Six Action Shoes
Updated 2026-08-05
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A framework by Edward de Bono, presented as a companion to his Six Thinking Hats and focused on execution rather than thought. Six colored shoes each stand for an action mode: navy for routine procedure, grey for information gathering, brown for practical initiative and contingency, orange for danger and emergency, pink for care and human sensitivity, and purple for authority and command. The premise is that most execution failures come from using the wrong mode, such as applying procedure in a crisis or improvisation in a regulated process. The framework is a vocabulary for switching, not a fixed personality type.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Mode Switching: name the action mode the moment requires instead of defaulting to habit. - Mismatch Diagnosis: check whether a failed execution was a wrong decision or a wrong mode. - Team Handover: give a shared label for the behavior expected in the next phase.
Anchor fast decisions
People carry a default action style, usually the one that earned them their current role, and they apply it regardless of context. Naming distinct modes makes the choice explicit and therefore revisable, the same mechanism that makes the hats work for thinking. Because the labels are neutral and concrete, a team can request a mode without criticizing a person, which lowers the friction of switching. The framework works by converting a character judgment into a situational choice.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- baike.sogou.comhttps://baike.sogou.com/v10004300845.htmverified
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