Introduction: Creating Positive Relationships and Effective
Organizations
1 Humble Inquiry
2 Humble Inquiry in Practice—Case Examples
3 Differentiating Humble Inquiry from Other Kinds of
Inquiry
4 The Culture of Do and Tell
5 Status, Rank, and Role Boundaries as Inhibitors
6 Forces Inside Us as Inhibitors
7 Developing the Attitude of Humble Inquiry
Notes
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
Author Awards
Edgar H. Schein is the Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His previous books include Helping; Process Consultation Revisited; The Corporate Culture Survival Guide; DEC Is Dead, Long Live DEC; Organizational Culture and Leadership; and Career Anchors.
“An invaluable guide for a consultant trying to understand and
untangle system and interpersonal knots. Written with a beguiling
simplicity and clarity, it is laden with wisdom and practicality.”
—Irvin Yalom, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Stanford
University
“The lessons contained in this deceptively simple book reach beyond
the author’s experience gained from a lifetime of consultation to
organizations of all sizes and shapes. It provides life lessons for
us all. If, as a result of reading this book, you begin to practice
the art of humble asking, you will have taken an important step
toward living wisely.”
—Samuel Jay Keyser, Peter de Florez Professor Emeritus,
MIT
“This book seriously challenges leaders to re-examine the emphasis
on task orientation and ‘telling’ subordinates how best to do their
jobs. Humble Inquiry increases organizational capacity to learn
more from cross-cultural teamwork, reduces stress, and increases
organizational engagement and productivity.”
—Jyotsna Sanzgiri, MBA, PhD, Professor, California School of
Professional Psychology, Alliant International University
“This book is particularly important for leaders who in these
complex times need advice and tools for building trust in their
relationships with subordinates individually or in teams.”
—Danica Purg, President, IEDC-Bled School of Management, Bled,
Slovenia
“This book is an exercise in inquiry by a recognized master of
humble insight.”
—Art Kleiner, Editor-in-Chief, Booz & Company/strategy+business
“Ed Schein has provided a new and thoughtful reframing of
interpersonal dynamics through the notion of Humble Inquiry. This
short book is packed with insights as Schein rigorously explores
the impact of his ideas in his usually clear and readable
style.”
—Michael Brimm, Professor of Organizational Behavior, INSEAD
Europe
“Humble Inquiry is an elegant treatment of how to go about building
and sustaining solid, trusting relationships in or out of the
workplace. A masterful take on a critical human skill too
infrequently practiced.”
—John Van Maanen, Erwin Schell Professor of Management and
Professor of Organization Studies, MIT
“A fast read and full of insight! Schein uses stories from his
personal life and his successful career as a process consultant
that pointedly ask, ‘How willing are you to cast aside hierarchy?
How personal are you willing to be?’ Considering the cultural,
occupational, generational, and gender communication barriers we
face every day, Humble Inquiry proposes a very practical,
nonthreatening approach to bridging those gaps and increasing the
mutual understanding that leads to operational excellence.”
—Rosa Antonia Carrillo, MSOD, safety leadership consultant
“A remarkably valuable guide for anyone interested in leading more
effectively and building strong relationships. Ed Schein presents
vivid examples grounded in a lifetime of experience as husband,
father, teacher, administrator, and consultant.”
—Robert B. McKersie, Professor Emeritus, Sloan School of
Management, MIT
“Ed Schein has an eye for bold yet subtle insights into the big
picture and a knack for writing about them clearly. Humble
Inquiry—like his previous book Helping—shows that he is equally
talented at bringing fresh thinking to well-trodden ground.”
—Grady McGonagill, EdD, Principal, McGonagill Consulting
“What did I gain from reading Humble Inquiry? I became more aware
of the subtle but powerful ways we affect each other as we talk and
how the right kind of questions can dramatically improve the
quality and efficiency of communication, with benefits that range
from increased patient safety and satisfaction to employee
motivation and morale to organizational performance. You can’t
afford to not know about this.”
—Anthony Suchman, MD, MA, University of Rochester School of
Medicine and Dentistry
“With the world as his classroom, Ed Schein continues to guide us
through modern day chaos with the powerful behaviors of Helping and
Humble Inquiry. This is a must-read for anyone who truly wishes to
achieve important goals!”
—Marjorie M. Godfrey, Codirector, The Dartmouth Institute for
Health Policy & Clinical Practice Microsystem Academy
“I have had the privilege of working with Ed Schein. Reading Humble
Inquiry I could hear his voice asking me those humble questions
that joined us in a mutual search for the answer. His book distills
what he has learned and practiced in a lifetime of helping
high-powered leaders be even more successful.”
—Anthony F. Earley, Jr., Chairman, CEO and President,
PG&E Corporation
“Schein helps us understand the importance of transcending
hierarchy and authority to build authentic relationships predicated
on trust and respect. Humble Inquiry is a powerful approach to
building safe environments for our people and, ultimately, our
patients.”
—Gary S. Kaplan MD, Chairman and CEO, Virginia Mason Health
System
“Quiet wisdom from an expert, enlivened by personal examples.
Insightful and easy to read, it made me look again at my own
behavior in my relationships, both at work and in the home.”
—Charles Handy
Ask a Question About this Product More... |