From Now On

Vol 5 . . . No 2 . . . October, 1995

Beware purple hat thinking

Most organizations are inclined to greet new ideas with scorn, doubt and derision. In his Six Thinking Hats, Edward deBono has named six kinds of thinking done by groups, one of which is purple hat thinking - the critical and doubtful questioning which tends to kill off innovation and discourage all but the most avid boat-rockers. If you wish to see new ideas rise to the surface, flourish and bloom, you need to keep purple hat thinking in its proper place.

Purple* Hat - Doubting and questioning. Finding weaknesses.
Yellow Hat - Seeing the good elements. Looking on the sunny side.
Green Hat - Adapting and changing to make more successful. Synthesizing and inventing.
Red Hat - Expressing important emotions and feelings.
White Hat - Gathering necessary data and information in a balanced fashion.
Blue Hat - Deciding which kind of thinking is appropriate at various times.

*de Bono uses the color "black," thereby adding to the majority culture's negative portrayal of the color. I have substituted purple to express the judgment.

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