A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas

After reading Glimmer, Warren Berger's 2009 book looking at designers and design thinking, I became a fan of sorts and pre-ordered A More Beautiful Question anticipating something good as a follow-up. I wasn't disappointed. Like Glimmer -- and perhaps design thinking -- Berger takes both a deep dive and a broad stroke over his subject matter. This is tough to do well, but Berger pulls it off. There is something delightful about looking at something that seems so obvious and simple, but is far from simplistic, in detail. Berger goes through the vast swaths of research and evidence on question formation and innovation and blends it seamlessly with anecdotes, observations and questions...lots and lots of questions. To 'live the title' of the book, the text is organized around questions and, at least with the Kindle, the questions are hyperlinked to explanations at the back about their origin and relevance. This feature was wonderful and frustrating -- but largely due to technology. I read using a Nexus tablet, but my preferred reader is the original Kindle. On that latter device, the linking becomes a frustration in that it is sometimes hard to get back to your place. But that's a small point. Berger's style of writing is engaging, balancing conciseness with informality, and using enough revisiting of ideas in different places in the text to thread ideas throughout the narrative, but not too much to feel repetitive. I loved this just as I loved Glimmer. What a reader will take from this is that questions are important, that the best (and most consistent) innovators, leaders and scientists are typically great at asking questions and not just providing answers. Indeed, Berger makes the case that the question and answer are inextricably linked showing dozens of examples of how the habits of questioning lead to exciting outcomes. He also offers a challenge to anyone involved in education -- which, he'd argue is nearly everyone in this age of change and ongoing learning -- to examine how questions are encouraged and discouraged to shun curiosity. This has enormous implications and, as we see, gets replicated in our businesses and other organizations. If this book does anything for you I hope it gets you to ask better questions and enjoy not always having answers. Taken to heart, the message of paying attention to the questions -- living the questions if you will -- is one that may have profound consequences on your life, work, and learning.

