ExcerptExcerptChristopher Hart, Ph.D.cwh18@cornell.eduwww.spiregroup.biz

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“6 Thinking Hats" Concept Screening Technique

Source: Edward De Bono

Yellow Hat

White Hat

Red Hat

Black Hat

Green Hat

Blue Hat

You are gloomy, negative, focusing on why the ExG idea can't be done. Provide factual, experiential, political, and ethical reasons to be cautious.

You are neutral and objective about an ExG, focusing on facts and figures. What data are available, needed, missing, or forthcoming?

Now think positively. Identify possible benefits, value, and feasibility.

Think creatively, generating new ideas, suggestions, alternatives, variations, and possibilities that enhance or leverage the ExG idea.

Hat worn by the person facilitating the process—me.

What are your feelings, your intuition about a ExG for your business?

• x

White Hat

You are neutral and objective, focusing on facts and figures. What data are available, needed, missing or forthcoming?

• x

Red Hat

What are your feelings, your intuition about the idea?

• x

Black Hat

You are gloomy, negative, focusing on why the idea can't be done. Provide factual, experiential, political, and ethical reasons to be cautious.

• x

Think positively. Identify possible benefits, value, and feasibility.

Yellow Hat

• x

Green Hat

Think creatively, generating new ideas, suggestions, alternatives, variations and possibilities that enhance the original idea.

Benefits from 6 Hats Approach?

• Organizes thinking process

• Protects ideas from being trampled

• Everyone has an equal voice

• People can change “type”

• Aligns and channels thinking

• High productivity

• Automatically creates consensus

• Works from neutral to negative to positive

• Minimizes tendency to wear the black hat

Session Summary

• Challenge your people to achieve service breakthroughs …

• Identify trust defects that erode customer value—and the strength of your organization’s values

• Commit to using 6 Hats whenever an opportunity exists

• The goal?

One Final Lesson

John D. Rockefeller’s secret to success:

“Get up early, work late –and find oil when you drill

for it.”

John D. Rockefeller’s secret to success:

“Get up early, work late –and find oil when you drill

for it.”