace processes in South
Africa & Northern Ireland
A systematic way of thinking creatively :
everyone thinks in the same way at the
same time
Works from traditional connections between
‘thinking’ & ‘hats’
“Put your thinking hat on’’
“Wearing my management hat,I’d strongly
advise we should do this”(role switch)
Each hat represents a different type of
thinking
Putting on a hat means thinking exclusively
in that mode
Each hat is a tool selected for a particular
purpose
Any hat,any individual
THE WHITE HAT
Think of a piece of paper carrying
information
“What information do we have?
What information is missing?
What information would we like?
How are we going to get it?”
In a meeting,set aside proposals &
concentrate on the information to hand
THE RED HAT
Think of a warm,red fire
This hat concerns emotions , hunches,
intuition , feelings
Wearing it allows you to put forward your
feelings without apology/justification
“I just don’t like the way this is being
done
My gut feeling is that this will never work”
Intuition can be wrong,but it can be
valuable to bring emotions out into open
THE BLACK HAT
Think of a sombre judge in black robes
punishing wrong-doers
It cautions us from making mistakes
It points out that something will not work
“Our policies do not allow us to do that
We cannot achieve that target”
Overuse of the black hat can kill creativity
THE YELLOW HAT
Think of sunshine,a logical positive view
It looks for what is possible,how something can
be achieved
The benefits are reasonably based
“This might work if we could transfer some staff
to the site
Let’s look at the benefits of your suggestion”
There should be some self conscious effort to
search out benefits/value
THE GREEN HAT
Think of abundant growth,vegetation
Think of new ideas & alternatives
Think of possibilities & hypotheses
“We need some new ideas here
Lets find some alternatives
Lets think creatively”
Unlike Yellow Hat,ideas need not be
logical
Using the Green Hat,you can ask directly
for some creative effort
THE BLUE HAT
Think of ‘cool’,the sky & overview
It controls the thinking process by
reviewing it
It sets the agenda for thinking
“Should we start off with some White Hat
thinking?
Putting on my Red Hat,I feel really angry
with the way this meeting is going
Lets summarise that argument “
Usually,but not exclusively,worn by the
chairperson
Any group member can productively put
on the Blue Hat to make the thinking
process more effective
The Blue Hat is for thinking about
thinking
SEQUENCING
“Begin & end with Blue. In between, use any
reasonable sequence”(de Bono)
Move the process of discussion in a desired order
eg
-Blue, White, Red, Yellow, Green, Black, Blue
Each part/hat should be time limited – try two
minutes
THE SIX THINKING HATS
TOPIC/PROBLEM :
SEQUENCE OF HATS :
DURATION OF EACH HAT :
METAPHORICALLY SPEAKING
Metaphors imply a way of thinking & a way of seeing
We try to understand one element of experience in terms of
another
We say that A is (or is like) B
If we say “the man is a lion”, we use the image of a lion to
draw attention to the lion-like aspects of the man
Metaphors produce a one-sided insight, eg emphasising
bravery, strength or ferocity
The same man may also be a chauvinist pig, a saint, a
bore, of a recluse
METAPHORS
ACTIVITY ONE
In pairs:
Each draw a picture to represent the culture
of the team or service you work in
Use a images, symbols, colour & a few
words
Let your partner interpret your picture
METAPHORS
ACTIVITY TWO
Complete the following sentence, using the
card you have selected :
“ If Bradford Council were a detail from card,
it would be a ……..
because it’s ……..
MIND MAPPING
Created by Tony Buzan
Left brain thinking:
Right brain thinking:
analysis
synthesis
dissociation
association
step by step logic
fuzzy logic
straight lines
circles
maths
music
words
images
rationality
intuition
reason
dream
Used for first thoughts, generating ideas, creative thinking,
organising ideas, taking notes
SYNECTICS
Greek word “synectikos” meaning “bringing forth together or
“bringing things into unified connection”
All things, regardless of dissimilarity, can somehow be linked
together
It’s discovering the links that unite seemingly disconnected
elements
This increase creative output, emphasises the emotional & the
irrational so that they can be used with precision
Synectics is:
based on the fusion of opposites
based on analogical thinking
synergistic – the result is greater than the sum of it’s parts
PUZZLES & PROBLEMS
A PUZZLE :
A single answer knowable on advance, you simply have to
find it – eg a crossword
A PROBLEM
Many alternative answers, which cannot be known in
advance, as the problem is unique, & the solutions have to
be created by the problem holder
CLASSICAL PROBLEM SOLVING
DEFINE THE PROBLEM
observation, perception, diagnosis
EXPLORE THE PROBLEM
gather information, reflection, creativity, analysis
GENERATE ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS
imagination, creativity, open-mindedness
CHOOSE A SOLUTION
reasoning, analysis, decision making
IMPLEMENT THE SOLUTION
planning, delegation, time management, review &
evaluate
REFRAMING
To change the meaning about something
This causes a change in perception & opens up new possibilities
Frames are used in NLP to provide a context, focus or guidance for
thoughts & actions
NLP uses various frames:
OUTCOME - what you want to achieve, & the resources required to
achieve it
ECOLOGY – what impact on other systems, body, family, work,
environment, community
EVIDENCE – how will you know when you have achieved your
outcome, what will you see, hear, feel & experience?
AS IF – acting as if the outcome has been achieved
BACKTRACK - to check what has been agreed, understood
REFRAMING ACTIVITY
In pairs:
Help your partner to reframe their problem
Use the OUTCOME, ECOLOGY,
EVIDENCE, AS IF frames
Use the BACKTRACK frame to check your
understanding about the results of your
discussion
Review the advantages & drawbacks of the
process