Curiosity and the power of questions
How might we open up new approaches to tackle seemingly intractable problems?
While I don’t have specific answers, a good place to start is with a well-formulated question. Questions invite us to pause and consider the assumptions, uncertainties and unintended consequences of a certain course of action. This is why I value curiosity so deeply. Curiosity - an earnest desire to learn from other’s perspectives and lived experience - coupled with a good question, has the power to invite exploration and uncover new paths.
Wicked problems are complex, interrelated and emergent. This makes them difficult to understand. It can be useful to model systems if we want to reproduce a limited set of inter-relationships. Yet too often, we forget that any action has side-effects; and often fail to consider how a particular problem is influenced by factors well outside the bounds of a specific frame of expertise. Models and empirical experiments that hold certain factors constant are simplifications of reality. When dealing with cities - as those of us involved in streets do - we are by definition dealing with emergent entities. Cities consist of many layers of complexity: people, institutions, economies and nature. These are all interrelated. When we constrain our solutions to disciplines (‘transport’, ‘sustainability’, ‘health;’, ‘community development’, ‘housing’, ‘education’), we miss the dependencies. This is where a reductionist approach finds its limitations (1). How might we think more holistically about streets?
When it comes to cities; or the transport and land use ‘system’ that is but one of many that characterises human settlements, none of us is an expert. Yet our knowledge-based economy values the ability to model and predict. It values expertise and authority over lived experience. If you are reading this, you are probably valued for your expertise. Do you feel vulnerable, or uncomfortable admitting not knowing, asking a question (2)?
I did.
I thought I was ‘curious’ because I liked learning. But my learning was utilitarian. I wanted to know more so I could enjoy the regard this earned me and hopefully work on more interesting projects. My intentions were rooted in wanting to bring about more inclusive and sustainable transport, but nevertheless I was blind to the way I had been conditioned to tie my own sense of self-worth to the knowledge I possessed. I didn’t realise that this came at the expense of empathy for the very people I was designing for.
This is an illustration of how we subsconsciously default to ‘knowing’. This comes at the expense of empathy, of different perspectives, of seeing the interdependencies that lie at the root of a problem or which are causing unintended consequences. True curiosity is not relentless knowledge acquisition. It is admitting to not knowing. It is inviting others’ perspectives.
Want a different solution? Ask a better question
System mapping has proved to be a useful tool for me to explore and unpack the transport and land use system; helping me identify the feedback loops within the system, and to arrange causes in sequence. System maps are a visulisation of a question. Their strength lies in placing boundaries, or constraints, on what you seek to explore.
It can be useful to look at how systems thinkers formulate the questions on which their maps are based. A common approach - which you’ve probably seen - is to frame a questions as a ‘How might we’ (3). Its ingredients are as follows:
How might we + verb + for + target population + so that + desired outcome
The first step in formulating a question in this way is to start with a problem and consider how the problem is experienced or viewed by different people. A strong ‘how might we’ statements reflects multiple perspectives and expresses the desired benefits of addressing the problem. Expressing the problem as a ‘how might we’ invites exploration. Try to frame it in a way that avoids entrenching divides. Bear in mind the question - as with any system map - is a work in progress. It is useful to think of as a starting point for prompting discussion; one that can be updated as your understanding of how people experience the problem evolves.
So, how might we open up new approaches to tackle seemingly intractable problems?
Not with the thinking, nor the approaches, that created the problem in the first place. With a better question (4).
Notes
This video from Systems Innovation network provides a brief break-down of reductionism and holism.
On curiosity, seeing differently and the power of ‘not knowing’ : A.C. GRAYLING in conversation with Sarah Wilson: How to have your own life philosophy
For tips on formulating a “How might we?” question, visit: What is How Might We (HMW)? | IxDF
In A More Beautiful Question, Warren Berger writes about the power of questions to spark inquiry. Here’s a little insight from the creative folks at IDEO U in conversation with Berger: The Power of Questions: A Creative Leader’s Secret Tool – IDEO U.