Identifying a tool to guide a person or business into making a well-informed, guided decision has always been and is now more than ever an extremely important task. Every day we rely upon decisions that we make to allow us to live our lives and become more productive citizens of society. The same is true for businesses, however typically much more is at stake. The decision-making process is much more involved and the consequences much greater. The proper tool is an absolute necessity because of this great need for accuracy. One such tool is the Six Thinking Hats system.
Created by Dr. Edward de Bono, the Six Thinking Hats guide a person through the critical thinking process by forcing a person to explore various aspects of a situation. This process of thinking allows a person the ability to discover thinking styles that they may never have used previously. As a result, new ideas may form and the general process of thinking may transform altogether. By separating thoughts into categories, a person or group of people can be better equipped to assess a situation and learn to become more dynamic. As the name suggests, the Six Thinking Hats are comprised of 6 colors: White, Black, Yellow, Green, Red, and Blue. Each color signifies a distinct type of thinking.
The White Hat concentrates on information readily available. It is used to analyze information easily available and disregards any data based on personal emotion. By using this mindset, a person is forced to evaluate all data available and request any missing data if needed. Past data can also be used to gather more information about a topic.
The Black Hat can be seen as viewing a situation with a more pessimistic attitude. It highlights the negative results of a plan and gives a worst case scenario. By doing so, a person may expose potential vulnerabilities early in the thinking process. People who normally think very positively about a situation would benefit ...