PATH TO CREATIVITY
As the British social scientist and economist William Beveridge once remarked, “The effect that questioning has on the mind might be likened to the stimulus given to a fire by poking it: it disturbs the settled arrangement and brings about new combinations.” Powerful questions stir up the organization and help people better understand the challenges it faces. At the same time, they are a source of ideas for dealing with those challenges. In the final analysis, the path to creativity is marked by powerful questions.
Editor's note: Charles J. Palus and David M. Horth are co-authors of The Leader's Edge: Six Creative Competencies for Navigating Complex Challenges (Jossey-Bass, 2002).
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