“I may be wrong and you may be right, and by an effort, we may get nearer to the truth.” -Karl Popper

BAM124 Thinking, Knowing and Arguing Business and Management

Agenda Introduction to the module Thinking as a skill Parallel thinking Six thinking hats

Think about your study habits. Suppose you need a surgical operation. How confident would you feel if you knew the surgeon had adopted the same study habits during her time at medical school?

Activity 1

Activity 2 Repeat activity 1 with different people in the role of observer. Try to avoid conflict and think more cooperatively – think in parallel.

Edward de Bono – an expert on thinking Thinking is a skill –Thinking ability is not genetically determined and something we can’t change Like our other skills, we can improve our thinking Intelligence is like the power of a car’s engine –A powerful car can be driven badly by a poor driver.

Edward de Bono – an expert on thinking Thinking is to intelligence as driving is to the power of a car

“I am not especially interested in the measurement of intelligence… If you line up a number of people and ask them to race, you will end up by comparing their natural running ability. If you design suitable roller skates for all of them they will all go further and faster… So I am more interested in designing thinking tools and training methods.” Edward de Bono (1982) de Bono’s Thinking Course p.11

“No human yet exists who can use all the potential of his brain. This is why we don’t accept any pessimistic estimates of the human brain. It is unlimited!” Professor Pyotr Kouzmich Anokhin quoted in Buzan & Buzan (2003) The Mind Map Book (p33)

Edward de Bono – an expert on thinking Thinking should not be gloomy and solemn as Rodin’s Thinker seems to be

Edward de Bono – an expert on thinking Thinking should be brisk and active If you playact being a thinker you will become one So let’s not feel inhibited about imagining we’re wearing different coloured hats!

Black Hat Why It May Not Work Black is sombre and serious. The black hat is cautious and careful. It points out the weaknesses in an idea. Blue Hat Blue is cool, and it is also the colour of the sky, which is above everything else. The blue hat is concerned with control, the organization of the thinking process and the use of the other hats. Green Hat Creative Thinking Green is grass, vegetation and abundant, fertile growth. The green hat indicates creativity and new ideas. Yellow Hat Why It May Work Yellow is sunny and positive. The yellow hat focuses on benefits and making things happen. White Hat Information & Data White is neutral and objective. The white hat is concerned with objective facts and figures. Red Hat Feelings & Intuition Red suggests anger and emotions. The red hat gives the emotional view. FOCUS

Edward de Bono – an expert on thinking The hats are roles –A person cannot be described as red hat thinker or a black hat thinker, for example –Everyone adopts different roles at different times The hats are useful for at least four reasons

Edward de Bono – an expert on thinking It’s easier and more effective to think in one role at a time –It’s not easy to think, for example, about the facts, the reasons why an idea is a bad one, and the alternatives all at the same time Using the hats, we make sure we spend some time on all six important aspects –So we’re unlikely to forget to consider alternatives, for example

Edward de Bono – an expert on thinking The red hat ensures that we acknowledge our feelings for what they are –So we don’t try to find logical reasons not to do something when really we simply don’t want to do it The hats can be used to make thinking with other people more productive –‘Parallel thinking’ avoids unhelpful arguments

Activity 3 Repeat activity 1 with different people in the role of observer. Use the six thinking hats to think in parallel.

Do six thinking hats exercise 1

I need more light in my study

Everyone must plant one tree a year. Source: Edward de Bono’s Mind Pack (1995) Exercise….

People have to go back to school for one week every year of their lives. Source: Edward de Bono’s Mind Pack (1995) Exercise….

It only rains at night. Source: Edward de Bono’s Mind Pack (1995) Exercise….

Source: Scannell, Edward E & John W Newstrom (1983) More Games Trainers Play McGraw-Hill, p129

Directed tasks A Read the module handbook Locate and bookmark the website Scan the reading list on the website Use the six thinking hats to think about this: ‘using the six thinking hats in my degree studies’ –You’ll need to use the blue hat first to make sure you’re clear about the focus of the thinking (but don’t ask me – think!)

Directed tasks B Consult de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats book in the library Listen to de Bono talking about creative thinking at

Directed tasks C Try using the six thinking hats for at least one other task of your choosing – at work, on your degree course, or in your personal life