Munafo Core Values: MCV09 — Ask Opening Questions

Ask Opening Questions

This core value expresses the importance of inquisitiveness in the sense of the mature Magician and Crone archetypes.

Questions can be broken up into the following categories:

Leading questions — the asker already knows the answer, but the responder does not (using the Socratic method, or using pointed questions to force a conclusion, also called "loaded questions" or "leading the witness").

Following questions — the asker does not know the answer, but the responder probably does (these are typical questions of clarification and learning)

Opening (or "powerful") questions — neither the asker nor the responder knows the answer, until the question is asked. It's "opening" because the question "opens up" multiple possibilities — perhaps even just by phrasing the question, the asker might realise in that moment there are more possible responses than whatever he had in mind a moment ago. In such an event, both parties learn from the experience.

MCV09 for Teams

In a team context, a challenge is a question. When an unexpected challenge presents itself, the world is "asking" the team a question. When, as is more frequent, the team takes on a challenge on its own initiative, the team is "asking" itself a question. The questions presented by the challenge are "Can we, should we, and will we, do this? What will come of it?". The answer is embodied in the results: the team's performance in meeting the challenge, success or failure, and any unexpected benefits or lessons learned. Since the question is both asked and answered by the team, the distinction of which type of "question" is constituted by the challenge is between just two types: Mild (leading or following) and Opening.

In the more purely mental or intellectual sense of the Magician archetype (truth, knowledge, philosophy, etc.) the academic peer review process stands as a good example of a team embodying the core value Ask Opening Questions.

When this core value is present:

Team takes on challenges or commitments that have unpredictable results. (+mcv9a)

When this core value is lacking:

Team takes on challenges or commitments whose outcome is predictable. (-mcv9a)

Credits

"Opening" questions: SL 20250804 to team Ikigai

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