Six Thinking Hats

Research some of the current trends surrounding decision-making in the business world. How do current-day trends build upon, or diverge from, de Bono’s ideas? To what extent are his ideas still applicable, and in what ways might they be outdated or limited?

How could the Six Hats method be used in other forms of decision-making outside of a business setting? Could it be applied or adapted for other settings? If so, how and why, and if not, why not?

Compare the Six Hats method with that of a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats). What benefits are provided by each method? What drawbacks does each one possess?

Consider the work of Daniel Kahneman on decision-making as articulated in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow. How do his ideas about “fast” and “slow” thinking compare with de Bono’s ideas about decision-making? How are the two authors different or similar?

De Bono’s work first appeared in the 1980s. How does his text reflect some of the wider trends in business at the time? How does it conform to, or diverge from, those trends?

Research some of the criticisms that have been made of de Bono’s claims and/or method, such as in M. Afzalur Rahim’s Managing Conflicts in Organizations. What defenses, if any, could be made against such criticisms? What other potential weaknesses or limitations, if any, have commentators overlooked in de Bono’s work?

Analyze some of the rhetorical devices de Bono uses in the work. How does he use rhetorical techniques to try to persuade the reader, illustrate his ideas, and/or shape his own self-presentation? How do his rhetorical devices compare to those commonly used in the business and self-help genres more generally?

Compare and contrast Six Thinking Hats with another book offering a framework for decision making, such as Decision Quality by Spetzler, Winter, and Meyer. What overlap do you see in the authors’ approaches? What are the differences?