I propose that the transformation of the 20^th century into the 21^st be the Age of Answers to the Age of Questions. While answers are important, it’s more important to know what questions to ask to get to the answers. The lack of questioning is part of what got us into the mess of the last 3 years (or more). We learn by asking and using that knowledge to ask more and different questions. Which is why I hope the 21^st C perfects the Art of the Dumb Question.

I’ve been told one of my “gifts” is the ability to ask very dumb questions! I’m honored, seriously, and owe my parents a debt of gratitude. Dumb questions are very important, especially for innovation. Why? (no pun intended) Because dumb questions challenge the status quo. Dumb questions test basic, tacit assumptions. Dumb questions make us stop and think about fundamental truths. Dumb questions get to the core.

Problem

In most organizations today, we don't even know what we are assuming because it's become so ingrained and tacitly understood. This means we don't challenge ourselves even when well intentioned, let alone when constrained by looking stupid, not knowing the answer or just daring to think differently. So, most times, we don't ask very basic questions about why we are doing the things we do - processes, products/services, types of customers, how we treat our people, community involvement, you name it. The status quo is incipiently embedded. Usually it takes someone from the outside to challenge the thinking. If someone on the inside does, they are either dismissed, demoted, or removed. So how do we fix this?

Solution

What if, whacky as this sounds, we gave everyone (or start smaller with a group) a set of 'chits' for asking dumb questions at a meeting, a gathering, a discussion - etc. We could set up some types of 'requirements' - for instance:

everyone has to use 1 Dumb Question 'chit'/meeting
for each Dumb Question chit you use, you get 2 more to replace it with
you had a basket full of Dumb Question chits at each meeting/gathering and people could take 1 out to as a Dumb Question

Perhaps you could make some nice rewards for asking Dumb Questions too - t-shirts, etc. -

Please help add more ideas to this!

Practical Impact

You could start creating a culture where it was 'safe' to challenge assumptions, even encouraged. Tacit assumptions would become explicit over time, and especially for newer people, this would help them understand the underlying culture better and help change it. It would lead to more discussion about why things are done which in turn can lead to how to change how things are done. It also creates a culture of looking at root causes, of getting down to fundamental building blocks and ideas.

First Steps

Try this with a cross-functional team working on a project. Since it's cross-functional, you'll have marketing, sales folks that may not really understand the underlying technology, all its nuances and conditions and you'll have R&D and techie folks that don't really understand the market and customer behavior. Everyone is a bit afraid of looking dumb! So this is a good place to use Dumb Questions - chits or some other means - and you will greatly increase knowledge & learning and probably come up with some more interesting and applicable solutions!

Credits

Credits go to:

my parents, who answered every question with another question and challenged us to ask why over and over and over
my kids who ask why over and over and over
my clients who let me ask dumb questions

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March 27, 2011 at 12:44pm

Gert Steens

"The Age of Questions", nice! I think the skepticism challenge is the main one, especially as the environment that would benefit most from such a Dumb Question angle is the "don't ask, do as we all did" machismo culture in male-dominated sectors such as (investment) banking. Maybe, rather than a formal Dumb Question reward system, meeting chairs could invite a Dumb Question at the start of each meeting? I'll try the idea in the coming weeks. Having said that, I'd be proudly wearing my Dumb Question cuff-links and showing off my Dumb Question Blackberry cover!

April 12, 2012 at 9:04am

Deborah Mills-Scofield

Gert - thank you!! I like your idea of starting with a Dumb Question!! let me know how it goes - and I'd love a Dum Question iPhone cover :)

March 27, 2011 at 3:30pm

Ellen Weber

You are raising valid and interesting points here Deb. Seems appropriate to toss in a couple of questions that I've been wondering about on this topic. Why do some questions come off as dumb while others acts as stepping stones to cool answers? What kind of workplace or online culture would it take to cultivate questions from all - with passion and purpose?

Any thoughts?

July 6, 2011 at 9:40am

John Doe

I was pondering the same question as well.

From what I took from Deb's message, I believe that she is advocating that the fundamental and what we consider to be foundational beliefs that our organizations are built upon be challenged from time to time.

My thoughts on terming this type of question a "dumb question"? Bravo for attempting to remove the stigma of challenging base beliefs of an organization. But I think you are correct about the potential for people to ask "really dumb questions."

For example, MIX is essentially already doing what you are proposing (it seems like MIX had privy knowledge when I read these articles and compare them to this organization). They are asking the question of, "How can we fundamentally alter management beliefs and practices to readjust the foundation to better align with our world today?" I consider this a very smart question and a great perspective to consider information from. However, this type of question would be classified as a dumb question per your terminology, correct?

Perhaps dumb describes the phrasing of the question (so everyone is able to understand) rather than a reflection of the intelligence of the person posing the question? Or maybe a dumb question can evolve to a cool/smart question once the epiphany of why it is such a great way to frame a potential improvement/solution hits?

As for culture, hasn't MIX also got this down quite well? :-)

April 11, 2011 at 6:49am

Mitch McCrimmon

I like the connection between asking questions and challenging the status quo. For me, challenging the status quo is a key feature of real leadership. That was what MLK, Gandhi and Mandela were doing and what employees do when they promote new products or processes, what Gary Hamel called being an activist in "Leading the Revolution". Questions are not as confrontational as statements, thus lowering the risk of getting blown away. Still cultures should change to be more open to such challenges. Most organizational cultures are based on the metaphor of the organization-as-person, which means that the "head" (management) thinks and the "hands" (employees) do. See my article: "Creating an Engaging Culture" for more on this theme: http://bit.ly/f09qsc

August 5, 2011 at 2:56am

Vivek Pai Kochikar

I agree heartily that organizations need more people asking questions - to uncover tacit assumptions, to expose wasteful or mistaken practices,...

the idea of giving people chits for asking questions is fabulous; my only slight pause for thought is about requiring those questions to be patently 'dumb'. Forcing people to ask questions that are "required" to be 'dumb' may have a couple of practical problems:

- in an effort to be 'dumb', people may exercise themselves to make their questions frivolous, flippant or simply off the agenda

- meetings may get swamped with people vying to ask questions that are 'dumb', hijacking the agenda and hindering progress

So, while the idea is still great, I would suggest the exhortation should be to ask questions, with a caveat saying something on the lines of, "dont be afraid to ask dumb questions". This will achieve the objective of people being unafraid to challenge or to look embarrassed, without taking the process to the above extremes where progress becomes difficult.

August 5, 2011 at 6:01am

Deborah Mills-Scofield

Vivek -

Thank you! You're right - there is a concern, depending how this would be presented and rolled out, that people will just ask 'dumb' questions for the reasons you cite. So that has to be accounted for. Probably if that happens it also says something about the culture - if people feel they need to game it or don't take it seriously, then there are a few underlying problems in the culture!

And underlying the 'dumb question' is the emphasis on just being able to ask questions, to challenge, etc. -

We need to ask and ask!

Thank you! deb

April 11, 2012 at 1:54pm

Grant Lichtman

Yes! This is one of the core impacts of my work with K-12 students...getting teachers to stop asking the questions and teaching students how to do this. One of the teachers using my book "The Falconer" to build question-based curriculum put it this way: "I know I am a better teacher if I am talking less in class". I am convinced that training from an early age in the skills of questioning is a fundamental skill that separates good from weak students.