MSc Reading Group

1. MSc Reading Group • The first reading for the MSc reading group will be: • “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine”, S. Brin & L. Page • The is the original paper describing the Google search engine and is available at: • www.comp.dit.ie/bmacnamee/materials/psci/google.pdf • There is a video here of a lecture delivered by Sergey Brin more recently which might also be interesting

2. Review Week • The plan for review week: • No new material • Catch up on journal entries • We can redo any of the exercises if you like • Revise any topics that you feel need revision

3. Problem Solving, Communication & Innovation:Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

4. Contents • In today’s lecture we are going to look at de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats technique: • Edward de Bono again • Origins of the Six Thinking Hats • The hats! • How to use the Six Thinking Hats • Novel uses of the Six Thinking Hats system

5. Edward de Bono • Born in Malta in 1933 • Studied medicine in Malta and then psychology and physiology in Oxford • Received a Ph.D. from Cambridge • Has held academic appointments in Oxford, London, Cambridge, Harvard and now DCU • Could well be said to be the world’s best known “thinker”

6. Parallel Thinking • The Six Thinking Hats method is based on the idea of parallel thinking • Parallel thinking is an alternative to adversarial thinking • Put simply we all channel our thinking efforts in the same direction at the same time Adversarial Thinking Parallel Thinking A A B B C A C C A B C B

7. The Six Thinking Hats • A thinking system based on 6 imaginary hats which represent 6 different modes of thinking

8. When To Use The Six Hats? • The six hats technique can be used individually or in groups • Similarly, a single hat can be used for a brief thinking exercise, or the complete system can be used to solve a problem • The most common use is that the hats are used as a full system in group meetings ACHTUNG! The hats are NOT categories of people. Everyone at the meeting puts on the same hat at the same time – parallel thinking

9. The Six Thinking Hats Taken from Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” • White is neutral and objective • Red suggests anger, rage and emotions • Black is sombre and serious • Yellow is sunny and positive • Green is grass, vegetation and abundant fertile growth • Blue is cool and is the colour of the sky, which is above all else

10. The White Hat “Neutral & objective” • The white hat is concerned with objective facts and figures • Separates fact from speculation • Specifies action needed to fill gaps in our knowledge • Assesses the relevance and accuracy of information • Notes both points of view when there is conflict

11. Facts Vs Beliefs • It can be useful to make a distinction between • Checked facts • Unchecked facts (beliefs) • Both are useful, but we must be sure to specify what kind of fact we are dealing with • “In 1991 the Russian merchant fleet carried 464 million tons of cargo” • “I think I am right in saying the Russian merchant fleet carries a significant part of world trade”

12. Typical White Hat Statements • Some typical “white hat” statements: • 18% of defects were cause by human error • The cost of the plastic tray has increased by 15% • How many of our staff can speak a 2nd language? • The project is 10 days ahead of schedule • Do we know what the ain causes for the increase in absenteeism are? • The majority of people surveyed felt the president was incompetent

13. The Red Hat “Anger, rage & emotions” • The red hat gives the emotional view • Gives permission to express feelings, hunches and intuitions • Does not require justification or explanation • Should be given a limited amount of time • Can be used to help make a decision

14. Typical Red Hat Statements • Some typical “red-hat” statements: • My red hat feeling is that this is a terrible idea • I really feel that she is the right person for the job • This design is hideous: it will never catch on • I don’t think that lowering prices is going to work • My gut jus tells me this is the right choice • I have a soft spot for Jim. I know he’s a conman and he certainly conned us, but he did it with style. I like him!

15. The Black Hat “Sombre and serious” • The black hat is cautious and careful and points out the weaknesses in an idea • Explores why an idea may not work • Points out difficulties • Must give logical reasons for concerns

16. The Black Hat (cont…) • Should always be used if an idea seems attractive • Should always be used when action is going to be taken • Actually limits negativity by giving it it’s own time and place • Like salt – useful in moderation, but dangerous if overused!

