A More Beautiful Question
The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas
1st Edition
Published on 4. March 2014
272 pages
978-1-62040-146-0 (ISBN)
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."
"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."
More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
ISBN-13
978-1-62040-146-0 (9781620401460)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Book
11/2016
Bloomsbury USA
€14.00
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Book
05/2014
Bloomsbury Publishing USA
€25.00
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Person
Warren Berger is the author of multiple books, including The Book of Beautiful Questions and Glimmer. A frequent public speaker, he has also appeared on NBC's TODAY show, ABC World News, CNN, and NPR's All Things Considered. He lives with his wife Laura E. Kelly in Westchester, New York. www.AMoreBeautifulQuestion.com
Content
- Intro
- Cover
- Title Page
- Contents
- 1. Why Questioning Matters . . . More Than Ever
- 2. The Surprising Power of Inquiry
- If they can put a man on the moon, why can't they make a decent foot?
- What can a question do?
- What business are we in now-and is there still a job for me?
- Are questions becoming more valuable than answers?
- Is "knowing" obsolete?
- Why does everything begin with Why?
- How do you move from asking to action?
- 3. Why We Stop Questioning
- Why do kids ask so many questions? (And how do we really feel about that?)
- Why does questioning fall off a cliff?
- Can a school be built on questions?
- Who is entitled to ask questions in class?
- If we're born to inquire, then why must it be taught?
- Can we teach ourselves to question?
- 4. Asking Why (to Understand)
- WHY do we have to wait for the picture?
- WHY does stepping back help us move forward?
- WHY did George Carlin see things the rest of us missed?
- WHY should you be stuck without a bed if I've got an extra air mattress?
- WHY must we "question the question"?
- 5. Asking What If (to Imagine Possibilities)
- WHAT IF we could map the DNA of music?
- WHAT IF your brain is a forest, thick with trees? (And what if the branches touch?)
- WHAT IF you sleep with a question? (Will you wake with an answer?)
- WHAT IF your ideas are wrong and your socks don't match?
- WHAT IF you could not fail?
- 6. Asking How (to Innovate)
- HOW can we give form to our questions?
- HOW do you build a tower that doesn't collapse (even after you put the marshmallow on top)?
- HOW can you learn to love a broken foot?
- HOW might we create a symphony together?
- HOW might we get in the habit of asking "how might we"?
- 7. The Questioning Leader
- Will anyone follow a leader who embraces uncertainty?
- Why do I choose to lead?
- Why are we in business? (And by the way-what business are we really in?)
- What should a leader ask-and definitely not ask?
- How might we create a culture of inquiry?
- Should mission statements be mission questions?
- 8. Questioning and Critical Thinking
- What is the problem that trumps all other problems?
- What is critical thinking? (And why is it so hard to do?)
- Am I thinking like a soldier or a scout?
- Why do I believe what I believe? (And what if I'm wrong?)
- How might I own my own biases?
- What is the evidence? (And how much does it weigh?)
- How can I be sure I'm not just "JAQing off"?
- How can I be wrong when it feels so right?
- 9. Asking Questions to Engage and Influence
- How might we pry off the lid and stir the paint?
- What if I replace judgment with curiosity?
- Are you listening for differences or just similarities?
- What is the most underrated type of question?
- What if I advise less and inquire more?
- How can questions help to bridge the divide between us?
- 10. Questioning for Life
- If you cannot answer, can you at least respond?
- Why are you evading inquiry?
- How can I warm up my questioning muscle?
- What if I apply questioning to my daily life?
- Can questioning help me to pursue my passion?
- How will you find your beautiful question?
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- A Note on the Author
- eCopyright
