Global Perspective on Decision Making

Edword De Bono the author of the book 6 Thinking Hats…was honored to chair the onference  of the Noble Laurettes which speaks of the stature of the man due to his breakthrough research in the areas of Thinking as a Tool…this tool in the form of hats can be definitely applied in the Corporate World or so towards effective and efficient decision making….we have seen these hats ,let’s look at them in one go….

·White Hat:

With this thinking hat you focus on the data available. Look at the information you have, and see what you can learn from it. Look for gaps in your knowledge, and either try to fill them or take account of them.

·This is where you analyze past trends, and try to extrapolate from historical data.

·Red Hat:

'Wearing' the red hat, you look at problems using intuition, gut reaction, and emotion. Also try to think how other people will react emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.

·Black Hat:

Using black hat thinking, look at all the bad points of the decision. Look at it cautiously and defensively. Try to see why it might not work. This is important because it highlights the weak points in a plan. It allows you to eliminate them, alter them, or prepare contingency plans to counter them.

·Black Hat thinking helps to make your plans 'tougher' and more resilient. It can also help you to spot fatal flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action. Black Hat thinking is one of the real benefits of this technique, as many successful people get so used to thinking positively that often they cannot see problems in advance. This leaves them under-prepared for difficulties.

·Yellow Hat:

The yellow hat helps you to think positively. It is the optimistic viewpoint that helps you to see all the benefits of the decision and the value in it. Yellow Hat thinking helps you to keep going when everything looks gloomy and difficult.

·Green Hat:

The Green Hat stands for creativity. This is where you can develop creative solutions to a problem. It is a freewheeling way of thinking, in which there is little criticism of ideas. A whole range of creativity tools can help you here.

·Blue Hat:

The Blue Hat stands for process control. This is the hat worn by people chairing meetings. When running into difficulties because ideas are running dry, they may direct activity into Green Hat thinking. When contingency plans are needed, they will ask for Black Hat

thinking, etc.

The benefits of the Hats….

1. Provides a common language
2. Experience & intelligence of each person (Diversity of thought)
3. Use more of our brains
4. Helps people work against type, preference
5. Removal of ego (reduce confrontation)
6. Save time
7. Focus (one thing at a time)
8. Create, evaluate & implement action plans

How we can use these Hats….

Use any hat, as often as needed Sequence can be preset or evolving Not necessary to use every hat Time under each hat: generally, short Requires discipline from each person

While using it, stay in the idiom

Adds an element of play, play along Can be used by individuals and groups