I found out about Warren Berger’s book A More Beautiful Question recently, through Gearbulk Ltd’s CEO Kristian Jebsen. Although the book was published 5 years ago, it remains relevant today as it deals with the critical role questioning plays in enabling people to innovate, solve problems, and move ahead in their careers and lives. Questioning is, therefore, essential for successful entrepreneurship and innovation. But how can we get better at asking good questions? And why does our ability to come up with impactful questions become weaker as we get older?
Berger argues that, as things get more complex, good questions become essential for producing effective workable solutions. However, such solutions generally tend to be counterintuitive. Berger provides several good examples of this, such as when Henri Dunant came up with the international Red Cross as a way to cope more effectively with natural disasters and wars, by being prepared to provide assistance even before a particular crisis might hit. Other examples include the development of snow-ink to correct typewriter errors, the invention of the microwave oven and the discovery of the windshield wiper.
But why do we stop questioning as we grow older? Why does non-intuitive questioning – a great source of creativity –gradually diminish? Berger blames the conventional school system. Partly, a certain shyness becomes more prevalent as students grow older. They simply do not want to make fools of themselves in the eyes of fellow students by raising non-conventional questions. At the same time, school’s curricula contribute to the issue: “closed” approaches, over-represented in the curricula, leave little to no room for deep questioning. The disproportionate emphasis on “correct” answers discourages creativity and reduces the students’ interest in many subjects. Such phenomenon is much less prevalent in Montessori schools, which tend to adopt a less structured curriculum aimed at discovering and nurturing each student’s individual interests.
Why do things have to be done in a particular way? And, why do many smart business people screw up when it comes to finding better ways? The author recommends that an essential component of creativity is to take a step back and see things with a beginner’s mindset. Being a good listener and developing mindfulness also helps. All these factors facilitate better questioning, which in turn provide leads towards new non-intuitive approaches. This way of working is a foundational characteristic of institutions such as IDEO, TED, MIT’s Media Lab, etc. This is also how Edwin H. Land worked when he came up with the Polaroid camera. He asked: “why can we not get to see photos immediately?” “Why do we have to send exposed films away to be developed in darkrooms somewhere else?” Mr. Land came up with the idea to “put the darkroom into the camera”. The Polaroid camera became a reality!
The key objective is to frame questions in a way that they lead to innovative answers. In raising the question “why do I need to carry this heavy piece of luggage,” the roller bag was developed. “How can we build an 18-hole golf course on a relatively small island, where space limitations might represent a real constraint?” The “answer” was the development of the so-called shorter-range golf ball. “How can I charge my mobile phone when there might be a shortage of electric outlets?” Cordless charging answered this question.
Patience, perseverance and constant “questioning the question” are crucial. To allow one’s inconvenience to play a role can be a door-opener to a better solution. Daydreaming can have the same effect.
Berger goes on to examine the roles of questioning in business. Most of us are familiar with Harvard Professor C. Christianson’s concept of disruptive innovations, which represents something much more fundamental than “making good even better”. To trigger a disruptive innovation, one should think outside the “normal” area of competence that defines a particular business. What business are we in? How can I compete successfully with myself? How can I make a plan, which implies that I am a start-up (again)? Businesses need to have a culture of inquiry to drive disruptive innovation.
Not surprisingly, the book concludes with a discussion on how to come up with questions that might lead to a positive improvement in our lives. The basic premise is that we, humans, must strive to live in line with the questions we raise. From this premise, it follows that, when framing a question, one must maintain a sense of focus. An individual should focus on a question only if one can accept and live with the implications that would stem from posing and answering it. It does not mean that the question should be easy. It does happen that uncomfortable questions fall into the focus area. Nevertheless, uncomfortable questions must be raised! Such questions are particularly important and valuable, as they may help individuals discover themselves and achieve a big positive change in their lives.
Much can be taken out from reading this book. I agree with world-famous author Daniel Pink (see my review of his book, When, posted on Lorange Network at the end of 2019), that Warren Berger’s book A More Beautiful Question is “thoughtful (and) provocative”. I had not realized how powerful the art of formulating appropriate questions might be for the enhancement of creative solutions. This book might be of interest not only to entrepreneurs, but to all business executives in general, as well as, to all who are concerned with how to improve education. Breakthrough ideas are critical for success! Today, such breakthrough ideas need to be generated on an even faster and more regular basis. This book can help those who take on to address this difficult task.
Comments