BOOK REVIEW: "A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger. Such a great book that really causes the mind to wander, question, and unpack several deep-seated narratives about self and the world outside. There is a natural ability to question that often gets squelched by social constructs that say "fall in line" with everyone else. Teachers eventually ask the questions instead of the students. Students who become adults and working-class citizens stop asking questions for fear of being called out, embarrassed for not knowing, or reprimanded for not asking their question "the right" way. The "right way"? LOL! 😂 Ever been stuck in the car with a 3-year old who wants to know why the sky is blue? There is no right or wrong way to ask a question unless one is asking a question to which they already know the answer(s). This type of questioning has a tendency to insult the one being asked and can be perceived as manipulative and arrogant. Steer clear of this type of questioning if you want to gain a person's trust or cooperation. Ask questions with the curiosity of a child! Kids are awesome! Kids have a natural tendency, and without any inhibitions, I might add, to ask questions to help them frame in the world around them. They are not embarrassed until made to feel so. They may even repeat the question because the answers we give them are insufficient or they believe we did not understand their inquiry. But somewhere along their developmental pathway, the kids stop asking questions and others start asking them the questions. Teaching to the test (if you will), whether that test is on some academic level or in a professional career. How does one break that cycle and get back to that child-like curiosity? Asking questions one truly DOES NOT know the answers to but is willing to ask in order to find out. Willing to be embarrassed! Willing to be ridiculed! Willing to be innovative! Willing to be vulnerable! People we each would consider great inventors, innovators, and thinking have this ability to question everything. This book helps to provide that pathway through Why?, What If?, and How? to get to the potential" solution. This book discusses: 1) The Power of Inquiry, 2) Why We Stop Questioning, 3) The Why, What If, and the How of Innovative Questioning, 4) Questions in Business, and 5) Questioning Life. I will share with you that each of us has not 'stopped' questioning per se but we do it in safe spaces. We do it in our minds where there is no judgment but our own. We do it when we work on something we love such as cooking, hiking, vacation planning, driving, decorating, and other tasks. We may ask, "Why do we always take the same route to work?" "What if I took an alternate route?" "How would I get there and would it save time?" This is a safe space as it is not determined by others, but almost by me entirely with the small or large exception of others on the road. The point is that the decisions are mine with consequences I own, and the risk 'feel' fairly small. But to ask a question in front of my colleagues and peers...well that's another matter entirely! Fear immediately takes over and preconceived potential outcomes flood the mind. John Seely Brown points out that questioning by students can easily come to be seen as a threat by some teachers. “If you come from the belief that teachers are meant to be authoritative, then teachers are going to tend to want to cut off questioning that might reveal what they don’t know. (pp.56-57)” Furthermore, questioning within a business environment can also create a perceived threat to authority. Those with expertise may resent having their learned views questioned by nonexperts. Managers trying to keep things moving may feel they shouldn’t have to answer a subordinate’s questions. Questioning may be seen as slowing progress, particularly by those who believe that what the company needs most are “answers, not more questions. (p.166)” I happen to believe, promote, practice, encourage, and reward people, peers, and direct reports when they ask questions. When I taught many in our organization Lean Methodology and Strategy Principles I would make sure that they understood, "The only stupid question is the one you do not ask!!!" I try to practice the same principle on my social media platforms. Many times I do not even care "how" the person may ask because it may be coming from a place of frustration, anger, sadness, depression, or misunderstanding. Why is it so wrong for them to ask? Just to know more...to be validated and heard...to have someone listen without judgment and without ridiculing them. We all need that safe space if we are going to grow, have meaningful discord, innovate, and move on to more opportunities to question. While I enjoyed the book and it confirmed many of my existing practices around questioning, to walk this path will come at a price and great reward. When we question others, as stated earlier, some will assume you are questioning their authority. First, I'd say "stay the course" and develop a thick skin. "A good way to become unpopular in a business meeting is to ask, “Why are we doing this?”—even though the question may be entirely justified. It often takes a thick-skinned outsider to be willing to even try (p.76). Second, I would get really skilled at 'how' you ask the questions. Sometimes a politely stated question is not clearly understood nor investigated, especially if folks have been playing nice, tactful, and whispering sweet nothings into one another's ears for several repeated meetings with no real outcomes. As we say in Lean Strategies, "If you've had several monthly meetings about the same problem with no potential cause for action or solution, you are NOT trying to solve the problem, you're ADMIRING it!" Sometimes you may have to change 'how' you ask a question because you may never see the people you are working with again (e.g. a consultant at a conference or in a one-off meeting). Other times when you know this will be a repeated event a softer more tactful approach is always more appropriate. Finally, do not give up. Mistakes will happen. You may have to clarify your question(s), but don't stop asking. We have the Red Cross today because Henry Dunant asked about preparation during peacetime so that we were ready in times of war. Bette Nesmith Graham thought about the ability to paint over mistakes and liquid paper was born. And when Dwayne Douglas asked, "Why aren't players urinating more after games?" (like who measures THAT!), we got Gatorade! Cracker Jacks, windshield wipers, intermittent windshield wiper setting in cars, NETFLIX, Pandora Radio, Morse code, and many other innovative ideas started with WHY?, WHAT IF? and HOW? Enjoy the book! I'll be reading this one again!

I recently attended an excellent seminar for senior executives called "Authentic Leadership." The facilitator of my small group had some encouraging things to say about the way that I frame questions. He then added: "I think that you would enjoy reading 'A More Beautiful Question.'" At his urging, I ordered the book and found that he was correct in his prognostication. I found this book to be intriguing and inspiring. Using some excellent cases to illustrate principles, author Warren Berger discusses "The Power of Inquiry To Spark Breakthrough Ideas." He quotes liberally from such icons of innovation as Joichi Ito of the MIT Media Lab, David Kelly of IDEO, and Clayton Christensen of Harvard Business School. My office is contained within a hub of innovation, the Cambridge Innovation Center ,on the campus of MIT, so I am always intrigued to learn new lessons about innovation and the things that may spark it. One of the threads that weaves itself throughout this book is the fact that children are natural questioners. It is only as we grow older that we tend to squelch our innate propensity to ask questions in order to better understand ourselves and the world around us. In this book, Mr. Berger offers many examples of individuals and companies that he re-learned the art of asking great questions. I was intrigued to learn that Edwin Land, the father of instant photography, was prompted to develop this technology when his young daughter innocently asked him why they had to wait to see a photograph that he had taken when they were on vacation as a family. He makes specific suggestions, based on research done at the Right Question Institute, regarding how to frame appropriate questions at each stage of a process of exploration, discovery and innovation. One insight that stood out for me was the use of terminology that is useful in a group setting that disarms defensive posture on the part of those participating in the conversation. The form of the question that often provokes healthy discussion is to ask: "How might we . . . .?" He also describes the technique that has worked for many companies of replacing "brainstorming" with "question storming." His final challenge which he poses in the final chapter of the book, is to ask how each individual might frame "a more beautiful question" that frames and sparks inquiry and endeavors to provide meaning and purpose for the rest of one's life. Inspiring!

