10 Signs You Have a
Culture of Inquiry

Questioning is often the starting
point of innovation.

Questioning is often the starting
point of innovation. Inquiry enables us to organize our thinking around what we don’t know.

Questioning is often the starting
point of innovation. Inquiry enables us to organize our thinking around what we don’t know. It shines a light on where new opportunities lie—and where companies need to go.

Questioning is often the starting
point of innovation. Inquiry enables us to organize our thinking around what we don’t know. It shines a light on where new opportunities lie—and where companies need to go.

In today’s world of exponential
change

In today’s world of exponential
change innovative companies must have a Culture of Inquiry.

10 Signs You Have a
Culture of Inquiry

Your leaders question everything. 1
A culture of inquiry starts at the top with leaders who question, and welcome questions from employees and outsiders.

Your company is comfortable with
ambiguity and few easy answers. 2 It’s understood that answers are relative and change is a constant.

Your company has a mission
question rather than a mission statement. 3 Employees and customers are more engaged by an aspirational mission question rather than a static statement.

Your company prioritizes critical thinking.
4 The pressure on short-term results is always relentless, but a culture of inquiry finds time for questioning and critically examining assumptions and the status quo.

Your company rewards questioning (or,
at least, does not punish it). 5 A culture of inquiry gives people credit for finding problems & raising questions— without putting the burden on them to “fix it” themselves.

Your company gives people the
time and space to question deeply. 6 A culture of inquiry encourages employees to venture out into the world to observe, listen, and learn.

Your company provides the tools
to question well. 7 Employees are guided through training and exercises toward more informed, productive questions.

8 Before any possible solutions
are brainstormed, a culture of inquiry will spend time uncovering what the real issues and assumptions are, through thought- provoking Why and What questions. Your company uses “questionstorming” to surface problems and questions worth considering.

Your company actively seeks new
employees who are naturally inquisitive. 9 Potential employees’ critical thinking skills are evaluated by asking them to bring ambitious and open-ended questions pertinent to your company to the interview.

Your company appreciates and encourages
open, inclusive language. 10 In a culture of inquiry, when proposing or evaluating new concepts, judgmental language is replaced by empowering questions starting with “How might we...” and “What if we could...”

To establish a culture of
inquiry

To establish a culture of
inquiry the biggest challenge may be

To establish a culture of
inquiry the biggest challenge may be shifting your company

To establish a culture of
inquiry the biggest challenge may be shifting your company to value “questions” over “answers.”

But this is imperative in
today’s world

But this is imperative in
today’s world where answers change overnight,

But this is imperative in
today’s world where answers change overnight, and exploratory questions

But this is imperative in
today’s world where answers change overnight, and exploratory questions can help anticipate what’s coming.

With a culture of inquiry,
there’s always more possibility.

With a culture of inquiry,
there’s always more possibility.

From the book