Leading with Questions, 3rd Edition

2Benefits of a Questioning Culture

We have all heard sayings like these:

• Go along to get along.
• Don't rock the boat.
• They're not paying me enough to think.

If these and similar comments are commonplace around your organization, it is safe to say that your organization does not have a questioning culture. In organizations that discourage questions, information is usually hoarded, people keep their heads down and stick to their knitting, and few people are willing to take any risks. In answer‐driven organizations, curiosity, risk taking, challenging the status quo, and even the willingness to be wrong take a back seat.¹ The prevailing culture of such organizations, either implicitly or explicitly, calls for rigidity, risk avoidance, protectiveness, defensiveness, and automatic routines and habits. These organizations usually suffer from low morale, poor teamwork, and poor leadership. They become fossilized, even moribund.

Leaders, through questions, can build a culture in which questions are welcomed, assumptions are challenged, and new ways to solve problems are explored. Questions establish an inquiring culture in organizations, and such an inquiring culture builds a learning organization. Michael Dell, founder of Dell Inc., observes that “Asking lots of questions opens new doors to new ideas, which ultimately contributes to your competitive edge … . That's why you must encourage the free flow of information at all levels.”²

Questions also build a culture of accountability. ...