| Issue 83 |

Six Thinking Hats – Black Hat and Green Hat

The Six Thinking Hats method was developed was Edward de Bono, and is outlined in this book. The method facilitates a civilized and in-depth discussion and comprehensive mapping of complex and controversial ideas. The discussion is carried out using six different types of thinking, each represented by a different-colored hat, which we will describe separately.

Previous columns described the Red Hat (emotion), the Yellow Hat (optimistic rational thinking), and the White Hat (facts and findings).

We will now describe the Black Hat and the Green Hat

The Black Hat represents judgment, playing the devil’s advocate and discussing what’s bad about an idea and what problems it creates. Judgment with this hat is meant to be rational, logical and objective.

The Green Hat represents creativity and alternatives: how the original idea can be changed, improved or refined. The suggestions made with the Green Hat do not have to be logical, at least not during the first stage.

 We will present both hats here, together, because we recommend working with them together: raising a problem with the black and judgmental hat, and immediately afterward suggesting solutions to the problem using the green and creative hat. Thus, every problem raised is then used to refine the idea, rather than disqualify it. If, instead of combining the hats, we would first work only with the Black Hat and raise a long line of problems without solving any of them, the discussion would probably discourage the participants and they might abandon the idea altogether.

Therefore, at this stage, the participants are asked to present one problem at a time (with the Black Hat), and then propose creative ideas on how to deal solve it using the Green Hat. Then, another problem is raised, which is also tackled with the Green Hat, and so on and so forth.

For example:

• The topic under discussion: Moving the company’s production to China
• Black Hat: What problems can we anticipate if we move production to China?

  Mitch t: We will be forced to fire production workers in Israel.

  Discussion facilitatorh: Before we move to other problems, let’s try and tackle this problem using the Green Hat.

• Green Hat: Raising creative ideas for having to dismiss workers in Israel.

  Sarah: We can relocate some managers from here to China and open up a few positions in Israel. This will enable us to promote outstanding production workers to management positions.

  Harry: We can make a gradual transition to production in China, and accordingly dismiss workers here in Israel, gradually and carefully.

  Seth: What’s wrong with firing workers? It happens in a lot of places. Why is it a problem?

  Discussion facilitatorh: Seth, even if you’re right, Mitch sees it as a problem. It’s much easier and wiser to help him tackle the difficulty he is experiencing rather than convincing him that he’s wrong and that it’s not really a problem at all…

  Seth: OK. Then I’ll try and think of a creative idea! Maybe we can relocate workers to some of the other factories in our Group.

  Bob: We can also give generous severance packages to the outstanding employees.

  Zoe: I’m going to wear a Yellow Hat for what Bob just said – generous severance packages can definitely help us with the labor unions.

  Rachel: We can also make the transition to a four-day work week. That way, we won’t have to fire anyone

  Discussion facilitatorh: Excellent! We’ve raised several options for tackling the issue of employee dismissals. Let’s raise and tackle a different problem that’s related to moving our production to China.

• Black Hat: Second problem…
• Green Hat: Solutions for the second problem…

Strategic Growth Directions

Every organization wants to grow, yours probably included. And in order to move in a growth direction, you may urgently need to make strategic decisions that will help you focus on promising growth directions. Unfortunately however, such decisions are not easy to make or implement.

You can take an external consulting company that will study your organization and market, and then place a thick report with conclusions and recommendations on your desk. But to implement such a report, you will need to change the way you work. Unfortunately, in most cases, reports written by external entities are not strong enough motivators to generate real change.

You can also try to hold internal management discussions and make decisions on your own . However, you may lack perspective and be unable to overcome erroneous perceptions and intra-organizational politics. The outcome may be an unsatisfactory compromise, and therefore – once again – refraining from real change.

For several years now, ZOOZ has been offering a fairly quick and effective alternative:

Assisting and facilitating management in identifying strategic growth directions .

This process generally includes three days with the company’s management, in weekly or bi-monthly sessions. Here is a description of the process we facilitate in these sessions:

1. On the first day we characterize the current situation (including a SWOT analysis and analysis of the current market, competition and competitors). We then set business goals for the following years. And finally – we raise ideas for potential strategic growth directions, from criteria for “good” directions (a large enough, growing, leveraging market, etc.), and we choose several leading directions that may meet these criteria. 

2. On the second day the participants present presentations they have prepared for this day. Each presentations presents one strategic direction, details whether and how each of the directions is compatible with the determined criteria, and elaborates on the active “players” in the relevant industry. In light of what is presented, the participants select one or two industries that should be explored further.

3. On the third day more information about the one or two remaining industries is presented, and a decision is made regarding which to pursue. Afterwards, an in-depth discussion is conducted about the selected industry using de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats , a final decision is made whether to pursue this direction, and if the answer is affirmative –a preliminary work plan is also developed, which the management will later implement.

This method combines our facilitation, methodology and external perspective, and the experience, involvement and independent work of the company’s management. Consequently, the management’s knowledge and involvement increases and their decision making improves. When a new strategy is eventually formed, it is usually a more practical and correct strategy, and more importantly – management is more committed to it, thereby also increasing the chances that it will be implemented properly

We have facilitated the process described above with a wide variety of industries, including at: Terraflex (irrigation pipes), Meditec and Floris (pharmaceuticals), Tuff Merom-Golan (growth substrates), Zmitut 81 (stone and mineral processing), SZP (hard plastic packaging), Carmel Container Systems (paper packaging solutions), Liram Exclusive (Keds Kids, children’s fashion), Ofek (aerial photography), Paskal (plastic products for agriculture), Galilee Herbs, Arza Winery, FibroLAN (communication solutions), and the Starry Group (OEM manufacturers in China).

So if you also prefer combining your knowledge and involvement with our experience and facilitation capabilities – we would be happy to help your organization grow using a similar process. Please contact us for more information.  

• More information about ZOOZ can be found here .

• For more information about the strategic growth directions process, contact us .

   

Look Me in the Eye

Activation logic, which was described in this column in the past, elicits the viewer to conduct a small and quick experiment to demonstrate the message that the advertisement wishes to convey.

 

It’s impossible not to get a little confused when you look at this ad, perhaps even feel a little dizzy and the onset of nausea and a headache.

 

This is exactly what a driver feels like when he’s intoxicated: blurred vision and confused.

 

And that’s exactly what the ad wants to demonstrate: It’s not a good idea to drive this way! And the text at the bottom of the ad clinches it: Don’t Drink and Drive!

 

Advertisements that use Activation logic are more effective than regular ads. They convey their messages in a much more tangible and powerful way.

 

Activation is a particularly useful logic when you want to draw attention to an unpleasant issue that most people would rather ignore, such as car accidents, dandruff, constipation, roaches, aging, burial plots, etc. The experiment enables people to experience the problem (or its solution) in a very tangible way so that they cannot ignore the issue, and immediately internalize the message.

 

How would you, for example, try to convince people that it is important to take out life insurance, using an activation logic advertisement? Please send us your ideas.

 

 

  

• We would be happy to receive more interesting advertisements. Please send them to [email protected] .

• Information about Creative Advertising workshops appears here (page 18 of a Hebrew PDF booklet).