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Wilson, Canada
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Avoiding Groupthink with 6 Thinking Hats Process
Kennedy appeared to use this process in his decision making during 13 days in the Cuba crisis.
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Gary Wong
Consultant, Canada
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Overcoming Groupthink with 6TH
This is a great example. Kennedy had just gone through the Bay of Pigs Invasion disaster and I'm sure he didn't want to have similar Groupthink experience.
Another Groupthink situation was the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster. Morton Thiokol and NASA engineers knew about the "O"-ring problems months before. Fearing a negative press release if the launch was delayed, Management made the decision to go ahead.
There had been a lot of Six Thinking Hats training done at NASA. But Groupthink prevailed.
The lesson we can learn: Thinking Hats can be an effective anti-Groupthink approach, providing the organizational culture supports it.
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Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands
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How 6 Thinking Hats Resembles Groupthink
I think one could actually argue that 6TH is a form of groupthink:
Areas where 6TH resembles Groupthink
- SYNCHRONIZED THINKING: Because everyone adopts the same "hat" at once, the group may move collectively in one direction, which can suppress spontaneous disagreement.
- INFLUENCE OF STRONG PERSON: The blue hat facilitator controls the process, sequence and timing. If the facilitator is biased, they could steer the outcome.
- PRESSURE FOR CONSENSUS: Teams sometimes interpret the method as "aligning with the current hat mood", which may discourage dissent.
- CAN MAKE SOME PEOPLE FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE: Some people feel forced into roles that don't match their genuine viewpoint, potentially reducing authentic critique.
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Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands
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How 6 Thinking Hats Differs from Groupthink
On the other hand, as already indicated by @Gary Wong, the method is a powerful tool to counter and overcome Groupthink, and even stronger, the method was designed to prevent traditional groupthink (among other things):
How 6TH Counters Groupthink
- LEGITIMIZES CRITICISM: The black hat explicitly requires people to be critical and raise problems and risks.
- SEPARATES EGO FROM IDEAS: Because everyone switches hats together, critique is not personal.
- FORCES PERSPECTIVE SHIFTS: Participants must examine the issue from multiple viewpoints, even if they disagree.
- ENCOURAGES CREATIVITY: The green hat stage deliberately invites new, unconventional, creative ideas.
In practice, 6TH can turn into toward Groupthink if the facilitator is not good, or if the organizational culture is not open to communication and genuine disagreement.
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Gary Wong
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