I read the 1-Star reviews and their Amazon accounts should be revoked (just kidding). Seriously, asking questions is a critical skill for my profession and I understand how hard it can be to be curious, listen effectively and ask a good question at the 'right' time. Berger's book deserves 6 stars! I learned a ton and have already used the 'question sandwich' and shared it with my clients. If you want to make better connections with other people, be more creative and just ask better questions, buy this book. One 1-star review calls this a "leftist" book & another said the author wanted to do away with test - both claims are completely false. Truly being curious, asking good questions and engaging others with intellectual humility is scary and goes against many of our instincts.

This is my second book I read from Warren, (I read the book of beautiful questions first)---and sure was as interesting as the first one...did not disappoint at all. It is good to know why we are as we are and why it is we really do not like to ask questions...Sadly, if we don't do it, we will never get good at it...so that we can start generating beautiful questions. However, he is giving us plenty to work with so that we too, could start creating our own beautiful questions, at home, at school, at work or wherever we may be. I also agree with many readers--these books from Warren--about questions and the habit of questioning, should be mandatory at all schools--I dare to say, from grade school all the way up to PHD level. We definitely need it. It will help us tremendously if we do so--in all cultures/countries. Get this book and read it--you will love it. I sure did. By the way--Amazon always comes through great on all my orders--and this time was no exception--Received used book in excellent condition, thank you Amazon.

Having heard Mr. Berger speak, I can report that he is an engaging presenter who has a number of sensible things to communicate about the importance of questions. I was glad I heard him because it raised my opinion of his work since I find this book to be rather mediocre. It’s not the theme that is a weakness of the book. In fact, I think there is value in reminding people of the importance of inquiry. Where the book falls short is in the typical shortcomings of books in the business genre: it is about three times as long as it needs to be (for a book that is already short) and it doesn’t actually provide concrete solutions to the problems it poses. I often find that books meant to help people innovate (particularly in business) have decent points to make but tend to make the same point over and over. Here Mr. Berger reminds us of the inquisitiveness of children and explores why we lose this ability as we age. Then he encourages us to bring back this ability in business, in life, and in education where he repeats the same variation on the theme over and over. However, as he keeps saying we need to question more, and as he provides some techniques to do so, he can’t say when or how exactly we should be doing this because, in fact, sometimes we shouldn’t be asking questions, we should be acting. Still, as I said before, there is definite value in the point Mr. Berger is trying to make and many of the anecdotes from life and business that he brings in to make his point are interesting, though I’m not sure about all the asides. However, for a reader who wants to be reminded of the importance of questioning, this is a good place to begin.

A More Beautiful Question is a great book for any person who is looking to develop themselves and advance their career or business. It specifically addresses the skill and techniques around asking questions but not just any questions . . . big, meaningful, beautiful questions. It focuses on asking the questions that will help form the catalyst to positive change. Many times as we advance in our careers, we stop asking questions because we think we know everything. We see this with many experts. However, we need to do the opposite to remain relevant. As David Hackett Fischer said, questions are "the engines of intellect – cerebral machines that convert curiosity into controlled inquiry." If we want to be successful, we need to strive to be the people that ask questions and fuel the engines of intellect that convert curiosity into controlled inquiry. A More Beautiful Question provides a framework for the reader to do just that. www.thinkingbusinessblog.com

This was a refreshing, powerful read that lingered in my mind. And every conversation I had for a long time after. I have recommended it to many friends and strangers. Am considering ordering a stack and handing them out. Is like an antidote to the lobbing of opinions, tirades, emotional appeals, soundbites, and status quo found in our discourses national, local, online, and perhaps at the dinner table. Is not just a book about change for change's sake, either. Revolution minus reason is not the goal. Innovation requires perseverance, personal motivation, and a specific need. Questions. This book is great for high schoolers, college students, adults, innovators, mechanics, doctors, teachers, administrators, lawyers, janitors, jailers, pilots, housewives, politicians, clergy, nurses, therapists, zoo keepers, authors, artists, tv producers, scientists, secretaries, salesman, farmers, grandparents, godparents, new parents, never parents, and in a nutshell: any person who thinks, wonders, acts, and lives on this planet. Might be interesting as a book club read. Certainly good as a book re-read. Am off to pick it up again. Am eager to re-read the narrative of the man whose personal "why" transformed the world of prosthetics. One of many Beautiful questions.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of question you ask. On hearing this quote and intrigued, searching for a book on understanding the art of questioning and bought this book. This book did a good job of emphasising the importance of questioning by providing examples of how interesting questions resulted in starting of big companies. The framework of questioning including not not on asking questions but how to get that into action and have questioning follow during the entire process is beneficial. Questioning in business and life covers various questions that can be asked to realize the way things we do repetitively on reflux without understanding why, step back, ask questions, refine it, obtain clarity and optimize or change actions. Overall a great book on starting the journey of questioning and thinking.

