My New Year’s Resolution is to focus on creativity this year.  Even though today is only December 31, there is no time like the present!  So, let’s get started. 

For the next few weeks, I will be blogging about how we, as project managers, can help our project teams think more creatively.  In my last blog, I looked at the systems and causes of teams that are in a creativity crisis.  Today, I offer the first technique for helping your team break out of a creativity rut.  I will follow with many more techniques over the next several weeks. 

The Six Thinking Hats was created by Dr. Edward de Bono, M.D., a pioneer in “deliberate thinking models” who believes that conventional thinking needs random interruptions so creative thinking can take place.  Dr. de Bono has several different approaches to thinking and has published many books over the last 40 years.  One of his most popular concepts is the Six Thinking Hats, which is designed to help groups think together more effectively.  Sounds like a great idea, right?  I have certainly participated in a number of “brainstorming” meetings over the years where precious little thinking was in evidence! 

The premise behind the Six Thinking Hats is that the human brain thinks in six discrete ways which can be harnessed individually to produce different ideas.  When considering the same topic, each of the six thinking states will generate different ideas on the same topic.  Each state is identified with a color, and many practitioners of this method will actually provide “thinking hats” in every color to every meeting participant.  By putting on a hat of a certain color, you are aware of the type of thinking you are engaged in. 

The six states and the associated colors are:

  • Questions (White) – What are the facts?
  • Emotions (Red) – What are the feelings?  
  • Judgment (Black) – What are the flaws?  What are the difficulties and the dangers?
  • Good points (Yellow) – What are the benefits? What is positive about this idea?
  • Creativity (Green) – Where can we go with this thought?  What are the possibilities?  What are the alternatives? 
  • Thinking (Blue) – Are we managing the thinking process?  

Obviously, the Black hat, judgment, is one that all project teams are familiar with.  With a cohesive team that works well together, you probably wear the Yellow hat and acknowledge benefits to the ideas generated by your group thinking exercises.  You may even put on the Green hat and get creative with teams that trust each other and enjoy collaborating.  A good project manager probably wears the Blue hat, for managing processes, quite often when running meetings. 

But what about the White hat, the facts? How often, when identifying requirements, solving a project problem or assessing a risk, do we rush through the facts?  Or treat assumptions as facts?  Or treat facts as assumptions?  Wearing the white hat, either literally or figuratively, might help our teams avoid some project problems. 

And finally, the Red hat, which represents emotions.  Few project teams spend any time or effort on emotions, unless the ignored emotions erupt, causing a situation that has to be confronted.  Not only is it useful to address your project team’s emotions, you have to put the Red hat on and discuss emotions when you are planning any sort of activity or event that will change people’s jobs.  Any student of Organization Change Management will tell you that you ignore organizational emotions at your peril.    

De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats can help you think comprehensively about any topic confronting your team.  This has been a very brief overview, but there is plenty of information available online to learn more about this technique.  For more information, start at Dr. De Bono’s website, http://www.debonogroup.com/six_thinking_hats.php.

Stay tuned next time, for some additional techniques to improve team creativity.