"Discover the core questions that every manager needs to master ... how to avoid the mistakes business questioners make most often ... ten simple rules for asking every question more effectively. Learn how to ask tough questions and take control of tough situations ... use questions to promote innovation, drive change, identify hidden problems, and get failing protects back on track. Ask better questions, get better answers, achieve better results!"--BOOK JACKET.

= 0) {slash = '\\';} else {slash = '/';}openLoc = figLoc.substring(0, figLoc.lastIndexOf(slash) + 1);while (pPage.substring(0,3) == '../') {openLoc = openLoc.substring(0, openLoc.lastIndexOf(slash, openLoc.length - 2)+ 1);pPage = pPage.substring(3, pPage.length + 1);}popUpWin =window.open('','popWin','resizable=1,scrollbars=1,location=0,toolbar=0,width=525,height=394');figDoc = popUpWin.document;zhtm= ' ' + pPage + ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += ' ';zhtm += '' + pPage.substring(pPage.lastIndexOf('/') + 1, pPage.length) + '';zhtm += ' ';figDoc.write(zhtm);figDoc.close();}// modified 3.1.99 RWE v4.1 --> The Art of Asking The Art of Asking Ask Better Questions, Get Better AnswersPreface: Corporate Inquisitions The Not-So-Grand InquisitorHe sat behind a desk holding a pitchfork, as all upper-level managers do when they are bedeviling their employees. Well, at least that's how many people picture the boss. This guy was actually holding one that resembled an implement of the devil--a long black handle with a red trident at the end. An appropriate accompaniment for a kid in a Halloween costume, it was out of place with the corporate blue suit of the middle-aged business director. But, as you will see in a moment, this was a manager who was out of step with his business.Managing business development efforts for a major electronics company with worldwide supply chains is a daunting job for anyone. He had responsibility for overseeing a major growth initiative for the company--one that would likely determine the future of the division. His infrequent visits to the facility that housed the main business unit were as welcome as the arrival of bird flu.The project he had come to review was beset with problems. The marketing organization criticized research, believing that the product design would not meet customer expectations. Every redesign that satisfied the demands of marketing added costs to the product that threatened to price it out of the market it was targeted to reach, thus making the salespeople very unhappy. And they all argued with manufacturing because no matter what design was settled on, no one in the plant had any confidence the product could be manufactured reliably. The project was woefully behind schedule and so far over budget that the likelihood of recovering development costs had become a major concern for management.The desk that he was using, as a physical barrier between himself and the team as much as anything else, rested on a concrete platform, about a foot high, in an old factory warehouse. He actually needed the desk because this particular group of emp