Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Managemen

Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Management Section 1 Six thinking hats is a training mode of thinking developed by British scholar Edward De Bono, which is a comprehensive model of thinking about the problem. The unique of this book lies in it provides parallel thinking tools avoiding wasting time on the dispute and it emphasizes what it is going to be, rather than what it is, it is seeking a way to move forward, rather than arguing about who is right or wrong. The main points of discussion in this book focus on how to define and allocate six color hats (red, white, green, yellow, black and blue) to people to maximize the each ones function. White represents objective fact and the white hat should neutrally unveil information and data to all other people; Green symbolizes life and the green hat inspires people to make assumption ignoring whether it is logical or not, just encourages people to express what are they think about a problem; Yellow symbolizes sun and hope and the yellow hat seeks the profits and value and tries to figure out the possibility of potential solutions; Black stands for prudent and critical side and the function of the black hat is finding the disadvantages and making appraisal; Red symbolizes the flame and passion and the red hat allows people to think of issue based on perceptions and instinct; The blue is the color of sky, therefore the blue hat need arrange the procedure and control other five color hats avoiding them make confliction. Using Six Thinking Hats will make chaotic thinking become clearer, turn the group of

meaningless arguments into brainstormed creation and try to make everyone Section Six-thinking-hats management provides a become creative. 2 communication

operation framework and allows us to think of one thing from different aspects separately so that we can give different sides enough attention and full consideration in turn, ultimately form a comprehensive understanding about a specific problem or issue. But readers should be advised the major misunderstanding about six thinking hats is that users only think of a specific issue based on six aspects, actually the key point of application of the six thinking hats method lies in what order users choose to follow to organize the thinking process. Only mastered how to organize the thinking process can we believe he or she really masters the six thinking hats method, otherwise it may often make people feel this tool is not practical. And the ideal effect is hard to be achieved just through reading and users must make exercise in the practices. When it comes to managers, the main application situation is meeting, especially refers to the discussion meeting, because this kind of meeting provides a platform where thoughts and ideas collide each other, in this case, the standard logical order of applying six thinking hats should follow this procedure: firstly, the white hat states what kind problem we have to face, secondly, the green hat puts forward some solutions, thirdly, the yellow hat analyzes advantage of solutions, fourthly, the black hat point up disadvantage of solutions, fifthly, the red hat makes adjustment instinctively, lastly, the blue hat makes a conclusion based on existing messages from five hats and make the final decision. the six thinking hats will be a particularly effective communication framework. All people put forward ideas under the charge of blue

hats not only can effectively avoid conflicts, but can discuss a topic more fully and thoroughly. Therefore, the meeting adopted six thinking hats can compress the meeting time and deepen the discussion. Section 3 The most interesting thing is that the author establishes a link between the color and the function of each hat and that can help readers easily understand and remember. The breakthrough is that using the parallel thinking skills replaces confrontational and vertical thinking method to improve the enterprises staffs cooperation ability, optimizing the teams potentials. Like a color printer that firstly breaks colors down into three basic colors and then each basic color print in the same paper presenting color printing effect. Lastly, the main reason why it is difficult to reach an agreement in discussion meetings, not due to some external skills shortage, but because some people do not agree with the others views References Edward D (1999). Six Thinking Hats: An Essential Approach to Business Management. 4th edition. New York: Oversea Publishing House
About these ads

at

the

beginning.