Book Review: Six Thinking Hats
Who Should Read This Book
The Six Thinking Hats is an authoritative framework designed to help organizations and teams overcome some of the inherited cognitive and cultural mindsets that prevent us from refining our decision-making capabilities. In that sense, it is an essential tool for decision-makers, especially when the stakes are high.
Synopsis
In addition to his publications on lateral thinking, critical thinking, and creativity, the Six Thinking Hats, first published in 1985, is probably one of the best-known frameworks among Eduard de Bono‘s vast portfolio of new ideas.
In this relatively short book, de Bono presents his new thinking framework and describes its premises, which we summarise as follows:
The Six Thinking Hats framework addresses these two problems as follows:
Why six coloured hats?
The hats are symbolic objects that we can quickly put on and off. The colours allow us to remember and visualise the purpose of each hat. Although the hats can be used in any sequence, de Bono proposes to use them in such a way that:
Themes
- Critical Thinking
- Six Thinking Hats
- Lateral Thinking
- Argumentation
- Collaboration
- Decision-making
- Intuition
- Information
- Cognition
- Cognitive Biases
- Problem-Solving
- Emotions
- Judgment
Content
Structure
The book is divided into (very) small chapters. An introduction to the Six Thinking Hats provides anecdotal evidence of the significant improvements that method has brought to several well-known large organizations worldwide. Each thinking hat is described in about 4-8 chapters focusing on one idea or practical usage of the hat that the author believes deserves special attention. Each hat section starts with an introduction and exists with a summary, which I found very convenient.
Original Content
Eduard de Bono is world famous for his novel solutions to old problems, and The Six Thinking Hats falls into this category. It’s a unique framework designed for efficiency and targeted against our innate cognitive biases. The solution proposed by the author is straightforward, making it even more surprising that we had to wait so long for someone like Dr de Bono to articulate it.
General Tone
The book is an easy read, as is characteristic of the author’s style. The latter has a clear structure and assertive tone, associated with simple thoughts and abundant examples, and it reads more like a motivating talk rather than a university lecture.
Practical Usage
The practical aspect of this work is its most prominent asset. The ideas are straightforward, making them readily useable as the foundation of a workshop. However, a supplemental amount of research on behalf of the lecturer would undoubtedly improve the chances of selling the ideas to the audience.
The Six Thinking Hats does require some effort to implement, especially since it involves orchestrating the activities of a group. The method is not easily applied (or cost-efficient) for an individual. However, being aware of our limitations and our brain’s tendency to mix and confuse rationality with emotions and facts with biased perceptions is always good.
Despite the evidence the book provides in its opening chapter on the potency of the method, it is unfortunately anecdotal. Still, it is worth trying because of its simplicity and benevolent nature, especially in strategic meetings.
Depth
This book lacks much-needed theory or depth, which must be supplemented with additional titles such as Thinking, Fast and Slow, Fooled by Randomness, or even better, some textbooks. You will only be able to appreciate the depth and ingenuity of the ideas proposed if you already have some background on the subject.
Eduard de Bono has received criticism for his work, primarily since most of his books are constituted of primary ideas with plenty of examples. Still, sources, references, and evidence to support his propositions are unavailable in the book.
Genre
The book can be classified under general interest/business management.
Writing Style
Eduard de Bono’s writing style is clear, concise, thought-provoking, and enjoyable. There is a bit of repetition, which can be annoying sometimes, but overall, it’s a smooth read. The abundance of examples is welcome, as sometimes the correct methods for using the hats may not be evident without them.
Accessibility
This book is meant for every professional and especially decision-makers. Little technical knowledge is required to understand the book’s ideas, although a basic understanding of cognitive biases and rationality will make it more valuable. The book is also free of technical jargon, complicated acronyms, or convoluted arguments.
Author
Bio
From Wikipedia:
Edward Charles Francis Publius de Bono (19 May 1933 – 9 June 2021) was a Maltese physician, psychologist, author, inventor, philosopher, and consultant. He originated the term lateral thinking, wrote the book Six Thinking Hats, and was a proponent of the teaching of thinking as a subject in schools.
Publications
- The Use of Lateral Thinking (1967) ISBN 0-14-013788-2, introduced the term “lateral thinking“
- The Five-Day Course in Thinking (1968), introduced the L game
- Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step, (1970), Harper & Row 1973 paperback: ISBN 0-06-090325-2
- Lateral Thinking for Management (1971)
- Po: A Device for Successful Thinking (1972), ISBN 0-671-21338-5, introduced the term Po
- Atlas of Management Thinking (1981)
- Conflicts: A Better Way to Resolve them (1985)
- Serious Creativity: Using the Power of Lateral Thinking to Create New Ideas (1992) ISBN 0-00-255143-8 – a summation of many of De Bono’s ideas on creativity
- Water Logic: The Alternative to I am right You are Wrong (1993) ISBN 978-1563120374
- Parallel thinking: from Socratic thinking to de Bono thinking (1994) ISBN 0-670-85126-4
- How to Be More Interesting (1998)
- New Thinking for the New Millennium (1999)
- H+ (Plus): A New Religion (2006)
- How to Have Creative Ideas (2007)
- Think! Before It’s Too Late (2009) ISBN 978-0-09-192409-6
- Lateral Thinking – An Introduction (2014) ISBN 978-0091955021
- Bonting – Thinking to Create Value (2016) ISBN 978-9995750190