17. Typical Black Hat Statements • Typical “black-hat” statements include: • This project does not fit the new regulations on data protection • If too many people accept our offer how will we cope? • It would be very easy to forge these gift vouchers • Those loose pieces may be swallowed by children • In introducing a wage freeze might cost us some of our best people

18. The Yellow Hat “Sunny and positive” • The yellow hat is optimistic and covers hope and positive thinking • Explores the benefits of an idea • Must give reasons why an idea is valuable or might work • Reinforces creative ideas and new directions • Takes more work than using the black hat!

19. Yellow Hat Questions • To spur on some yellow hat thinking, try asking the following questions: • What are the advantages? • What are the values in the idea? • Who might benefit from it? • How might the idea be made feasible? • Is the concept behind the idea good? • How might the idea be made more attractive? • Are there any potential values in the idea?

20. Typical Yellow Hat Statements • The following are some typical “yellow-hat” statements: • Optimal flexitime would be attractive to those with families or those that live far away • Using retired people offers the advantage of a more experienced work force • The new packaging would allow us get on more supermarket shelves • Failing that exam was the best thing that ever happened to Jim – he would never have been happy as a hairdresser

21. The Green Hat “Grass, vegetation & abundant fertile growth” • The green hat indicates creativity and new ideas • Encourages a search for new ideas • Seeks to modify and remove faults from existing ideas • Makes time for creative effort - brainstorming

22. Typical Green Hat Statements • Typical “green-hat” statements include: • We could modify this idea by making it optional rather than compulsory • Maybe we could make the box a different colour • How about decreasing the volume by 10% while only reducing the price by 5%? • Some time could be used for training • How about making it circular instead • Why not manufacture hardware as well as software?

23. Yellow Hat →Black Hat → Green Hat P M I

24. The Blue Hat “Cool and the colourof the sky” • The blue hat is concerned with control, the organisation of the thinking process and the use of other hats • Thinking about thinking, not the topic • The role of the facilitator • Makes calls for the group to make decisions • Prevents drift and waffle

25. Blue Hat Uses • During blue hat thinking we’ll decide: • Which of the hats will be used? • In what sequence will they be used? • How long will be spent on each? • Is each hat being used correctly? • So, we use it to lay out the thinking agenda • The blue hat is slightly different to the others as the facilitator keeps it “half-on” throughout an entire meeting

26. Typical Blue Hat Statements • Some typical “blue-hat” statements: • There is not much information on this topic, we need some white hat thinking • That is a black hat comment we are supposed to be doing yellow hat thinking at the moment • Are there any alternative approaches? It’s time for some green hat thinking • Let’s pause and recap on what’s been decided so far • Before going ahead with this idea it would be good to black hat it first for pitfalls

27. The Six Thinking Hats Summary Taken from Edward de Bono’s “Six Thinking Hats” • White is neutral and objective • Red suggests anger, rage and emotions • Black is sombre and serious • Yellow is sunny and positive • Green is grass, vegetation and abundant fertile growth • Blue is cool and is the colour of the sky, which is above all else

28. Quick Exercise • Match the statements to the hats – invent context where appropriate Retooling would take a minimum of three months She can speakFrench very well The cost of the plastic trayhas increased by 15% Most of the work on this projecthas already been done My intuition tells methat won’t work Are we ready to cometo a final decision? That secretarial agencyis very expensive

29. Single Use Of The Hats • The use of one hat specifically to request a certain type of thinking • Useful as a means to direct thinking • Examples: • Could you give me your black hat on that? • Everybody take do minutes and green hat the possibilities • I think you might not be happy, give me your red hat of the situation • I don’t think we’ll go ahead with this, but give me a quick yellow hat on it just to be sure

30. Systematic Use Of The Hats • The most common use of the six hats system is in meetings • The hats are particularly useful when: • Those in the meeting have strongly held differing views • When there is a rambling discussion not getting anywhere • When time is short and a subject needs to be examined carefully

31. Advantages Of The Hats • The following are the key advantages of using the six hat system: • Harnesses the full power of those present • Saves time • Removes ego • Focuses on one thing at a time – avoids confusion

32. Six Hat Sequences • There are three broad categories of sequences for using the hats: • Fixed sequences Note: Not every hat has to be used and hats can be used more than once if required

33. Six Hat Sequences (cont…) • Contingent and flexible sequences

34. Six Hat Sequences (cont…) • Evolving sequences • We need an experienced facilitator to make evolving sequences work well • However, they are useful for complicated matters that may require long, unpredictable discussion ? ? ? ?

