Humble Inquiry, 3rd Edition: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling

by Edgar H. Schein, Peter A. Schein, Michael Bungay Stanier (Foreword by)

Overview

The global bestseller with over 300,000 copies sold returns in its 3rd edition to continue teaching people how to effectively ask and obtain accurate answers to questions across all mediums.

With 30% new material, including how to apply humble inquiry while working remotely, this updated edition is the definitive book on bringing humility back into your life.

In an increasingly divisive era where communication is often dominated by assertiveness and directive leadership, this bestselling guide offers a refreshing and essential perspective on the power of asking instead of telling. This updated 3rd edition offers practical advice for how to build relationships based on curiosity and foster collaboration and trust between team members.

Lessons in this book will help you:

•Build healthy relationships with people from different occupational, professional, and national cultures
•Create psychologically safe work climates that allow people to feel safe to share what they know
•Foster teamwork and bust hyper-competitiveness through open communication, trust, and coordination

In this new edition, updates have been made to 30% of the book that delves into the fresh challenges inherent in today's workplace, including new stories and case examples as well as an entire additional chapter with a focus on humble inquiry in the context of remote and hybrid work.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798890570970
Publisher:	Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date:	07/01/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Edgar H. Schein is chairman and cofounder of the Organizational Culture and Leadership Institute (OCLI). He was the Society of Sloan Fellows Professor of Management Emeritus at the MIT Sloan School of Management and has received multiple lifetime achievement awards from associations such as the American Society of Training Directors, the Academy of Management, and the International Leadership Association.
Peter A. Schein is the cofounder and COO of the OCLI. He has thirty years of industry experience in marketing, strategy, and corporate development at technology pioneers such as Apple and Sun Microsystems Inc. (Oracle).

Editorial Reviews

Schein helps us understand the importance of transcending hierarchy and authority to build authentic relationships predicated on trust and respect. Humble Inquiry is a powerful approach to building safe environments for our people and, ultimately, our patients.”
—Gary S. Kaplan MD, Chairman and CEO, Virginia Mason Health System

“Quiet wisdom from an expert, enlivened by personal examples. Insightful and easy to read, it made me look again at my own behavior in my relationships, both at work and in the home.”
—Charles Handy

“Humble Inquiry is an elegant treatment of how to go about building and sustaining solid, trusting relationships in or out of the workplace. A masterful take on a critical human skill too infrequently practiced.”
—John Van Maanen, Erwin Schell Professor of Management and Professor of Organization Studies, MIT

“An invaluable guide for a consultant trying to understand and untangle system and interpersonal knots. Written with a beguiling simplicity and clarity, it is laden with wisdom and practicality.”
—Irvin Yalom, MD, Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Stanford University

“The lessons contained in this deceptively simple book reach beyond the author’s experience gained from a lifetime of consultation to organizations of all sizes and shapes. It provides life lessons for us all. If, as a result of reading this book, you begin to practice the art of humble asking, you will have taken an important step toward living wisely.”
—Samuel Jay Keyser, Peter de Florez Professor Emeritus, MIT

“This book seriously challenges leaders to re-examine the emphasis on task orientation and ‘telling’ subordinates how best to do their jobs. Humble Inquiry increases organizational capacity to learn more from cross-cultural teamwork, reduces stress, and increases organizational engagement and productivity.”
—Jyotsna Sanzgiri, MBA, PhD, Professor, California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant International University

“This book is particularly important for leaders who in these complex times need advice and tools for building trust in their relationships with subordinates individually or in teams.”
—Danica Purg, President, IEDC-Bled School of Management, Bled, Slovenia

“This book is an exercise in inquiry by a recognized master of humble insight.”
—Art Kleiner, Editor-in-Chief, Booz & Company/strategy+business

“Ed Schein has provided a new and thoughtful reframing of interpersonal dynamics through the notion of Humble Inquiry. This short book is packed with insights as Schein rigorously explores the impact of his ideas in his usually clear and readable style.”
—Michael Brimm, Professor of Organizational Behavior, INSEAD Europe

“A fast read and full of insight! Schein uses stories from his personal life and his successful career as a process consultant that pointedly ask, ‘How willing are you to cast aside hierarchy? How personal are you willing to be?’ Considering the cultural, occupational, generational, and gender communication barriers we face every day, Humble Inquiry proposes a very practical, nonthreatening approach to bridging those gaps and increasing the mutual understanding that leads to operational excellence.”
—Rosa Antonia Carrillo, MSOD, safety leadership consultant

“A remarkably valuable guide for anyone interested in leading more effectively and building strong relationships. Ed Schein presents vivid examples grounded in a lifetime of experience as husband, father, teacher, administrator, and consultant.”
—Robert B. McKersie, Professor Emeritus, Sloan School of Management, MIT

“Ed Schein has an eye for bold yet subtle insights into the big picture and a knack for writing about them clearly. Humble Inquiry—like his previous book Helping—shows that he is equally talented at bringing fresh thinking to well-trodden ground.”
—Grady McGonagill, EdD, Principal, McGonagill Consulting

“What did I gain from reading Humble Inquiry? I became more aware of the subtle but powerful ways we affect each other as we talk and how the right kind of questions can dramatically improve the quality and efficiency of communication, with benefits that range from increased patient safety and satisfaction to employee motivation and morale to organizational performance. You can’t afford to not know about this.”
—Anthony Suchman, MD, MA, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

“With the world as his classroom, Ed Schein continues to guide us through modern day chaos with the powerful behaviors of Helping and Humble Inquiry. This is a must-read for anyone who truly wishes to achieve important goals!”
—Marjorie M. Godfrey, Codirector, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice Microsystem Academy

“I have had the privilege of working with Ed Schein. Reading Humble Inquiry I could hear his voice asking me those humble questions that joined us in a mutual search for the answer. His book distills what he has learned and practiced in a lifetime of helping high-powered leaders be even more successful.”
—Anthony F. Earley, Jr., Chairman, CEO and President, PG&E Corporation

From the Publisher