Edgar H. Schein

Well, at least it was short.

This book had two key problems. The first is that it was not particularly coherent. Schein covered a number of different elements that were all loosely related and tried to make them all be linked by the concept of humble inquiry. This didn't quite work, and instead I came away with an "it slices, it dices, it even makes julienne fries!" vibe. The last few chapters were especially hard to get through because they almost didn't even make sense.

The second is that much of the book is spent talking about status and why it's important for superiors (ugh) to grant status to their subordinates (ugh) by acknowledging that they have expertise that you don't (duh). I'm sure there are some people for whom this is a useful message. Those people are probably not going to be attracted to a book with this title.

For those of us who think that humble inquiry sounds like a good idea and are therefore likely to pick up the book, it has little to offer beyond common communication tips better covered in a myriad of other places (and probably most pithily summarized in Steven Covey's saying, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood).

That said, if you try, you can extract some good out of this book (although as noted, it's not novel).

The opening example, where someone feels the need to tell someone something without even seeing if they need to be told resonated with me. I hate when people do that, and it does immediately bias me against the teller. Thus, the general idea of humble inquiry is a good one. We should approach people and conversations with genuine curiosity and not assume you know the answers to your questions. If we all did that, then discourse would be much more civil.

Another good observation was that when organizations do not foster psychological safety, employees will not share information that could prevent bad outcomes because past experience shows that they will not be listened too and may suffer negative consequences for questioning / defying those with power.

These two factors become even more critical when teamwork is needed to get things done since effective teams are built on trust and understanding where everyone is able to contribute, whatever other status ques may be present.

Another bit of value is that while there are many ways of asking questions, not all of them are humble inquiry. In particular, questions that are asked for rhetorical effect or in a leading manner do not encourage honest, open answers from the recipient.

The book had few tips of how to ask questions which foster honest communication. Some that were there: Reflect on why you're asking a question before asking it. Make sure everyone has a chance to speak in group settings. Ask for examples when things are unclear. Ask about things you feel ignorant or uncomfortable about. Listen to the other person's answers and let that guide the conversation. Slow down; don't rush the conversation.

I did also like the definition of trust Schein uses: "Trust in the context of a conversation is believing that the other person will acknowledge me, not take advantage of me, not embarrass or humiliate me, tell me the truth, and, in the broader context, not cheat me, work on my behalf, and support the goals we agree to."

All in all though, if the book hadn't been less than 3 hours long, I would not have finished it.… (altro)