Generally speaking, a researcher’s objective is to understand the way the variables play and how they interact with the issue that triggers the need for research in a given client. Usually, it involves making considerations about a mix of market signals and making choices about what is important; however, the signals are sometimes very weak or not self-explanatory.
Within this context, I tend to believe that questions are far more important than answers. When I fail to perceive clear signals from the market all my alarms tend to switch alertness “on". It is because I come to the conclusion that the mental model I am using to comprehend the facts is wrong. Thus, I assume that an important piece of the puzzle is missing and I need to think creatively to see beyond.
As a researcher, I have found that a good dose of creativity is vital to bring up original solutions. Also, I have found that creativity comes from hard work. Only after many hours of study, I come to a point when I feel ready to view from different angles all the facts and quotations.
Just then, I am able to deconstruct the knowledge and to forget momentarily the relationships attributed to the pieces of the jigsaw. At this point in time, not only listening is important but also changing the mindset. Search is thus guided by new questions that come from sensing different viewpoints, from exploring different sources of knowledge that may develop even further my ability to critically evaluate the issues.
In this respect, new questions enable practitioners to envision new relationships and new variables. It is like fine-tuning our ears to hear a different frequency. Basically, the value of a question lays not necessarily in obtaining an answer but in eliciting a new approach.
Questions help us to channel and categorise knowledge, they are intended to make us comprehend the meaning of the signals and only when we are capable of understanding them, we will be in a condition to reduce uncertainty. Maybe, I should specify here that I am talking about big questions. Those that are hard to find but, when structured, transform our perspective, our perceptions and patterns of measure.
In fact, this type of question has the power to introduce us into a new dimension. A good question unfolds before us alternative pathways; its value resides in that it leads us to interpret reality through a different coordinate system. Just then the answers become important.
