Humble Inquiry & Collaborative Work Elizabeth Schrimpf, MA, - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Humble Inquiry & Collaborative Work Elizabeth Schrimpf, MA, LPC, CCC Adult Career and Special Student Services UW-Madison IT Professionals Conference 2020

Level 1 Relationships I know of - but not about - you Level 2 Relationships I know some things about you. Level 3 Relationships I know lots of things about you. Humble Inquiry 101 Collaboration cannot thrive in Level 1 Relationships - you need to be at Level 2 or higher to truly collaborate. The act of asking genuine questions (humble inquiry) moves us through the relational levels Asking > Telling

Shift attitude from one of “telling” to one of “learning” I know what you need & what to do We both have ideas about what is necessary Goals of HI and what needs to be done - let’s find common ground Build relationship through genuine communication What is the purpose of humble inquiry? I am in charge; Listen to me Why should I bother? We can make better decisions if we make them together Engage in collaborative problem solving

- Ask questions you do not know the answer to in ways that does not presume an answer - Seek more detail - Express confusion Humble Inquiry - Practice sharing information without giving instruction Process - Let go of “winning/losing” mindset - Give facts without implications - Let go of hierarchy and prioritize perspective - Recognize how perspective affects outcome - Understand that hierarchy influences - but doesn’t drive - decision making - Reject task-specific conversation - Focus on information instead of accomplishment

Humble Inquiry Practice

Example 1 Client calls for help Misdiagnosed situation Professional wants to double-check Ask questions you do not know the answer to Practice sharing information Let go of hierarchy and prioritize perspective Reject task-specific conversation

Two professionals on project Different ideas on what steps to take Example 2 Ask questions you do not know the answer to Practice sharing information Let go of hierarchy and prioritize perspective Reject task-specific conversation

Employee & Manager disagree Employee wants more information Example 3 Manager is concerned with other priorities Ask questions you do not know the answer to Practice sharing information Let go of hierarchy and prioritize perspective Reject task-specific conversation

Examples: 1) Client/Customer misdiagnosed issue; Questions to consider: professional needs to know more When did you experience a situation like this? 2) Peers disagree; need to come to consensus What happened? 3) Manager/Employee disagree; need to move How could humble inquiry have helped? forward What might you do differently next time? Ask questions you do not know the answer to Practice sharing information Let go of hierarchy and prioritize perspective Reject task-specific conversation

Troubleshooting Any initial reactions, thoughts or feedback? Do you see this method in your work? Any final reactions, thoughts or feedback?

Adult Career Services 608-263-6960 Elizabeth Schrimpf elizabeth.schrimpf@wisc.edu Construct Your https://acsss.wisc.edu/career-planning-uw-madison-employees/ Career @UW Resources, support and free, confidential 1:1 appointments Learning and Talent Development https://hr.wisc.edu/professional-development/develop-your-career/ Live & recorded learning resources for all UW-Madison employees

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