Divergent, creative and innovative thinking is one of the qualities most valued today by management teams. That is why many companies use strategies such as the technique of the six hats that both favor the resolution of obstacles and help so much decision-making. Will it also be a good strategy for your hardware business?
What is the technique of the six hats to think
Developed by Edward De Bono, a psychologist and professor at the University of Oxford, the six-hat technique is based on encouraging innovative thinking. It helps decision-making, resolve a conflict, or achieve established objectives.
It is a communication tool in which an analysis of problems is made from different points of view while contributing ideas among all the members. In this way, the color of the hats is distributed as follows:
- White. Neutrality and facts. Collection of relevant data and reports.
- Red. Intuition. The most personal perspective, beliefs, and self-judgments.
- Green. Ideas. Possible solutions, methods or strategies that guide us on the right track.
- Black. Criticism and risks. In this case we talk about the negative points, the possible drawbacks, and disadvantages to consider.
- Orange. Optimism. Where the black hat sees the glass half empty, the orange does just the opposite.
- Blue. Control and results. In the technique of the six hats, the blue is responsible for directing the meeting and putting on the table the results and contributions of the companions.
How to apply this method step by step
In the technique of the six hats, first the problem is explained, the objective to be achieved or the solution to which it is intended to arrive. Then the hats are distributed, the role of each one is discussed, a few minutes are given for reflection and dialogue begins.
Whoever has the blue hat will act as moderator and the rest will make their contributions always considering the characteristic of their hat. At any given time, the moderator will be able to change hats among the participants. So that everyone better understands the point of view of their peers.
The session will end when the time allotted for this is expiring or when an agreement has been reached.
Main advantages of the technique of the six hats for the company
It is a very useful technique with great benefits:
- Promotes creative, lateral, and innovative thinking.
- It provides different points of view or perspectives of the same problem so it can be very helpful in decision making.
- Avoid conflicts and possible arguments between participants.
- As its name suggests, it drives thought in all its breadth.
- Thanks to it you learn to think about the problem itself but considering and valuing the contributions of others.
Would you include the technique of the six hats in your strategy?
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