• Six thinking hats
  • concepts worth further consideration
    • p. 41 some overlap with Kahneman on statistics, perception, and anecdotes
    • p. 55 using the red hat as an individual to effectively deal with personal emotions
    • p. 56 compare definitions of intuition with Kahneman's system 1
    • p. 59 opinions can be red hat (feelings), yellow hat (hopes), or black hat (fears)
    • p. 78 "far too often proof is no more than lack of imagination"
    • p. 79 "in the real world it is very difficult to be certain. Action has to be taken on 'likelihood.'"
    • p. 81 "we have to base speculations about the future on our own experience and the experience of others"
    • p. 91 "the one thing that characterized successful people was this overwhelming desire to make things happen"
    • p. 116 2000 years ago Chinese technology was way ahead of Western. His explanation for their lack of progress is failure to develop the hypothesis
    • p. 171 the process pros, cons, feelings, facts often guides individual decisions. In this case, it's done systematically and in the open
    • In the end all decisions are really "red hat"
  • topics to explore
    • preface xi simple concept: allows thinker to do one thing at a time
    • xiii the emphasis is on "what can be" rather than "what is"
      • p. 2 "what is" is determined by analysis, judgment and argument
      • "what can be" constructive thinking, creative thinking, "designing a way forward"
      • p. 3 traditional thinking tries to fit things into existing boxes
    • p. 4 parallel thinking all views, even contradictory, are examined at the same time without argument
    • p. 7 everyone should use the same mode together NOT each person different mode
    • p. 8 focus shifts from why we think a certain way to shifting to another mode of thinking
    • p. 9 the goal shifts from promoting one's own ideas to solving the problem at hand
    • p. 19 very important that group leader determines the mode of thinking and redirects anyone who changes mode
    • one minute per person present in each mode but if obvious progress is being made, longer time can be spent
    • p. 21 guidelines to follow
    • p. 22 these can be used by individuals alone or some time can be allocated for individuals in the group to wear certain hats while alone and then the group can reconvene afterward
  • The white hat (Note: this is an outline of the book.  Find my meta-analysis of the book and its method here.
    • get the facts first and then look for a conclusion, rather than try to get facts to support a conclusion (he calls this typical Western thinking)
    • p. 29 framing suitable focusing questions
    • this hat best describes a judge (curious) rather than a lawyer (making an argument)
    • p. 31 involves skill, maybe more than the other hats
    • p. 33 believed facts and checked facts
    • p. 34 make sure to specify the level of certainty - never give own opinion under white hat
    • no attempt can be made to use facts to advance a point of view
    • references Japanese culture (face-based) as opposed to Western culture (argument-based)
      • p. 37 participants watch information slowly make itself into an idea
      • white hat overrides cultural bias
    • p. 39 white swan/black swan - white hat thinking is a continuum of definitely true to definitely false and everything in between
    • p. 43 various levels of precision are involved - statements of judgment need to be weighed in context (eg. many experts say...)
    • my summary: white hat is "just the facts, Ma'am."
  • The red hat (Note: this is an outline of the book.  Find my meta-analysis of the book and its method here.
    • never try to explain or justify the feelings
    • the focus is on emotions relating to the idea under discussion. Do not change the subject
    • each person should express a feeling - this is input to the process, not a basis for final judgment
    • p. 52 "any good decision must be emotional in the end"
    • The purpose of the red hat is to expose background emotion
    • we tend to make snap judgments based on emotion
      • red hat brings these emotions to the surface before making judgment based on them
    • emotions are the link between our values and the decision
    • p. 61 "once the red hat idiom is established, putting forth emotional views without its formality comes to seem crude"
      • reduces the resentment and offense that emotions can cause
    • p. 64 imagine a different emotional background from time to time
    • p. 65 consider desires and emotions in an attempt to discern each party's values
      • 1 examining whether the values can be satisfied with the decision
      • 2 examining if both parties will benefit
      • 3 weighing short term and long term benefits
    • p. 67 "there may be more danger in prejudices that are apparently founded in logic than those which are acknowledged as emotions"
    • being for something in the abstract but against it when it's expressed in concrete terms makes sense when the focus is on the emotions
    • p. 69 the red hat validates feelings by legitimizing their presence
  • The black hat (Note: this is an outline of the book.  Find my meta-analysis of the book and its method here.
    • p. 71 indicates caution
    • the basis of critical thinking
    • it tells us something doesn't fit, or match, expectations
    • it isolates this mode of thinking so it doesn't overflow into the others
    • the green hat will be used to try to overcome the difficulties suggested under the black hat
    • could be phrased "I see a danger..."
    • p. 85 using this framework can help overly critical people feel comfortable using other modes
    • purpose of this mode is to put points of caution on the map
  • The yellow hat (Note: this is an outline of the book.  Find my meta-analysis of the book and its method here.
