Edward de Bono
Physician born 1933
Edward de Bono is a Maltese
physician, author, inventor and consultant. He originated the term lateral thinking and
wrote the book Six Thinking Hats.
For those of you who are
proponents of the ‘The hats’, you will know that it is a model of effective
systems thinking that increases productivity. There are six metaphorical hats and each defines
a certain type of thinking.
You can put on or take off one
of these hats to indicate the type of thinking you are using but must only use
that style of thinking.
Thus
Thus
This putting on and taking off is essential, because it allows you to switch from one type of thinking to another. Notwithstanding the truly magnificent effect of a Zest facilitation of this model, the question we (at Zest) are commonly challenged with is ‘do we actually have to wear the hats?’
Superman didn’t actually have to wear the audacious
letter S on his pristine blue apparel; in fact, he doesn’t need a costume at
all; however it does tend to add a certain authenticity and belief when one is
travelling faster than a speeding locomotive or rescuing citizens from a
burning building. If he tried either of
these super tasks dressed as Clark Kent, the punters may not feel so safe. Actually wearing the hats gets your team into
innovative super mode.
Accordingly, now look at the
above chart for the theme of the day; as we discuss emergency and contingency planning
for your business known as the what if?
THE BLACK HAT.
Imagine if De Bono theory had
been used in some past emergency and contingency planning for these infamous
pre-businesses. And let’s apply the
black hat.
|
BUSINESS
|
HAT COLOUR FOR
PLANNING TEAM
|
THINKING
|
|
Enron
|
Black
|
What if the CEO and execs aren’t telling the truth?
|
|
White Star Liners
|
Black
|
What if the ships can’t take a direct hit from an
iceberg?
|
|
DeLoreon Motor Co
|
Black
|
What if we moved production away from the centre of a
war zone?
|
|
Sony Betamax
|
Black
|
Could there be anything else on the market that is
better, faster, more value?
|
|
Polaroid
|
Etc
|
|
|
Woolworths
|
Etc
|
|
|
British Leyland
|
Etc
|
|
And so on to ancient history and a shining example of the greatest business contingency and emergency planning of all time.
The year is AD 79, the people
lived in a well-planned, well protected carefully architectured environment. The emperor presided over his many teams and
plans were regularly laid and discussed; sea defence systems, strengthened well
trained armies, crop rotation and supply for sustained use, economic
contingency for unseen competition, carefully monitored currency trading,
health planning and above all, democratic reasoning and inclusion of views from
the community. Yes this was a civilisation
prepared for anything, they consistently applied the ‘what if?’ And then a man in
a black hat appeared and said ‘what if that big mountain behind us suddenly
explodes?’
As Mount Vesuvius poured down on Pompeii the emperor must
have wondered ‘where is superman?’
Probably getting changed…
