W. Edwards Deming Believed That Asking Naive Questions Promoted An Open Mind
The consultant widely credited for being the architect of postwar Japan’s economic recovery was W. Edwards Deming whose famed “Deming System” became the gold standard of strategic consulting for decades.
Deming was an author, consultant and advisor to governments and multinational corporations, and he believed that all organizations are holographic of their leaders. With all of his accomplishment and wisdom, he often said that one of his primary strengths was asking “naive questions” – questions which assumed little to nothing about how things had always been done. The reason? To have the freshest possible approach and an open mind.
Are there places in your business or employment situation where asking “naive questions” could be useful? How are you with letting go of prior knowledge and assumptions, at least for a while, in service of seeing something new? What resistances have you noticed to this kind of approach? How can you effectively address those fears?