Critical Reasoning Using the Six Thinking Hats Method

The Six Thinking Hats method is a useful tool for facilitating group discussions and decision-making, as it helps people to think more productively and take a more rounded approach to problem solving by looking at issues from many different perspectives. It is used by a wide range of people in a variety of settings, including business, education, and personal development.

In 2018, the online travel company Expedia faced a difficult challenge: Their customers were complaining about long wait times, but it wasn’t obvious to the management how the situation could be improved. To solve the problem, Expedia looked at every possible perspective, including customer preferences, staffing, and technology. They looked at customer preferences to see what services customers wanted most and then made adjustments accordingly. They also looked at staffing and technology, such as automating certain processes. But it was the utilization of AI chatbots that finally led to a significant reduction of wait times. This was a bold but successful move to improve customer service at the time.

The example of Expedia shows that by looking at all possible perspectives, organizations are able to come up with creative solutions that are tailored to their customers’ needs. In this blog post, I’d like to briefly introduce a method that helps teams as well as individuals to look at problems from many different angles to improve critical reasoning.

Basics of the Six Thinking Hats Method

The six hats represent six different types of thinking:

White Hat: This hat represents objective, neutral thinking and the collection of data. It is used to focus on the facts and figures, and to consider the information that is available.
Red Hat: This hat represents emotion and intuition. It is used to consider the emotional aspects of a problem or decision, and to allow people to express their gut reactions and feelings.
Black Hat: This hat represents caution and critical thinking. It is used to identify potential problems and risks, and to consider the negative consequences of a decision.
Yellow Hat: This hat represents optimism and positive thinking. It is used to consider the benefits and positive consequences of a decision, and to look for the best in any situation.
Green Hat: This hat represents creativity and new ideas. It is used to generate new ideas and solutions, and to think outside the box.
Blue Hat: This hat represents the overall process and organization of thinking. It is used to manage the thinking process, and to consider the big picture and the long-term implications of a decision.

The Six Thinking Hats method is often used in business and education settings, as it helps people to think more critically and creatively, and to approach problems and decisions from different angles. It can be a useful tool for facilitating group discussions and decision-making, as it helps to ensure that all aspects of a problem are considered, and that all voices are heard.

How to Apply the Six Thinking Hats Method

To use the Six Thinking Hats method, follow these steps:

Identify the problem or decision that needs to be made. Clearly define the issue and the purpose of the thinking session.
Assign a hat to each person, or have each person choose a hat. Make sure that all six hats are represented.
Set a time limit for each hat. For example, you may want to allow 15 minutes for each hat, or you may want to allocate more or less time depending on the complexity of the problem.
Begin the thinking session by discussing the problem or decision while wearing the white hat. This hat represents objective, neutral thinking and the collection of data. Focus on the facts and figures, and consider the information that is available.
Move on to the red hat. This hat represents emotion and intuition. Allow people to express their gut reactions and feelings about the problem or decision.
Next, move on to the black hat. This hat represents caution and critical thinking. Identify potential problems and risks, and consider the negative consequences of a decision.
Then, move on to the yellow hat. This hat represents optimism and positive thinking. Consider the benefits and positive consequences of a decision, and look for the best in any situation.
Next, move on to the green hat. This hat represents creativity and new ideas. Generate new ideas and solutions, and think outside the box.
Finally, move on to the blue hat. This hat represents the overall process and organization of thinking. Use this hat to manage the thinking process, and to consider the big picture and the long-term implications of a decision.

Once the allotted time for each hat has been reached, review the discussion and the ideas that have been generated. Use this information to make a decision or solve the problem at hand.

It’s important to note that the Six Thinking Hats method is not a linear process, and you may need to go back and forth between hats as needed. The key is to be mindful of the type of thinking that is being used at any given time, and to use the appropriate hat for the task at hand.

Six colorful hats and their meanings according to the Six Thinking Hats Method

Benefits of Using the Six Thinking Hats Method

The Six Thinking Hats method is used by a wide range of people in a variety of settings, including business, education, and personal development. It is often used in business settings as a tool for facilitating group discussions and decision-making, as it helps to ensure that all aspects of a problem are considered, and that all voices are heard. It can also be used in education settings to teach critical and creative thinking skills, and to encourage students to approach problems from different angles. In addition, the method is used by individuals for personal development and goal setting, as it helps to clarify thinking and focus on specific tasks.

