A More Beautiful Question
The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION * REVISED AND UPDATED
"A book everyone ought to read-without question."-ADAM GRANT
To get better answers, we must first ask better questions. Warren Berger reveals how in this beloved guide, with hundreds of thousands of copies sold.
In his groundbreaking A More Beautiful Question, now updated throughout, innovation expert Warren Berger proves that one of the most powerful tools for spurring change is also the most under-appreciated. Questioning-deeply, imaginatively, "beautifully"-can help us identify and solve problems, come up with ideas, and pursue fresh opportunities. But in an education and business culture devised to reward rote answers, questioning isn't encouraged-and, in fact, is sometimes barely tolerated.
A More Beautiful Question champions that impulse for inquiry. Berger introduces surprising masters of questioning. He goes behind the scenes of industry-leading companies to show how the practice is baked into the organizational DNA. And he shares inspiring stories of artists, teachers, entrepreneurs, basement tinkerers, and social activists who transformed their lives and the world around them by starting with a "beautiful question."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Innovation specialist Berger (Glimmer) takes on some big questions in this absorbing treatise that calls for more curiosity in our corporate development and daily lives. Having studied the business realm, Berger found that many companies establish cultures that discourage inquiry, particularly the all-important question: "Why are we doing this particular thing this way?" Since entrenched practices tend to hold sway, Berger claims, people often try to solve problems by answering the wrong questions. His argument is structured, naturally enough, around "questions that can be acted upon and can lead to tangible results and change." Chapters examine both the business and personal arenas, from "Why do smart businesspeople screw up?" to "What if you make one small change?" He also explores why companies don't train people to question and how they might go about it if they decided to try. Quirky sidebars on topics ranging from George Carlin to hard-boiled eggs add to the book's inquisitive spirit. This potential game-changer will help readers identify where opportunities lie and how to seize them.
