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| Image credit: Chron.com |
Constraint. The word itself feels
uncomfortable. It evokes the thought of straightjackets, fetters, ropes,
and chains. Nobody in their right mind would put any of those on them
self. However, although we may not be inclined to put ourselves in
physical constraints, everybody to some extend experiences constraints in the
workplace. Constraints are the factors that limit or restrict what a
person can do (Spacey, 2016). Constraints come in many forms: it could be
a false deadline that we place on our self, it could be the feeling that
management is not interested in hearing our ideas, or it could be the fear of
failure which causes inaction.
There have been numerous times that I have felt
constrained because of my noninquisitiveness. Whetton and Cameron (2016)
say that noninquisitiveness occurs when “the inability to solve problems result
from an unwillingness to ask questions, obtain information, or search for data.”
They also suggest that one reason for this is that “Individuals may think
they will appear naive or ignorant if they question something” (Whetton &
Cameron, 2016).
I can remember experiencing this conceptual
block on several occasions. It has most frequently occured in a group
setting; a training class, a group project, or a town hall type meeting.
In these settings a question has frequently come into my mind that I do
not know the answer to. It might be a question about a particular
aircraft system during a training class, or it might be a question about a
policy that seems unclear during a town hall meeting. I rarely ask those
questions in those settings because I don’t want to appear ignorant. I
have always valued intelligence and I take pride in the fact that I can solve
problems and figure things out on my own. However, as Whetton and Cameron
(2016) suggest, I erroneously have thought that intelligence means knowing all
the answers; it has never occurred to me it might have more to do with asking
good questions. If I had been able to overcome my pride and ask the
questions, I would not have had to research the answers on my own. I may
also have been able to benefit from the combined creativity of the group
instead of relying on my own problem-solving ability.
To prevent this from occurring in the future I
need to remember that there are ways to ask a question without seeming
unintelligent. I have heard people frame their questions by saying
something like “Pardon my ignorance but…” and then they ask the question.
This approach seems to disarm people and make even out of place questions
more acceptable. It is almost as though the questioner is saying “Sorry
guys, I know I should have the answer to this but…” I guess the old
adage, “there is no such thing as a stupid question…” really applies to me in
this situation.
Pablo Picasso said that “every act of creation
is, first of all, an act of destruction.” As I overcome my pride and
recognize that even intelligent people ask good questions I will be able
destroy this constraint of noninquisitiveness and slip out of the
straightjacket, break free of the ropes, and break the chains that prevent me
from being a better problem-solver.
References
Spacey, J. (2016, January 30). 19 types of project constraints.
Retrieved from https://simplicable.com/new/project-constraint
Whetton, D. A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing
management skills 9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
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