There are several benefits to using the Six Thinking Hats method:

Improved decision making: The Six Thinking Hats method helps to ensure that all aspects of a problem are considered, and that all voices are heard. This can lead to more informed and well-rounded decisions.
Enhanced critical thinking skills: The method encourages people to think more critically and creatively, as it requires them to consider a problem or decision from multiple angles.
Increased productivity: By focusing on one type of thinking at a time, the Six Thinking Hats method helps people to stay on track and avoid getting sidetracked or bogged down in unproductive discussions.
Greater participation: The method helps to create a level playing field, as it allows everyone to contribute and express their ideas and opinions. This can lead to greater participation and engagement in group discussions.
Enhanced communication: The Six Thinking Hats method helps to improve communication and understanding within a group, as it encourages people to listen to and consider the perspectives of others.

An Example for the Application of the Six Hats Method

Here is an example of how the Six Thinking Hats method might be used in a business setting:

Imagine that a company is considering a new marketing campaign. The marketing team has been tasked with coming up with a plan for the campaign, and they decide to use the Six Thinking Hats method to facilitate their discussion and decision-making.

The team leader sets aside six colorful hats and announces a time limit for each hat. She begins the thinking session by discussing the problem while wearing the white hat. This hat represents objective, neutral thinking and the collection of data. The team focuses on the facts and figures, and considers the information that is available about the target audience and the budget for the campaign.

Next, the team moves on to the red hat. This hat represents emotion and intuition. Each team member expresses their gut reactions and feelings about the campaign.

Then, the team moves on to the black hat. This hat represents caution and critical thinking. They identify potential problems and risks, and consider the negative consequences of different marketing strategies.

Next, the team moves on to the yellow hat. This hat represents optimism and positive thinking. They consider the benefits and positive consequences of different marketing strategies, and look for the best in any situation.

The team then moves on to the green hat. This hat represents creativity and new ideas. They generate new ideas and solutions for the marketing campaign, and think outside the box.

Finally, the team moves on to the blue hat. This hat represents the overall process and organization of thinking. They use this hat to manage the thinking process, and to consider the big picture and the long-term implications of different marketing strategies.

Once the allotted time for each hat has been reached, the team reviews the discussion and the ideas that have been generated. They use this information to make a decision about the marketing campaign, and create a plan for implementing it.

Alternatives to the Six Thinking Hats Method

There are several techniques and methods that are similar to or can be used in conjunction with the Six Thinking Hats method, including:

Mind mapping: This is a technique for visualizing and organizing ideas, and is often used to generate new ideas and solutions to problems.
SWOT analysis: This is a method for analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of a situation or decision.
The five whys: This is a problem-solving technique that involves repeatedly asking “why” to get to the root cause of a problem.
The causal model of problem-solving: This is a method for analyzing and solving problems by identifying the cause and effect relationships between different variables.
Creative problem-solving: This is a process for generating new ideas and solutions to problems, and involves a number of different techniques and approaches, including brainstorming, lateral thinking, and the SCAMPER method.

Overall, the key to effective problem-solving and decision-making is to use a variety of techniques and approaches, and to be open to trying new methods as needed.

Five monkeys with colorful hats facing their team leader as imagined by Midjourney text-to-image AI

Conclusion

The Six Thinking Hats method is a technique for group discussion and individual thinking that helps people think more productively and take a more rounded approach to decision making. The six hats represent six different types of thinking: white hat (objective, neutral thinking and the collection of data), red hat (emotion and intuition), black hat (caution and critical thinking), yellow hat (optimism and positive thinking), green hat (creativity and new ideas), and blue hat (overall process and organization of thinking). To use the Six Thinking Hats method, identify the problem or decision that needs to be made, assign a hat to each person, or have each person choose a hat, set a time limit for each hat, and begin the thinking session by discussing the problem while wearing the white hat. Then move on to the red hat, black hat, yellow hat, green hat, and blue hat in turn. Review the discussion and the ideas that have been generated once the allotted time for each hat has been reached.

You may leave a comment and let me know if I missed any important points, as well as share your thoughts and opinions on the subject.

Improve Critical Reasoning Using the Six Thinking Hats Method