A good book to reflect about the goals we define in our lives and careers, and the way we can go by following the questions we create. I recommend it for any people who want to regckon on decision-making or even only understand how to generate better questions. As a professor it was inspiring for me. Business Professors should read it. Say the same to business leaders.

Love this book. The author cleverly constructs the book with a lot of questions. And all of them are so beautiful. When you read the book, you will realize you keep thinking.

Creo que un libro vale la pena su adquisición, ya que te cambia muchos conceptos sobre como debería ser la educación para adaptarnos a un mundo tan cabiante. Este libro te habre la mente a una nueva forma de afrontar la innovación en todos los aspectos de la vida. Es uno de esos libros que hay que leerlo más de 1 vez

Book Review by Dixie Hudson A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas What would be a beautiful question for you? How might that help you in your studies, work or personal life? Read the book review and you may be on a path to becoming an expert questioner. The book, “A More Beautiful Question” by Warren Berger caught my attention because of the importance of being able to ask the right question when working on a challenge. Too often people are too quick to come up with a question which may not address the underlying problem or they may simply select the easiest, quickest way to address the challenge at hand. It may also be that one simply doesn’t know how to ask the right question. With knowledge of the importance of starting the creative problem solving process with a focused, informed question, I was keen on developing a skill in this arena. Throughout the book, as you read the research, findings, case studies and insights from many expert questioners, you begin to see the value in following a fairly simple approach or process for finding the right question. What is a beautiful question? What if your question was able to ask something no one else had thought of? What if it started you on your way to a game-changing idea or allowed you to pursue an opportunity in your life? A beautiful question may be able to help you identify and solve a problem by digging deeper into the issue. How does Berger approach this topic? Berger sets out the book in a tidy format starting with,” The Power of Inquiry”, a chapter that delves into what can a question do and where we might need an expertise in questioning; business today is full of uncertainty and entrepreneurs are needing to look at their business strategies differently in order to keep up with the rapid change and complexity of the global marketplace. The chapter provides case studies and parameters demonstrating the value of thinking about what we don’t know; one way is to turn a question around to view challenges from a different perspective. Chapter two starts with the question, “Why do we stop questioning?” Berger digs in to the fall-off of questions from childhood to adulthood. Interviewing Professor Paul Harris, a Harvard child psychologist, he states that research shows that a child asks approximately forty thousand questions between the ages of two and five years. Professor Kyung-Hee Kim researching the decline of creativity in school-aged children notes that preschool children ask their parents approximately one hundred questions a day which drops to almost none in middle school. The Right Question Institute, (Did you know there was an institute for asking the right questions?), used the 2009 U.S. Nation’s Report Card, to create a graph which shows that “questioning falls off a cliff” from ages three to eighteen. This chapter will be of special interest to academics or those in education from preschool to post-secondary. If we know we should ask more questions and our questions should be deeper, more-developed questions, how do we do this? Chapter three provides a process, “The Why, What If, and How of Innovative Questioning.” The process is divided into three main parts starting with the Why stage. This stage asks you to be curious and to see things as a young child might; with openness and questioning your questions. You may see something that others have missed. One way to achieve this is to step back and re-examine the question. You might do this by asking why again, in fact as many as five times. This process allows you to question your assumptions and wonder as a young child might. Paul Bennett, creative director at IDEO, believes that part of the beauty of asking naïve questions is that it forces others to respond with simple explanations which helps to bring simplicity to complex problems. Once you have settled on why, you have a direction to move forward and you can have fun exploring the “what if” stage. What if you could not fail? What if your restaurant was like a library? What if your dog were to teach your class? This exploratory phase encourages openness of thought, building on ideas and trusting others to allow you or the team to grow with your imagination. Techniques are provided and case studies demonstrate how wild connections may result in a new, innovation solution or product. Berger has interviewed many contemporary prominent business leaders as well as academic researchers. His scenarios place you in his model for easy interpretations and an enjoyable read. The final phase is the how stage, which is about doing. It’s great to have a hundred ideas but at one point you must converge and set priorities with the idea to move forward with. This stage consists of many attempts/failures to reach your solution. At each point one must ask why and what if to keep moving forward. It will often move into a prototype which Diego Rodriguez, IDEO designer, describes as, “A prototype is a question embodied.” This phase should start