35. Six Hat Sequences (cont…) • The following are a list of possible fixed sequences for different thinking scenarios: • Short sequences • First ideas • Evaluation (PMI) • Explanation • Long sequences • Problem solving • Creative effort • Decision

36. Six Hat Sequences: First Ideas Blue: Set the focus and define the subject White: Lay out what we know about the situation Green: Generate ideas

37. Six Hat Sequences: Evaluation (PMI) Yellow: Search for benefits and values Black: Identify difficulties and dangers Green: Generate ideas and alternatives

38. Six Hat Sequences: Explanation White: Gather information Green: Generate ideas and alternatives

39. Six Hat Sequences: Problem Solving Blue: Define the problem White: Look at all available information Green: Generate possible solutions Yellow: Check the feasibility of each solution Black: Assess the weaknesses of each solution White: Match between solutions and information Red: Choice of final solution

40. Six Hat Sequences: Creative Effort Blue: Clarify the creative need White: Look at all available information Green: Generate ideas Yellow: Find the benefits of the ideas Black: Identify the faults in the ideas Green: Remove faults Red: Decide how we feel about the idea Blue: Summarise the exploration

41. Six Hat Sequences: Decision Blue: Define what we need to decide Green: Generate and review alternatives White: Assess what is known about the situation Yellow: Assess fit of the alternatives Black: Assess lack of fit of the alternatives Red: Make a decision Black: Assess the decision Blue: Summarise and plan next steps

42. Some Notes About The Sequences • The sequences are guidelines, so don’t be afraid to try to roll-your-own • Don’t be afraid to use some of the other techniques we have spoken about in conjunction with the hats • Brain storming rules for green hat • Root cause analysis for white hat • Force filed analysis for red hat after yellow and black hats • Drop in the blue/red hat periodically for a short period to make sure everything is okay

43. Using The Six Hats In Meetings • When using the hats to run a meeting keep the following in mind: • Set out short amounts of time for each hat • 1 minute per person present for each hat (up to ~5 minutes) • Much shorter for red hat (~30 seconds) • Don’t be afraid to extend/shorten timings • Always use the designated hat • Encourage everybody to get involved under each hat • Don’t let people sit there waiting for the black hat to come along!

44. Using The Six Hats In Meetings (cont…) • Hats are directions, not descriptions • The facilitator always keeps the blue hat on • Prompt people to get involved – not for white hat • Stop people from talking outside the hats • Conflicts should not arise during six hat meetings, if they do use the hats to put both sides on the table • Copious note should be taken • Maybe a page for each hat • Ask people to perform some white hat thinking before the session

45. Six Hats Exercise 1 • First Ideas • “There is a suggestion that after the age of 60 years, people should pay a lower rate of income tax” • In a group perform a three hat first ideas sequence on this • Remember to elect a facilitator • Remember to keep an eye on the timings

46. Six Hats Exercise 2 • Evaluation (PMI) • “On a prominently displayed board in the workplace each person can indicate one of two things: that he or she is under pressure at the moment and is not available for discussions or further work or that he or she is not under such pressure” • In a group perform a three hat evaluation (PMI) sequence on this • Remember to elect a facilitator • Remember to keep an eye on the timings

47. Six Hats Exercise 3 • Perform an 8 hat creative effort sequence on one of the following: • “Young students are not taking up science, engineering and technology courses in school or at third level. What can we do about this?” • “As the Irish minister for finance we are going to do something about stamp duty on homes purchased”

48. Six Hats Summary • The six hats is a technique which can be used to guide thinking • It’s particular advantages are: • Harnesses the full power of those present • Saves time • Removes ego • Focuses on one thing at a time – avoids confusion • Particularly useful for meetings

49. Six Hats And Teaching/Presentation • One novel use of the six hats is using it for presenting information/teaching • Use the hats organise the information being presented • Here is a quick example on the French resistance prepared by Damian Gordon

50. The French Resistance