Wednesday, December 27, 2017

On the Coffee Table: Warren Berger

Title: A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas
Author: Warren Berger
via Amazon
This is yet another of the excellent books I've been assigned to read as part of my graduate school program.  This is one of our guiding texts as we embark upon the action research thread of our journey.

Berger advocates using the inquiry process to tackle all of life's big struggles.  Rather than always seeking answers, we should embrace the power of the questions themselves.  As he shares in the book, this approach has led to such innovations as the Polaroid camera, Netflix and better, stronger, more affordable prosthetic limbs.  Successful and innovative companies such as Google, IDEO and Airbnb have thrived on developing corporate cultures that encourage inquiry and exploration.  Berger outlines a simple process for incorporating the strategy in our own lives: developing innovations in our own work, in our schools, redefining personal relationships or even planning a career move.

It's an inspiring and liberating idea.  Too often, one bucks up against the How to? in life and gives up.  But Berger shows how you can get out of that trap: with more questions.  This is certainly a book I will come back to and share with others.

8 comments:

  1. As one who has come to appreciate questions presented in ways that CAN be answered, and invite empirical method, I wholeheartedly agree with the premise you set out. Too often, readers are stopped at the dubious interrogative after rhetorical questions, which are meant as persuasion, not invitations to explore.

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    1. Right. When thoughtful questions arise out of genuine curiosity, exciting things happen.

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  2. This is one I will need to check out.

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  3. I ask more questions than my grandchildren... this book looks like something I need to wave at people to excuse my behaviour. Perfect discovery!

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    1. The book talks a lot about how one question leads to others, too.

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  4. Sounds like great reading for anyone, at my age I ask more question than ever.

    cheers, parsnip and mandibles

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