Decision Making Technique

Importance of Effective Decision-Making Techniques

As any strategist can tell you, being anticipatory gives one a great competitive advantage. It is very important for businesses to complete a thorough analysis of any given situation in order to develop a solution. Picking the correct tool or technique is crucial to the success of a group searching for the best solution. There are important decisions being made each and every day. Some of these decisions will mean the difference of a corporation's success or failure and will effect the livelihood of those employed by or dependant on the corporation and its success. There are key questions that must be answered and obstacles anticipated in order to come up with the proper solution. Failure to make the right decision at the right time can mean losing business to a competitor and threatening the future of an organization. Tools and techniques for decision making help you to identify new opportunities, avoid being blindsided and turn potential threats into healthy prospects. There are many tools and techniques out there to pick and chose form. The choice is yours.

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The Right Tool, or Technique, for the Job

There are many tools and techniques to help businesses ensure that the most productive solution is implemented. The technique that is being examined here is the Six Thinking Hats.

The Technique

The Six Thinking Hats is a technique developed by world renowned teacher of creative thinking, Dr. Edward de Bono. He has authored many books that establish new techniques for make possible creative and productive thinking in the workplace. The Six Hats, whose colors represent a different angle to viewing a given problem, help in guiding the thought process in a systematic manner. Many have found this technique useful when working in a group engaged in seeking solutions to problems or planning the way ahead. The premise of the Six Hats is to have the group wear one hat at a time when considering a problem. The wearing of the hat is symbolic. At any one time, everyone in the group will wear the same color; in other words, look at the problem at hand from only one perspective at a time, as indicated by the color of the hat.

The colors and the meaning for each of the hats:

The White Hat - White is the color of neutral. This is when the group focuses on the facts of the issue at hand. The white hat has to do with data and information. When you ask for white hat thinking at a meeting you are asking people to forget about proposals and arguments and to concentrate directly on the information. What information is needed, what is available, and how it can be obtained. Questions that the white hat infers are: What information is present? What information is needed? What information would be beneficial to know? How can we obtain the information?

The Red Hat - Red is the color of fire and passion. The red hat allows people to show their emotions on a subject, their gut feelings. In this phase, participants do not need to defend their opinion. It is often important to get feelings out in the open, rather than have people at a meeting have hidden agendas, feelings, or misgivings. The red hat allows these feelings to be expressed, to come out in the open and say how they feel about a problem; if the solution is viable; what they like or dislike. Once the issues are stated, the group can move on to a more constructive approach.

The Black Hat - Black is the color used for negative issues or concern. The black hat indicates a time for critical judgment in order to avoid pitfalls or snags. It points out what cannot be done, legally, morally or actions that would result in a negative public image.

The Yellow Hat - Yellow is the bright, euphoric color that is to invoke positive thoughts. The yellow hat role is for discussing only the positive view of problems and solutions, focusing on the benefits and viability. The yellow hat must be logically based and not include wishful thinking. Although difficult, forcing ourselves to look only at the positive aspects can be very valuable and help propel the group forward with greater momentum.

The Green Hat - Green is indicative of growth. Creative ideas and alternative solutions are sought out and explored. Using brainstorming during this phase is very beneficial for the group to uncover latent paths that may lead to workable solutions.

The Blue Hat - Blue indicates the blue sky overhead, and from overhead one has the overview of the group. The blue hat controls the order in which the other hats will be worn. The blue hat is worn by one person during the Six Hats process. The person wearing the blue hat can move from person to person, or remain static with one. The blue hat comments on the thinking being used, asks for conclusions, decisions, etc.

The Application

The following is an example of how the use of the Six Thinking Hat is used to make important decisions that are viable and future-focused. (De Peralta, M., et al, 2005)

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