When I started engaging in crypto communities and Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), I found a new and different way of making decisions. Decisions in decentralized organizations are made by the community. It is a wonderful and revolutionary concept that will change the form of management in the world in the coming years.
Decision-making collectively by the community has many advantages, as there are many members of community who can see the matter from many sides and think in many ways.
But through my involvement in crypto communities, I have always felt that decision-making in decentralized communities needs ways to improve it.
We have a question now
Does making decisions collectively by the community always give the best results?
In fact, not always. Sometimes, while voting on a decision, one way of thinking, one feeling, or one point of view dominates most members of the community.
It pushes a community to make bad decision, and the opinions of those with expertise may also get lost among the noise and the voices of others.
I was thinking about that before: what are the ways that might help improve the decision-making process in decentralized organizations?
The decision-making process needs improvement and controls that will always keep it in the right track, obtain its advantages, and avoid its disadvantages.
I intend to start writing some posts about ideas for improving the decision-making process in decentralized organizations.
Today I will start talking about using a concept that is not new, but I think that applying it may help improve the decision-making process.
Six Thinking Hats
What are the Six Hats, and how can they help us improve our decision-making process?
To make things clear and understandable to everyone, I will explain it in a very simple and brief way and in my own way. It is famous, and you can easily search on the Internet and find a lot of information about it if you want to understand it more.
In life, you meet many people who have different ways of thinking, and sometimes the same person may think in many ways at different times or even combine many ways together at the same time.
For example, you may meet an optimist who always sees the positive side of anything and always believes that the best will come, and you may meet another person who, in contrast, is a pessimist who only sees the negative side.
Another person is controlled by his emotions, and another person thinks in a neutral and realistic way and is only motivated by facts and information.
You may find another person who always has innovative ideas and always tries to find unusual solutions to problems, and another person who has a comprehensive view and tries to see the matter from several aspects.
These are six patterns of thinking.
It may be used by different people, and sometimes one person may use it at different times or even at the same time.
Each of these six thinking styles is assigned a hat.
Optimistic thinking is equivalent to wearing a yellow hat.
Pessimistic thinking is equivalent to wearing a black hat.
Emotional thinking is equivalent to wearing a red hat.
Neutral thinking is equivalent to wearing white hats.
Innovative thinking is equivalent to wearing a green hat.
Comprehensive thinking is equivalent to wearing a blue hat.
Let’s take a simple example: I have six people, each wearing a different color hat, and I invited everyone to eat a meal of delicious potatoes.
How will each one of them respond to the invitation?
The one who wears the red hat, then,he is thinking with his emotions. He will tell me, "This is a very good thing. “I love potatoes very much, and I will come.”
He didn’t think about anything else, but he just loved potatoes.
The one who wears the yellow hat is always optimistic and sees things in a positive light. He will tell me that potatoes contain a lot of calories. Potatoes will give him a lot of energy and taste delicious. It is a good meal. He is coming.
The one who wears the black hat is a pessimist who only sees the negative aspects of things. He will say, “I’m sorry.” Potatoes contain high calories, cause weight gain, and cause diseases. I don’t want to eat this meal. I won’t come.
The one who wears the white hat will start reminding me of the number of calories in each kilogram of potatoes and reminding me of the benefits, minerals, and vitamins found in potatoes, as well as the harm that they may cause. He only looks at the facts and information.
The one wearing a green hat will suggest innovative ways to prepare the meal, how to cook it, and what we can add to the meal to make it more delicious and wonderful. Because he is always innovative, creative, and gives new ideas
The one who wears the blue hat says that potatoes contain a lot of calories, but if we eat the right amount, they will not be harmful. Then he asks me about the date of the invitation, the way the potatoes were cooked, the invitation arrangements, who will attend, and the rest of the details.
He has a comprehensive outlook.
Is one way of thinking better than another? No, if we see these ways and see these people, we find that they complement each other; each of them sees things from a different side. If they come together to make a decision, the decision-making becomes more integrated, and the picture becomes clearer.
The presence of different thinking patterns makes the process of thinking and decision-making more accurate, and this is what is required. I think now that the idea has become close.
Applying this concept in DAO when making decisions means we look at any decision from different sides and try to think in many different ways. This will improve the decision-making process.
What I suggest is not new, but it is already applied in many companies and in many matters.
Six hats is a famous concept. It is used by many and achieves great success.
I will now try to assume virtual scenario in DAO.
In the governance forum, we now have a proposal to add new features to Gitcoin Grants.
How can the six-hat concept be applied?
I created this simple illustration to make it easier to understand.
I described things in an easy way, but it is very useful and will improve the decision-making process.
This is a Wikipedia link for anyone who wants to know more about the Six Hats, and in general, there is a lot on the Internet about the Six Hats.
