The most fundamental and potentially disruptive management question is, “What is the question?” Legions of corporate troops go to work every day without having asked themselves that question… but they still provide beautiful answers nevertheless.

If we held a competition for simplicity among disruptive ideas, this one would win the prize. If you want a pure example of something disruptive (i.e., cheap, can be implemented now and has colossal disproportion between its simplicity and the impact), ‘asking the question’ would be it.

Organisations are populated by doers anxious to get into execution as soon as they see bullet points on a flipchart. There is no shortage of activities, actions, implementation points, execution of ideas, etc.

‘Flawless execution’ has been a mantra for many years. This has escalated to the point where we are sometimes proud of the flawless execution of a completely flawed idea. We are providing loads of beautiful answers to the wrong questions. And what’s more, we are happy with those irrelevant but elegant answers! The automatic ‘execution’ pilot takes over without people realising that they have bypassed a small, fundamental question: “Why are we doing this?”

If you think this is an exaggeration, let me remind you that entire systems have been built following the internal logic and intrinsic cohesiveness of a process… and leading to major absurdities. Richard Buetow, ex-director of corporate quality at Motorola, said about a well-known quality system:

“With ISO 9000 you can still have terrible processes and products. You can certify a manufacturer that makes life jackets from concrete, as long as those jackets are made according to the documented procedures and the company provides next of kin with instructions on how to complain about defects.”

The most important management question is, “What is the question?”, and the disruptive idea is to ask it systematically! There are immediate secondary questions:

• Is the question answerable? That is, are we in position to (ever) answer it?
• What kind of answers are in our potential portfolio:

• Technological answers: how can this be addressed from the technological viewpoint?
• Economic answers: what are the financial answers/implications?
• Political answers: how does it fit into the socio-political system?
• Psychological answers: what would that mean for the behaviours of individuals?
• Etc.

There are many potential answers and they may or may not overlap. Problems usually arise when choosing the type of answer for any question. For example, a social question may get a technological answer; a political question may get a psychological answer. These may or may not be appropriate, but you need to be conscious of the fact that your default position will only lead you to the type of answers you feel most comfortable with. I’m sure you can think of all sorts of combinations and perhaps even find examples in your organisation. So systematically asking, “Is this kind of answer appropriate to the question?” is an important exercise as well.

Examples of potentially disconnected questions and answers are:

• How can we create a collaborative culture? By providing collaborative software. The question is social, the answer given technical. Possible?
• How can we use a document management system more efficiently? By training people again/more. The question is technical, the answer given skill-based. Does it work?
• How can we motivate people more? By increasing salaries. The question is psychological; the answer assumes a connection with economics. Comfortable?

Asking “What is the question?” - i.e., what are we trying to address; what is the real issue on the table or why are we doing this? - is a behaviour that can spread virally very fast. All it takes is a few people to start the practice! The potential to re-direct ideas and avoid big fiascos is enormous.

When the ‘doer community’ has already marched out to the battlefield, it is too late to ask this question! And asking the question may also be irritating, because many people do not want to be questioned on issues they see as done and dusted. It may take some courage at times, but you need to remember at all times what the most important management question is as you don’t want to miss the opportunity to ask it.

The most important questions (in order of importance):

1. What is the question? What are we trying to answer here?

2. Why are we doing this?

3. Is this what we (management) are supposed to be doing?

4. Go back to number one.

Ask those questions in any review meeting, any debate leading to decisions, any meeting to double-check on things after decisions have been made.

Copyright © - Leandro Herrero - 2008