Humble Inquiry, Edgar H. Schein
Humble Inquiry, Edgar H. Schein
6 Rating(s)
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Humble Inquiry
The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling

Author: Edgar H. Schein

Narrator: Sean Pratt

Unabridged: 3 hr 30 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 08/01/2014


Synopsis

The Key to Effective Communication

Communication is essential in a healthy organization. But all too often when we interact with people—especially those who report to us—we simply tell them what we think they need to know. This shuts them down. To generate bold new ideas, to avoid disastrous mistakes, to develop agility and flexibility, we need to practice Humble Inquiry.

Ed Schein defines Humble Inquiry as “the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” In this seminal work, Schein contrasts Humble Inquiry with other kinds of inquiry, shows the benefits Humble Inquiry provides in many different settings, and offers advice on overcoming the cultural, organizational, and psychological barriers that keep us from practicing it.

About Edgar H. Schein

Edgar H. Schein is Sloan Fellows Professor Emeritus of Management at the Sloan School. He is one of the founders of the field of organization development and the concept of process consultation. He has authored numerous books, including Organizational Psychology and The Corporate Culture Survival Guide.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Philippe on November 16, 2014

I am getting more and more convinced that big, systemic change takes root in conscious but modest shifts in behaviour and thought. The argument developed in this short book confirms this: asking the right questions, from an authentic attitude of respect and curiosity, is the basis for building trust......more

Goodreads review by Phuc on October 01, 2014

The idea is great and insightful. However, that could be easily covered by one chapter, not the whole book. The author repeat himself quite a lot.......more

Goodreads review by chantel on January 17, 2025

I read the first edition a few years ago and always remembered the concepts in Humble Inquiry. I really liked it, and it’s something that I practice a lot. Today a couple hours before having an important chat with some folks, I decided to read this and get fully recentred in my humble inquiry bag. T......more

Goodreads review by Andy on January 10, 2022

Mish-mash of advice that can be found in many other books I’ve read so I found it boring. What the author says isn’t wrong (“be humble”) but I worry that he omits things that are based on more solid evidence than his anecdotal experiences. For instance, he talks a lot about OR teams. I think that th......more

Goodreads review by Richard on July 06, 2018

I rather liked this little book. I've been a fan of Schein's thinking for a long time, since I was first introduced to his ideas on Process Consulting when I was a junior management consultant, (I know, we all have things in our pasts that are embarrassing!). This is a very easy read with deceptivel......more