The Problem with Good Questions: When Better Answers Don't Help

We've all been taught to ask "good questions." From school to professional development workshops, we learn that thoughtful questions lead to better answers. That's true—to a point.

But what if some problems don't require better answers? What if they require something else entirely?

This is where Moving Questions come in.

Good Questions vs. Moving Questions: The Fundamental Difference

Let me start with a simple distinction that has profound implications.

Good questions seek information, clarity, or solutions. They operate within the visible realm of facts, data, and logical connections. Their purpose is to elicit better answers.

Moving questions, on the other hand, seek to create change in stagnant situations. They operate in the realm of connections and relationships that often lie beyond what's immediately visible. Their purpose is not to find answers but to create space for natural movement.

The difference might seem subtle, but the impact is not.

The Limitations of Good Questions

Don't get me wrong—good questions have their place. They're excellent for:

• Gathering information: "What exactly happened?"

• Clarifying understanding ("Could you explain that again?")

• Exploring options ("What are our alternatives?")

• Planning next steps ("How should we proceed?").

These questions help us navigate the analytical world of problem-solving, where we identify issues, gather data, analyze causes, and implement solutions.

However, many of the most persistent challenges we face, both personally and organizationally, resist this approach. You've likely experienced this yourself.

A team implements solution after solution, only to find the same problems reappearing in different forms.

The relationship pattern that continues despite your best efforts to communicate and change.

The personal habit you've tried to break through numerous well-researched approaches, only to find yourself back where you started.

In these situations, good questions often fail us. They keep us operating within the same framework that created the problem. We look for better answers while missing what's actually keeping things stuck.

The Power of Moving Questions

Moving questions work differently. Rather than seeking better answers within the existing framework, they reorganize connections in the system, shifting the framework itself.

Here are some key differences:

1. Intention 

Good questions aim to solve problems by fostering better understanding. Moving questions intend to create movement by releasing what's stuck.

Consider these two questions about a team conflict:

Good question: "What is causing this conflict, and how can we resolve it?" Moving question: "What might this conflict be protecting or making possible in our team?"

The first question seeks a solution, while the second question explores the purpose that the conflict might serve within the system.

2. Focus

Good questions focus on content, facts, and visible elements. Moving questions focus on connections, relationships, and invisible patterns.

For example:

Good question: "Why aren't we meeting our targets despite having all the necessary resources?" Moving question: "How might not meeting our targets serve a larger purpose in our organization?"

The first looks at the visible problem, while the second explores the hidden connections that might be maintaining it.

3. Timing

Good questions are typically quick, expecting immediate answers that lead to action. Moving questions are patient, allowing space for deeper processes and emergent understanding.

Compare:

Good question: "What actions should we take to improve this situation?" Moving question: "What would need to shift in our relationship to this situation before any action would feel natural?"

The first pushes toward immediate solutions, while the second creates space for natural movement to emerge.

4. Depth

Good questions operate primarily at a cognitive level. Moving questions engage the whole system—intellectual, emotional, physical, and relational.

For instance:

Good question: "What skills do we need to develop to handle this challenge?" Moving question: "What do our physical responses to this challenge tell us about what's really happening in our system?"

The first question focuses on skills and knowledge, while the second question encourages awareness of the system's overall response.

Moving Questions in Action

Let me share a simple example that illustrates the difference.

A leadership team was struggling with persistent conflict between departments. They had tried:

• clarifying roles and responsibilities (after asking good questions about where boundaries were unclear).

• Implementing new communication protocols (after asking good questions about communication barriers).

They even brought in mediators who asked good questions about underlying interests and needs.

Each intervention would work briefly before the conflict returned in a new form.

When I worked with them, I introduced moving questions such as:

• "What might this conflict be making possible that would otherwise be difficult?"

• "If this conflict were serving an important purpose in the organization, what might that purpose be?"

• "Who or what is protected when these departments remain in conflict?"

As they explored these questions, they discovered something surprising: the conflict was unconsciously maintaining loyalty to the organization's founders—two partners who had maintained productive creative tension through controlled conflict themselves. The organization had internalized this pattern, unconsciously believing that harmony between departments would betray the founding energy that made the company successful.

