What’s Another Question: Recent Episodes
Katherine Rosback
Questions are paths that lead to solutions—at least we expect them to. But some questions can lead us away from the solutions we’re after. What questions guide your thinking? How do they constrain your options or inhibit a better conversation? Could a better question reveal what motivates your clients or customers? Provide greater insight into your stakeholders underlying drivers? Improve your chances of finding the solutions you need? Welcome to What’s Another Question, where decision-makers, change agents, consultants, business transformation leaders, and YOU explore and gain insight into better questions for framing your thinking and guiding your actions.
We are always making decisions. For some, it might be the simpler decision of which flavor of ice cream to choose from the 31 flavors available or which house to buy. For those in the business world, it might be the much more complex decision regarding a capital allocation for a corporation where millions are at stake, or deciding which of the three strategic alternatives would provide the best NPV for the company. How should we choose between the options? Today’s podcast examines a popular decision-making method called weighted criteria, a tool used to evaluate a set of choices against a set of criteria weighted according to their importance. The question we examine today is, does this method provide a means for sound decision-making and what are the better questions we need to be asking?
We are always making decisions. The question is, how should we choose between the options? Today’s podcast examines a popular decision-making method called weighted criteria, a tool used to evaluate a set of choices against a set of criteria and weighted according to their importance. The question we examine today is, does this method provide a means for sound decision-making and what are the better questions we need to be asking?
The plethora of journal articles points to the value of becoming data-driven. But an even greater number point to the fact that the majority of data projects are failing and that businesses are not realizing the hoped-for value. Why does this make perfect sense? What are the questions that data project leaders are failing to ask and answer? That's the topic we explore, with special guest and expert decision analyst, Rob Brown.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the workplace continue to produce less-than hoped for outcomes. Research shows that despite well-intended efforts, the needle has barely moved. To what extent are organizations asking the wrong question to the wrong people? This powerful interview with mental health specialist and inclusion advocate, Elizabeth L. McCorvey, LCSW explores this question, one that should be explored by every organization seeking to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. (36 min)
One of my four principles for Asking the Better Question is what you WANT to know is NOT necessarily the specific question that you will ask. The information that I am seeking might need a set of different question structures to pull out the information that you are seeking from stakeholders, customers, or employees. Check out our first "Tip of the Month" Question Podcast!
The I-Corps Program has an established track record for improving the commercialization of technologies by getting participants "off the lab bench and out of the building" to meet with and understand the needs of the target customers. This podcast explores the firsthand experience of I-Corp participants and how this program radically changed their thinking.
Organizational adoption rates of new technologies, processes, and initiatives could learn valuable lessons from The I-Corps™ Program, a program created by the NSF in 2011 to help move academic research it has funded to market. Join me and my guest, Dr. Mathew Lynall, Director of the I-Corps Program at Purdue University, to learn how an entrepreneur's questioning process and commercialization success rate is improved by getting off the lab bench and out of the building and sitting down with customers to ask the better question.
This podcast explores the challenges faced by Chevron's Decision Boards to improve the quality of their decision conversation with decision teams when they implemented the Decision and Risk process and provides insights into the better questions that steering committees, advisory councils and leadership teams can ask to more effectively steer the work and output of teams. Special guests include Frank Koch, retired Decision Advisor Practice Lead for Chevron and Dr. Gary Bush, decision expert and leadership coach.
Ready to refine your skills in questioning? Looking for an understanding of how your current questions might be limiting the solutions you seek? Check out the topics we will be covering. Ready to air April 15th!