with quick, rough solutions with short feedback loops. When a failure occurs, ask what went wrong but also turn the question around and ask what went right. However, you don’t stop questioning when you arrive at a solution. The questions don’t end. As Min Basadur, author of the Simplex process suggests, that in this dynamic business world, one should follow a never-ending circle of questioning. The Why, What if and How process will help one to identify where opportunities lie and how to embrace them. Just by asking a question you’ve opened up the opportunity for others to build on it. What might you achieve by releasing your questions; a solution, a product, an insight, a new perspective, a direction, a laugh? The fundamental approach is to fearlessly look at challenges with a sense of wonderment and curiosity generally found in the naïve exploration of a young child. How might your inner child find space in your life for daily questioning? This may vary for each challenge, however, the basis of a “beautiful” question allows you to focus on your pursuit providing insight and developing your own personal culture of questioning; a tool that has been available to us since childhood. Is there a connection between creativity and innovation and the skill to ask “a more beautiful question?” Innovation is dependent on curiosity, playfulness, a confidence to ask questions without knowing the answers and the ability to remove yourself from your deeper neural pathways and “jump the river”. By following the Why, What If and How process Berger lays out, you will be on your way to engage in meaningful innovation. Examples of innovation such as the Polaroid camera and AIRBnB are provided throughout the book. How might I be rewarded for selecting this book? I feel that it has been a prize or reward because it has made me laugh, wonder out loud and highlight terrific examples for my story-telling in class. There are many aspects to this book that are pertinent for my studies and work. The process and simple examples provided in the book have stimulated me to add many more questions to the Creative Problem Solving process incorporated into my classes and I am able to add the why behind questioning in a more thoughtful, succinct manner. Gallup studies has shown that as questioning in students decline so does engagement in school. How might we engage our students more in the classroom? I am going to thoughtfully implement or enhance my student’s ability and desire to ask more developed questions. Although questioning has been a part of our everyday lives from childhood to adulthood, we might wish to pick up the pace or enhance this skill as most of our education system has generally taught us to memorize facts. Fact-finding in our contemporary digital world is simple and quick, however, questioning the context, reliability, and how this might apply to our challenge is a skill which needs developing. Although people may recognize this they may not know how to arrive at the most pertinent question. As I read the book I found that there was so much that I wanted to go back to and that I might want to reference in the future that I began to organize the information by making notes in the border. Some of my headings were: business, education, personal, people of interest to review, BCIT, (my workplace), process and quotes. This book appears as if I have used it for years. Of particular interest was the methodology and how it mirrored the Creative Problem Solving process as well as the Human Design Centered process by IDEO. A pattern of settling on the most informative, detailed or deeper question at the onset of a challenge, progressing through the idea generation and thoughtful selection of an idea, and then working through the prototype or implementation of the idea resonates in some format with all the processes above. Each one adds to your arsenal of tools when involved with a challenge. Questioning at all stages becomes endemic to the process. In Appendix A, I have included a list which resonated with me, of case studies and their page numbers, a list of some of the experts that Berger interviewed, some of the blogs or books that are noted and a few questions that Berger asks in his book. This might be a quick reference for you to look up someone or a case study that peaks your curiosity. They are a diverse group of people and we know that diversity sparks creativity. Providing a small background on Mr. Berger is difficult because he has worked in many arenas including publishing, editing, business, writing and advertising. Warren Berger is a journalist and innovation expert. He has worked as a magazine editor for CBS and independently writes articles for The New York Times. He also was a contributing editor at Wired during the 1990’s. He has written several books:” Glimmer”, 2009: Penguin Press and” The Best Business Stories of the Year”, 2001: Pantheon. His website www.amorebeautifulquestion.com is a plethora of information on, around and about questioning. Interviews, reader’s questions, quotes, articles are found in a fun, graphic, playful website. I spent a great deal of time there on my first visit. I didn’t want to leave. The Book, A More beautiful Question, “was generated by the response to his website. Would you like to read more about the beginnings or ideas that sparked Netflix, Google, the Square, or Twitter? This is a small sampling of innovative products, services and businesses that are used as case studies demonstrating the off-beat, deeper and often very simple question that generated the original ideas. What simple question would you pose? To do so, look around you with the simple curiosity of a child, the core approach offered in, “A More Beautiful Question.” Berger, W. 2014. A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas. New York, N.Y.: Bloomsbury