The directors of a property company are looking at whether they should
construct a new office building. The economy is doing well, and the amount of
vacant office space is reducing sharply. As part of their decision they decide to use the 6 Thinking Hats technique during a planning meeting.
'Six Thinking Hats' can help you to look at problems from different perspectives, but one at a time, to avoid confusion from too many angles crowding your thinking.
Yellow Hat
The Yellow Hat will help you to think positively. While you are 'wearing' this hat be optimistic, notice the benefits and the value in them.
If they are lucky, maybe they could sell the building before the next downturn, or rent to tenants on long-term leases that will last through any recession.
With the Yellow Hat, however, if the economy holds up and their projections are correct, the company stands to make a great deal of money.
Green Hat
The Green Hat represents creativity. Develop creative solutions to any problem with this hat. This unconstrained mindset allows you to freely test out a variety of useful creativity tools, due to its low level of criticism.
Alternatively, maybe they should invest the money in the short term to buy up property at a low cost when a recession comes.
Perhaps they could build prestige offices
that people would want to rent in any economic climate.
With Green Hat thinking they consider whether they should change the design to make the building more pleasant.
Blue Hat
The Blue Hat thinking represents process control. When having trouble because ideas are needed, the Green Hat may come in handy since it is the one used for creativity. In case of emergencies and dealing with them, the Black Hat is required.
He or she may have needed to keep other members of the team from switching styles, or from criticizing other peoples' points.
The Blue Hat has been used by the meeting's Chair to move among the different
thinking styles.
Business
Black Hat
Using the Black Hat you consider the negative outcomes. Find what would not work and why. This way you highlight the weak points in a plan. Black Hat will help you to identify the flaws and risks before you embark on a course of action.
The economy may be about to enter a 'cyclical downturn', in which case the office building may be empty for a long time. If the building is not attractive, then companies will choose to work in another better-looking building at the same rent.
When they think with the Black Hat, they worry that government projections may
be wrong.
Red Hat
Using the Red Hat, you will use your intuition and emotions. Also, you will consider how others might look at the problem emotionally. Try to understand the responses of people who do not fully know your reasoning.
While it would be highly cost-effective, they worry that people would not like to work in it.
With Red Hat thinking, some of the directors think the proposed building looks
quite ugly.
White Hat
Using the white thinking hat, you center your attention around the available data. Take the information that you have, analyze it, and see what you can learn from it. Become aware of your weak points and start working on improving your knowledge.
They anticipate that by the time the office block would be completed, that
there will be a severe shortage of office space. Current government projections
show steady economic growth for at least the construction period.
They examine the trend in vacant office space, which shows a sharp reduction.
Looking at the problem with the White Hat, they analyze the data they have.
