The Power of Questions

Most of my work as a facilitator revolves around asking the right questions. Sometimes even tough questions. Recently I was facilitating a group of Function Heads of an engineering/manufacturing Organization. The market for their product was in the dumps. We were talking about challenging comfort zones in a time like this for themselves and their departments.

I had a very sceptical Head of Production who wasn’t ‘buying it’. Apparently, it had been announced that year, that there would be no incentives for exceeding the Minimum Required Production (MRP) for the workers (say 100 units a day, per worker). As a result morale was low and the workers simply stopped production once they had reached this minimum expected number. “No amount of motivation will work with them. Money is the only motivator.” I was told. Everybody agreed readily, except for the newly appointed Head of RnD. The Head of HR hastily added that, the workers were being paid their salary on time; there had been no layoffs either which was great as compared to their competitors who had handed out pink slips by the hundreds.

I posed some questions to the Head of Production,

1. Would you feel and do the same if you were in the worker’s shoes?

His answer: “Yes of course I wouldn’t do anything beyond the MRP if I wasn’t getting paid for it! Why should I?” (More nods from the rest of the group)

2. Are there any workers that go above and beyond that minimum number even though they know that they will not get any incentive for it?

His answer: A little hesitantly, “Yes there are a few, about 7-8. They do it to pass their time I guess.”

3. What are you doing to ensure that these few continue to do their extra bit?

His Answer: Silence

The room was silent for a while. I let the question weigh on everyone’s mind. The Finance Head asked, “So what can we do to motivate the few who continue to exceed their MRP?

Where do you think they should begin?

Begin from within I say. All the Heads already held the same belief as their workers. If you believe that power is the only motivator obviously you will never look beyond it. We rolled up our sleeves and did some work on how they would address this problem. All the solutions came from them. The discussion was constructive and positive.

The power of probing and asking the right questions is immense. It can change paradigms and force us to examine harmful beliefs. Questions can help us to polish our mirrors and see who we really are. Facilitation is about helping people to look within and clean off the dust from their mirrors. With clarity comes insight and the ability to tackle problems creatively and address issues authentically. Questions help us clarify our vision and make the assumptions and intent behind decisions more conscious. A good question can get to the heart of the real issue. It helps you understand the other person’s goals and aspirations. It enables the other person to reach their own conclusions. It reframes the problem and sometimes it can even inspire commitment.