No amount of process improvement or communication enhancement would have resolved this. The solution wasn't finding better answers to good questions about conflict management. What they needed was a change in how the system organized itself around its founding story.

Once this became visible, new possibilities naturally emerged. No one had to force change. Movement happened organically as connections in the system reorganized themselves.

How to Craft Moving Questions

Moving questions have a different quality than good questions. Here are some guidelines for crafting them:

1. Assume the current situation makes perfect sense

Rather than implying that something is wrong and needs to be fixed, moving questions assume that the current pattern—however problematic it may seem—is actually the best solution that the system has found thus far to address some deeper need or loyalty.

Instead of asking, "Why are we stuck in this pattern?" "Why are we stuck in this pattern?" Try: "What is this pattern a perfect solution for?"

2. They invite exploration rather than answers

Moving questions don't pressure for immediate responses. They create space for exploration, allowing connections to reorganize themselves naturally.

Instead of: "What should we do differently?" Try: "What might become possible if we approached this situation differently?"

3. Look for what's not being seen

Moving questions often direct attention to what's being excluded, forgotten, or not acknowledged in the system.

Instead of: "What's causing this problem?" Try: "What is not being seen or acknowledged that might be contributing to this situation?"

4. Explore loyalties and belonging

Many stuck patterns exist to maintain loyalty to someone or something in the system. Moving questions gently explore these connections.

Instead of: "Why can't we move forward?" Try: "Who or what might we feel we're betraying if we change this pattern?"

5. They zoom out rather than in

While good questions often zoom in for more detail, moving questions typically zoom out to see larger patterns and connections.

Instead of: "What specific factors are causing this issue?" Try: "If we look at this from the perspective of the larger system, what might we notice?"

When to Use Moving Questions:

Moving questions are particularly powerful when:

• You face recurring patterns that resist logical solutions.

• There's a sense that "something else is going on" beneath the surface.

• Multiple well-implemented solutions have failed to create lasting change

• Strong emotions arise around seemingly rational discussions.

• There's a feeling of being stuck, even though you know what should be done.

In these situations, the issue isn't finding better answers; it's creating movement where something has become stuck in the system of connections.

The Art of Asking Moving Questions

Asking moving questions is as much about your presence as it is about the words you use. Here are some elements that make moving questions effective:

1. Hold them lightly

When you ask a moving question, do so without attachment to any particular answer. You're not fishing for a specific response; you're creating space for whatever needs to emerge.

2. Allow ample silence

The power of moving questions often unfolds in the silence that follows. Resist the urge to fill the space or clarify the question. Let it work in its own time.

3. Notice physical responses

Moving questions often trigger physical responses before cognitive ones. Pay attention to shifts in posture, breathing, tension, and energy in yourself and others. These physical signals often reveal where movement is beginning.

4. Trust the system's wisdom

Moving questions assume that the system knows how to heal itself when given the right conditions. You don't need to engineer the answer or direct the movement. Your job is simply to create conditions that allow for natural movement.

5. Stay present with whatever emerges

Sometimes, the results of Moving Questions are unexpected or uncomfortable. Your presence—staying grounded and open, without rushing to solutions—provides the space for real transformation to occur.

The Practice of Moving Questions

Like any art, working with Moving Questions takes practice. Begin by noticing the difference between questions that seek better answers and questions that create movement. Pay attention to how each type feels in your body and the responses they evoke.

Start experimenting with Moving Questions in low-stakes situations. Notice not just the answers you receive, but also the quality of presence, the energy in the room, and the subtle shifts in how people relate to the situation.

Gradually, you will develop an intuition for when to ask good questions (to gather information and clarify understanding) and when to ask moving questions (to create movement where things are stuck).

Beyond Questions to Presence

Ultimately, the most powerful Moving Questions don't arise from technique, but from presence. When you're fully present and connected to yourself, the right question will naturally emerge.

This presence—this quality of connection—is what allows moving questions to work their magic. It's not just what you ask, but also how you are when you ask it that creates the space where movement becomes possible.

Your Invitation

I invite you to experiment with Moving Questions in your work and life. Notice the difference between seeking better answers and creating space for movement. Pay attention to what happens when you shift from problem-solving to releasing what's holding you back.