Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats Revisited

We often think – “been there, done that, got the certificate”, but it can be really rewarding to revisit old techniques. A few clients have asked me to help lead their teams to an inspired start to the year. A challenge is to find something fresh, but everything new is not automatically good.

With one team we kicked off the day with a session on Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats to analyse how they approached meetings, problem solving and time management.

We had a very brief discussion on the principles and hopped straight into the process using a current topic in the organisation. It was fun, and interestingly the two colleagues who had been introduced to the method before agreed it still felt fresh.

The team committed to using the process in the workplace because the language was extremely helpful for:

• maintaining focus
• removing hidden agendas
• preventing defensive behaviour
• identifying unnecessary negativity
• getting group participation as no one is allowed to “pass”

How many processes like the six thinking hats offer options on so many areas that management deals with routinely?

A further benefit in this particular workgroup was that we continued to have fun with the language as well as the process throughout the day as we discussed other important matters.

Interestingly my partner and I were concerned that we might have too much material to cover in one day but were amazed to finish an hour ahead of schedule. I encourage you all to become familiar with Edward de Bono’s work – it is intelligent, immediately applicable, and usually fun. Participants can take a new skill back to work, use it with confidence and enjoy great results while introducing the ideas and methodologies to their wider teams.

Edward de Bono’s books are available at most reputable book stores over to you.

For more information on the Six Thinking Hats click here for Wikipedia article.