Have you every listened to an experienced teacher speak passionately about their proper role as an educator? “Our goal is not to tell our kids what to think — it’s to teach them how to think.” Most parents would probably agree with that sentiment, especially at moments when they give the subject serious thought — when they’re choosing a college for their kids to attend, for example.

There’s a loose corollary that applies in the workplace but it’s one that is too often ignored. When business owners and managers are ready to launch a new product or implement a new process in the organization, they often ask their employees specific questions about the product, process or strategy. Even though they may be asking questions, this is the business equivalent of telling their employees what to think — because the answer to a degree is baked into the question.

This is a subtle but real distinction. It puts an employee in the position of having the power to answer a question but not to ask one. Pia Lauritzen, Ph.D. is an author and executive advisor who regularly deals with the nature and value of questioning within an organization. “The conventional wisdom has always been that leaders who ask the right questions will get the right answers to make the right decisions,” she writes in an article for Strategy + Business. “In my 20 years researching the nature and impact of questions, I have come to realize that not only is the conventional wisdom false, but it can also damage companies. Depriving employees of the opportunity to ask questions and reflect on their roles narrows the scope for developing insights and influencing behaviors.”

Lauritzen has developed a strategy that business leaders and managers can use to get the most valuable insights possible out of their employees. It incorporates an idea that many people are familiar with: the wisdom of crowds — the simple notion that a group of people can make a better decision than a single expert. She offers four ways to direct employees or any group of people to unleash the power of proper questioning.

“Direct everyone’s attention to the same problem at the same time.” Having employees or any group of people develop completely open-ended questions is counter-productive. Direction must be simultaneously focused on one issue yet broad enough to give people the freedom to be creative. This takes time. Lauritzen adds to this point, saying, “There is more time than you think to reflect on actions if leaders make reflection part of the decision-making process. For example, if a company is going to introduce a new product or process, managers might want to garner employees’ insights into what’s working and what needs improvement. Inviting employees to share their thoughts and ideas will help the company mobilize quickly around strategic priorities. Even when time is of the essence, strategic alignment should be a top priority.”

“Invite everyone to ask their own questions.” It’s unfair to expect any one person to ask exactly the right questions to get the precise information necessary to solve a vast or complex issue. That’s why it may be more effective to have people concentrate on a single part of the problem — a part they are familiar with or expected to have expertise with.  

“Anchor the problem in everyday conversations.” Often, the most effective communication occurs between individuals, not between one person addressing a group or vice versa. Lauritzen leverages this insight by developing a three-step approach to gathering information that has been identified during personal interactions.

• Invite everyone in the organization to contribute — not just managers or any other sub-group. Everyone has information of value even if it only pertains to their narrow scope of responsibility.
• Direct people to ask a question of a specific individual within the organization — not simply direct a question to the company as a whole.
• Utilize technology to analyze the input. Technology doesn’t have to be incredibly complicated. WordClouds.com, for example, is a free online tool that lets you create a visual graphic representation that shows the frequency of words used in both asking and answering questions. Words that appear often are shown graphically larger than others, so you get an idea at a glance of the topics that are important to your team.

“Use data to make sure everyone is on the same quest.” Making sense of the data you collect (such as the info you gather in a word cloud) requires knowledge of your particular company. Lauritzen points to a company that used the technique to discover that employees were confused about the difference between “learning” and “training.” “Learning is the accumulation of knowledge on the job,” she writes, “whereas formal training targets the acquisition of a specific skill. This insight changed the way the company thought about hands-on experiential learning. Leaders and employees now recognize it as an important driver for improvement and innovation.”

Asking questions is fundamental to everything from running a successful business to improving personal relationships. But asking the right questions is the real secret to success.