DISCUSSION FORUM: PARALLEL vs. ADVERSARIAL THINKING

 DISCUSSION FORUM

6TH August 2021

 

“A discussion should be a genuine attempt to explore a subject rather than a battle between competing egos.”                                                                                     ― Edward De Bono

PARALLEL vs. ADVERSARIAL THINKING

Adversarial thinking also known as argumentative thinking is a thinking system based on the search for the “truth.” Called the outcome of Gang of Three (Socrates, Plato & Aristotle), this type of thinking is in courts where the prosecution takes one side of the argument and the defense the other. Each strives to prove the other side wrong. The “truth” is to be reached by argument. However this method is not constructive and lacks creativity. Today in business, education and every other field there is a huge need to be constructive and creative. There is a need to solve problems and to open up opportunities. There is a need to design new possibilities, not just to argue between two existing possibilities.

An alternative to adversarial thinking is Parallel Thinking, where each thinker puts forward his or her thoughts in parallel with the thoughts of others-not attacking the thoughts of others. The Six Thinking Hats model, created by the Maltese author, Dr. Edward De Bono, is a practical way of carrying out Parallel Thinking.

It is a more constructive alternative to argumentative thinking as it provides a means for teams to plan thinking processes in a cohesive and detailed way.

‘Six Thinking Hats’ a really useful approach used to look at decisions from a number of important perspectives. It forces team members to move outside the habitual thinking style, and helps to get a more rounded view of a situation. If a group looks at a problem with the ‘Six Thinking Hats’ technique, it encourages them to make a more rounded decision, with a combination of logic and emotion.