Having problems encouraging the team to have awesome thoughts? Is everyone living inside the box and contributing average thinking when extraordinary is what's required? It may just be time for you to embrace Edward De Bono's 6 hat parallel thinking philosophy. De Bono's tool provides a framework for critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity.

Sensational ideas rarely come out of one person well formed; they are usually incomplete, full of loopholes and in desperate need of creative contribution. De Bono's '6 Thinking Hats' is the perfect vehicle to turn a concept into a well rounded and well balanced proposition. 

A parallel thinking philosophy

The philosophy is simple, as you engage each of the 6 hats, you embrace and explore different thinking, adopting the thinking philosophy attributed to each of the hats. An effective technique to encourage productive collaboration and to tap into the collective wisdom of a team.

It’s critical that everyone participating in the process adopts the same hat thinking at the same time. This is why it is called a parallel thinking tool. The idea is to harness the power of ideas together rather than to battle with competing ones. With everyone wearing the same hat at the same time you are ensuring that ideas are built upon and explored.

An overview of the thinking process you adopt when engaging each of the hats is summarised in the ebook infographic below.

When to use the hats

There are numerous ways and opportunities available to engage the thinking hats and so many processes you can apply the hats to. Here at Scope HQ, we always look in the 6 hat toolbox when we need to:

• Compare facts and request opinions from one another
• Compare facts and then come up with new ideas
• Identify solutions to challenges we are having
• Give quick feedback
• Engage in strategic planning; be creative - explore
• Improve our processes
• Review performance
• Resolve conflict

In the eBook 'Explore Awesome Thoughts' we share sequencing suggestions on how we use each of the hats when engaging in each of the processes. In true Scope Vision style, there are reference infographics throughout.

Awesome thoughts equate to an awesome bottom line

There are so many reasons why you want to encourage your team to be creative; all of which impact on bottom line profit:

• You enable better teamwork and collaboration ensuring time invested in brainstorming yield positive rewards
• You increase team engagement and promote knowledge sharing, building confidence and growth
• You adopt a balanced and proactive approach to problem solving 
• You increase happiness, motivation and fun factors whilst enabling a winning team

Surely it's time to energise and create the right culture; a culture of fun, parallel thinking and engagement, where individuality is encouraged and decision making the opportunity for interaction. Perhaps 6 Thinking Hats is the perfect way to ensure your team participates in fresh thinking and awesome thoughts!

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