    • p. 89 Unlike the black hat, this one is not a natural mode such as avoiding danger (not sure I agree - see optimism bias)
    • We need to develop a sensitivity to value that counteracts our sensitivity to danger
    • Like black hat, this is judgment thinking, not blue sky Pollyannaism
    • "What are the values? For whom? Under what circumstances? How are the values delivered? What other values are there?"
    • p. 91 a mixture of curiosity, pleasure, greed, desire to "make things happen" (cf. extraversion - Carl Jung definition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extraversion_and_introversion)
    • sometimes the search for the positive is futile
    • value and benefit are not always obvious
    • p. 96 "over-optimism usually leads to failure"
    • "It is those who expect to succeed who do succeed"
    • label optimistic suggestions with degree of likelihood
    • even long shots should be put on the map
    • try to justify the optimism but put it forward either way
    • three modes
      • 1 generation of proposals
      • 2 positive assessment of proposals
      • 3 improvements and strengthening existing proposal(s)
    • p. 106 start off with the best possible scenario
    • explore "ifs" - think about what could happen if something changes
    • explore the positive equivalent of risk = opportunity
    • includes effective application of old ideas
    • effectiveness, rather than novelty
  • The green hat (Note: this is an outline of the book.  Find my meta-analysis of the book and its method here.
    • p. 115 people do not like being quiet, so they make a creative effort
    • people are good at playing the "game" in progress so they get good at making creative effort
    • we should always be trying to find a better way of doing things
    • means setting aside time for deliberate creative thinking
    • p. 119 contrary to natural habits of judgment, recognition, and criticism
    • if you spend time looking for alternatives you will likely find more
    • humor and lateral thinking are similar: both depend on asymmetric nature of patterns of perception
    • eureka effect comes when cutting across patterns makes sense
    • "movement" involves more than absence of judgment
    • p. 124 movement from an idea includes extracting the principle and focusing on the difference
    • move forward with an idea or from an idea
    • po -> hypothesis, suppose, possible, poetry
    • one method is reversal (inversion)
    • when black hat thinking can easily dismiss an idea, green hat can treat it as a provocation
    • a random word provides a different starting point
    • gives us another track to arrive back at the idea which we would never otherwise have encountered
    • there is usually more than one answer
      • some are better than others
      • the first is not necessarily the best
    • p. 134 the quality of the decision depends very much on the alternatives that are available to the decision maker
    • p. 137 there is no reason I should pause to consider alternatives, but I am going to
    • p. 139 a black hat dominant thinker doesn't diminish ability to think negatively in order to be creative, just puts it on pause
    • p. 141 don't discard any ideas
    • try to shape the idea so it will work
    • now yellow hat to build up the idea
    • next black hat and white hat to add data that may be needed for the decision
    • put on the red hat and see how we feel about it
  • The blue hat (Note: this is an outline of the book.  Find my meta-analysis of the book and its method here.
    • defines the situation - lays out the purpose of the thinking session
    • this type of thinking resembles mapmaking - requires exploring and noting the terrain
      • very different from standard Western thinking taught in schools
    • even more necessary for thinking on one's own
    • p. 151 assesses priorities, lists constraints
    • p. 153 asking the right question may be the most important part of thinking
      • it is easier to ask the right question(s) in hindsight
      • Is this the real problem? Why do we want to solve this problem? What is the underlying problem?
      • Instead of one best problem definition, set out a range of possible definitions
    • necessary to think carefully about how the sequence of thinking will proceed
      • red hat thinking first if there are strong feelings evident
      • white hat comes next and can be reused at intervals
      • yellow hat thinking puts forth existing proposals
      • blue hat thinking defines areas that need new concepts - use green hat thinking to generate these
      • next categorize proposals by whether they need appraisal or amplification
      • continue to develop proposals using white, yellow, green hats
      • now use black hat as a screening tool
      • yellow and green hats try to overcome black hat objections
      • black hat again
      • blue hat organizes a "choice of route" strategy
      • put on the red hat and talk about the choices
      • alternate yellow and black hats to try to best fit the needs
      • blue hat sets up a strategy for implementation
    • p. 162 from time to time, give an overview of what is happening and what has been achieved
    • anyone at the meeting can put on a blue hat at any point
    • everyone should make a concerted effort to think in the current thinking mode
    • how to treat opposing ideas
      • suppose that each one is correct under certain circumstances
      • now consider which of the circumstances most closely resembles the current state of affairs
      • Use the best home method: what would be the best home for this idea?
      • If someone is stuck on something, make a note of it
    • Very often at the final blue hat everyone can clearly see the solution
  • The purple hat
    • My idea
    • the purple hat tries to take the concepts that have been developed and see if there are extended ways they can be used
    • tries to reuse byproducts of the process in productive ways
  • Conclusion
    • first main purpose is to allow thinking about one thing at a time
    • second main purpose is to allow a switch in thinking
    • provides a definite idiom without being offensive
    • it becomes a common language