QUESTION BURSTING

In the BBC television series Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes famously states, “I lack the arrogance to ignore details. I’m not the police.” Every story about this detective fascinates us because of his extraordinary ability to notice the small, seemingly insignificant details that others often overlook or dismiss.

Valuable traits

It’s an ability Clayton Christensen praises in The Prosperity Paradox. He and his co-authors, Karen Dillon and Efosa Ojomo, emphasize that one of the most valuable traits of a good student or manager is the ability to ask insightful questions—questions about factors others may not have noticed or deemed important.

And it’s where Hal Gregersen’s innovative brainstorming method, Question Burst, is most useful, focusing as it does on generating these often overlooked, yet crucial questions. Gregersen believes that asking the right questions can break us free from our preconceptions and habitual limitations—a process he calls ‘reframing’. Because when we question deeply, he writes, we challenge assumptions and so open the door to new opportunities. Which in turn sparks innovation and creativity.

The paradox of experience

The world needs expertise. Without it we wouldn’t have heart surgeons, safe flights, good restaurants… the list is endless. But while experience and specialized knowledge turn individuals into experts, they also risk narrowing their perspective. Because as expertise deepens, it becomes easier to become rigid, tied to precedents, and trapped by conventional wisdom. 

Albert Einstein once quipped that, “Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age 18,’ and it’s an observation we can easily apply to the business world, where ‘common sense’ often evolves into a set of ingrained biases – fundamental assumptions about the nature of a business – built up over time. However, the longer one remains in an industry, the harder it often becomes to question these assumptions and think creatively. They’ve become ‘baked into’ the company ethos.

And that all too often stifles creativity.

Breaking away

Breaking away from those fundamental assumptions can, as Matthew Sides explains inRebel Ideas, lead to revolutionary ideas. He points out that challenging long-held beliefs—such as the assumption that taxi companies must own taxis or that restaurants need fixed menus—can inspire groundbreaking innovation. 

For instance, consider children’s clothing. Up to the 1920s, much of it was mostly unisex and mostly white. A bold marketing strategy upended this norm by introducing gender-specific colours, which led to a surge in sales as parents started buying distinct outfits for boys and girls. Or take the motor car which, until Henry Ford announced the Model T in 1908, were considered to be only for rich people. Ford ensured that the Model T was affordable for nearly everyone and by 1918, half the cars in the USA were Model Ts.

So, how do we set about upending norms?

Three strategies

I’d like to suggest that you consider using these three interlinked strategies.

1. Challenge stereotypes
   Break free from commonly accepted beliefs by turning them upside down. For example, ask ‘What if sports clothes weren’t just for athletes? or ‘What if ice cream was more popular in winter?’ In a co-branding project for a home appliance manufacturer, a team I worked with questioned the norm that appliances should only be sold in electronics stores. By positioning them in design and tableware shops, we unlocked new and exciting business models.

1. Ask ‘What if’
   Don’t be afraid to explore future possibilities, however unlikely or illogical they might sound. Ask, ‘What if all cars were self-driving?’ or ‘What if people stopped owning material possessions?’ Such speculative questions may help you envision future trends and uncover hidden opportunities.

1. Embrace paradox
   Combine two seemingly contradictory ideas and turn them into questions. For example: ‘Would consuming more contribute to environmental conservation?’ or ‘Would eating more help you lose weight?’ Paradoxical questions will challenge conventional thinking and could well inspire innovative solutions.

Foster curiosity

One last point. To encourage employees to ask such insightful questions, it’s essential to create a workplace that fosters curiosity. Rather than stopping once an answer is found, encourage them to explore how that answer can then be applied and tested in real-world scenarios.

Because when you create an environment in which employees feel empowered to question assumptions and to think outside the box, you’ll be helping to develop a culture rich in innovation, one teeming with fresh and exciting ideas.