Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Hat Workshop
The difference between brilliant and mediocre teams isnt so much in their collective mental capacity, but in how well they can tap into their collective wisdom and how well they function together.
Process
The workshop process goes through four main activities based on the double diamond design process. Starting with diverging and open up to new
possibilities to converging narrowing down options to identify the most reasonable solution. This mix of diverging to converging thinking provides a framework to open up the dialogue to new alternatives and to break old patterns.
Discover: Diverging
Information gathering and creating objectives.
Define: Converging
Organizing information and select the objectives.
Develop: Diverging
Deliver:
Converging
Creating action plan and delegate owners for the objectives.
Workshop steps
The thinking hats sequence can be changed depending on what the process or meeting is target towards. This time we have chosen to use the hats in the following ordered.
Step 1: White Hat; facts, figures and information. (Objective) Gathering and sharing of information known or needed, facts and figures related to directly or indirectly to the organizations goal. Step 2. Red Hat; Intuition and emotions. (Subjective) What intuition, hunches, opinion and emotion does the group have to the situation? Create forecasts of the organizations future and identifying links between the trends, patterns and forces to the organizations goal. Step 3. Green hat; Creativity and alternatives. (speculative/creative) What are the possibilities, alternatives, new ideas and approaches that can lead us to the goal? This step is to generating objectives to the goals Step 4. Blue hat; Overview process control. (Overview) Selection of tree objectives.
Step 5. Black hat; Critical thinking. (Objective) Why would the objectives not work? Criticism, judgment and negative aspects of the objectives. Step 6. Yellow hat; Positive thinking. (Objective) Positive aspects of why the objectives will work to reach the goal. Step 7. Green hat; Creativity and alternatives. (speculative/creative) What are the possibilities, alternatives, new ideas and approaches that can lead us to the objectives? Generating actions to the objectives. Step 8. Blue hat; Overview process control. (overview) Selection of the actions. Step 9. Presentation Step 10. Follow up
Current
The matrix is specially developed for this workshop and a tool that will help you and your team to organize the information in step 5-7 of the workshop.
on the matrix. Each team should focus on one goal so the workshop become focus. If you have more than one group that is attending the workshop each group can focus on the organizations different long and short term goals.
5 FOCUS 4
YOUR DESIGN SHULD ACCOMODATE THESE
3 CONSIDER NEGLECT
FEASIBILITY / VIABILITY
Task:
Put up articles, post-its notes and other facts that have direct or indirect consequences to the organization. Display them on a big wall and try to identify links and patterns in the information.
Time:
30 min
Try to stick with the white hat and just state facts and information. It is good to assign a group leader that can manage the team through the steps.
TIP
Let the attendee know about this task so that they can gather and prepare some relevant facts.
Goal:
Identify trends, patterns, and forces. Create projections on future headlines.
Task:
Use the red post-its to identify links, hunches, intuition, patterns and forces on facts and information posted on the wall. Dont hesitate to express opinion, emotion or feelings. Use different covers from various magazines and construct your own future headlines.
Time:
30 min
Nothing is wrong, so dont hesitate to express any thought, even the smallest or silliest connection can trigger great ideas.
TIP
Goal:
Create objectives to the goals
Task:
While looking at all the information, facts, forces, trends and future scenarios what can be done to reach goal. Generate objectives that will help the organization to reach their goal. Focuses on creativity, everything goes what is the possibilities, is there alternatives what new ideas and approaches can we figure out to reach our goals. What can be done if we would cross-pollinate business units or teams?
Time:
30 min
The green hat is speculative and creative phase where no devils advocate should be present, be creative and build on each others ideas. Think quantity not quality.
TIP
Goal:
Select the three most relevant objectives.
Task:
Look up on your wall of information and discuss which three objectives will be the most reasonable to reach the goals with the help of the decision matrix. When you have chosen the objectives, transfer the related information, projections and opportunities (white and red).
Time:
30 min
Try to be as objective as possible when looking on all the information and the objectives while using the matrix.
TIP
Try to avoid individual voting and use the matrix to spark a dialog.
5 FOCUS 4 IMPORTANCE
YOUR DESIGN SHULD ACCOMODATE THESE
3 CONSIDER NEGLECT
FEASIBILITY / VIABILITY
Time:
30 min
By blocking and questioning your decision you will fully grasp the objectives, but stay objective and be aware of your bias.
TIP
Task:
Discuss in the group the positive aspects of the objectives and why they will work and how they will get you closer to the goal.
Time:
30 min
The black hat is over, now its time to see the positive side to the objectives. Build on each others ideas; see the opportunities and positive consequences.
TIP
Goal:
Action to the objectives
Task:
Generate possible actions that can lead up to the objectives. focusing on creativity, everything goes what is the possibilities, is there alternatives what new ideas and approaches can we figure out to reach our goals.
Time:
30 min
The green hat is speculative and creative phase where no devils advocate should be present, be creative and build on each others ideas.
TIP
Goal:
Create action plan for the objectives.
Task:
Look up on your worksheet of information and discuss which actions will be the most reasonable to reach the objectives.
Time:
30 min
It will facilitate future work if you delegate the actions to units, work groups or individuals to take responsibility for the actions.
TIP
Use the decision matrix to objectively look upon the actions to select.
Step 9 Presentation
Spend a few minutes to summarize your content before presenting it to the other groups. Share and discuss the findings, insights, bias and difficulties of the workshop. There could be many different ways of presenting your groups conclusions. Statement of the context, objectives, actions and who could be responsible for them. Role-play where you act out the outcome. Magazine headlines and its story. Future sample of the board of directors meeting agenda.
Step 10 Follow up
The most crucial step after the workshop is to build a team that has dedication, time, power, knowledge and resources to manage the objectives and actions. Good luck !