Six thinking hats
Definition
Six thinking hats
Six thinking hats is a facilitation protocol that splits a discussion into six named modes, so a group argues one way at a time instead of all ways at once. Everybody wears the same hat together, and the chair calls the switch.
Edward de Bono published the method in 1985. It is not a decision rule and it is not a workshop format. It gives you an order of thinking inside a conversation you were going to have anyway.
Hold it apart from two neighbours. Decision making is the broader subject of how a choice gets made, and a design thinking workshop is a dated event with an agenda.
Key takeaways
- Six named modes, worn by the whole group at the same time.
- The blue hat runs the session and decides which hat comes next.
- Parallel thinking cuts argument because nobody is defending a position.
- It is a protocol for a conversation, not a method for designing a service.
How it works
The chair picks a sequence of hats, announces each one, and the group thinks only in that mode until the hat changes. Nobody argues across modes — the room stops defending positions and starts covering ground.
| Hat | Mode | What the room does under it |
|---|---|---|
| White | Information | States facts known and facts still missing |
| Red | Feelings | Gives gut reactions, with no justification |
| Black | Risk | Names what could go wrong, and why |
| Yellow | Value | Probes the benefit and what would make it work |
| Green | Ideas | Offers alternatives and new concepts |
| Blue | Process | Sets the sequence and closes the session |
Parallel thinking is the point. In an ordinary meeting one person argues for and another argues against, and the hour goes on defending two positions. Under the hats, both argue the same way at the same time.
The de Bono Group describes the method as separating thinking into six clear functions and roles, each tied to a coloured hat a team can mentally put on and take off again.
That same description calls the risk hat the most powerful of the six and warns it becomes a problem when overused, because a room that lives in risk never reaches a decision at all.
The method is trained commercially. The de Bono Group runs it as a core programme and licenses facilitators, which is why the terminology stays consistent across companies that have bought the training.
Sequences are designed, not improvised. A short evaluation runs blue, white, yellow, black, red, blue. An idea session runs blue, white, green, yellow, black, blue. Blue always opens and closes.
Keep the sequence visible. Write the hats on the wall or in the shared document with a time against each, so nobody has to remember which mode the room is currently in.
The blue hat usually sits with the team leader or a neutral facilitator. Whoever holds it contributes no content; they decide which mode the group needs next and when to stop.
The protocol earns its keep in cross functional collaboration, where finance, operations and engineering talk past each other — each arrives wearing a default hat it never takes off.
Write the sequence into the agenda. A kickoff meeting template naming blue, white, green, yellow, black and blue again gives a new group its order before anyone can argue about it.
Other structured methods split creative work by stage rather than by mode. Nielsen Norman Group’s 2024 design thinking study guide sets out six distinct phases from empathize to implement; that guide describes design thinking, not this protocol.
The hats decide nothing. They make the thinking visible and complete — somebody still has to pick an option, own the pick, and carry the result of it afterwards.
Examples
Four settings where the hats do real work: a vendor decision, an incident review, a product idea session and a hiring panel. Each uses a different sequence, and the sequence is the design.
A business process outsourcing vendor decision. The buying team runs white (what the bids actually say), then black (where each provider could fail), then yellow (what each would unlock), then red (which one the room trusts).
An incident review in a payments team. Black hat first and strictly timed, then green for fixes. Running black and green together is what turns a post mortem into a blame meeting.
A product idea session. Green hat for twenty silent minutes with no evaluation allowed, then yellow before black — a fragile idea gets a fair hearing before anyone shoots at it.
A hiring panel in a Manila delivery centre. The red hat is taken first and written down, before anyone opens the scorecard, so the gut reaction sits on the table instead of quietly steering every later score.
Related terms
- Decision making: the wider subject of how choices get made; the hats are one input to it.
- Team leader: usually the person holding the blue hat and calling each switch.
- Cross functional collaboration: the setting where parallel thinking pays off most.
- High performing team framework: the broader model of what makes a team work; this is one habit inside it.
- Collaboration platform strategy: how the hats are run when the room is spread across time zones.
FAQ
Who invented six thinking hats?
Edward de Bono, the Maltese physician and author, published the method in 1985 and built a training programme around it that is still delivered by the de Bono Group.
What does each hat mean?
White is information, red is feelings, black is risk, yellow is value, green is new ideas, and blue runs the process and sets the order the others are worn in. Only blue is a management role.
How long should a hat last?
Two to five minutes for most hats in a short meeting. Timing each one is the blue hat’s job, and the limit is what stops a single mode swallowing the session.
Is it the same as brainstorming?
No. Brainstorming is one mode, roughly the green hat, while the protocol walks a group through all six so an idea is tested as well as generated. That is why sessions finish with something usable.
Does it work online?
Yes, provided one person owns the switch and announces it clearly.
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