Unlocking the Power of Parallel Thinking: A Guide to Six Thinking Hats
What is Six Thinking Hats?
Six thinking hats is a parallel thinking technique developed by psychologist and physician Edward de Bono. This method involves wearing different “hats” to focus on specific aspects of a problem, allowing you to generate more comprehensive solutions.
The Six Hats: A Breakdown
- White Hat: Focuses on facts and data, clarifying questions, and identifying gaps in information.
- Green Hat: Encourages creative thinking, generating new ideas and solutions.
- Red Hat: Explores emotions and intuition, sharing feelings and hunches without judgment.
- Yellow Hat: Looks at the positives, considering what could go well and how to strengthen ideas.
- Black Hat: Examines potential risks and downsides, identifying areas for improvement.
- Blue Hat: The facilitator’s hat, responsible for managing the process, keeping the group on track, and summarizing discussions.
Applying Six Thinking Hats to Product Management
This technique can be particularly useful in product management, where understanding problems and identifying solutions is crucial. By applying six thinking hats, you can:
- Strengthen your understanding of a problem area
- Generate a diverse list of solutions
- Evaluate solutions from multiple angles
- Prioritize and de-risk solutions
Example: Using Six Thinking Hats in Feature Brainstorming
Imagine you’re brainstorming features to solve a specific customer problem. Here’s how you can apply six thinking hats:
- Blue Hat: Provide context and background information on the customer problem.
- White Hat: Discuss customer research, usage data, and market insights.
- Green Hat: Generate new feature ideas and solutions.
- Red Hat: Share emotional reactions and intuition about the ideas.
- Yellow Hat: Examine the positives and potential benefits of each idea.
- Black Hat: Identify potential risks and downsides.
- Blue Hat: Summarize the discussion, document ideas, and outline next steps.
Benefits of Six Thinking Hats
- Reduced conflict: By focusing on specific aspects of a problem, you