75 Cage Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work: Shake-Em-Up Questions to Open Meetings, Ignite Discussion, and Spark Creativity [Paperback]

Dick Whitney (Author), Melissa Giovagnoli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1997

Asking the old questions, according to authors Dick Whitney and Melissa Giovagnoli, means getting the same old answers. And that can be deadly for any group or company that wants to move ahead. Instead, they offer 75 outrageous, thought-provoking questions that clean out the corporate cobwebs and get workers’ minds working in new and productive directions. Drawing from their own experiences as top international business consultants, Whitney and Giovagnoli provide field-tested "cage-rattlers" that can help improve leadership, resolve on-the-job conflicts, stimulate innovation, facilitate better communication, and much more. Additionally, the guide benefits individuals as much as it does teams, small groups, small businesses, and larger corporations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

WARNING: Contents of this package may shock any group into an unprecedented frenzy of creative thought and action. What happens to a group or organization when brainstorming becomes just another word for asking the same old questions? It continues to get the same old ansers--and that can be deadly if that group wants to move forward. Toss out those tired "problem-solving" approaches, say international business consultants Dick whiteney and Melissa Giovagnoli, and turn instead to 75 far-out but fully field-tested questions that clean out the corporate cobwebs and get your minds moving in new and productive directions. Whether it's wild ("What crazy idea could triple your sales in 3 years?") or wacky ("How would your mom run your department?) these imaginative thought-provokers will shake up employees and shake loose new action-oriented ideas. Packed with "war stories" detailing how whitney and giovagnoli have used these "cage-rattlers" to shatter the complacency of their own clients, this unique guide shows how 75 outrageous queries can: Improve leadership; Resolve conflicts on the job; Foster a growth mentality; Make innovation happen; Push people's motivational hot buttons; Facilitate better communication; Encourage better time management--and much more! As valuable to individuals as it is to teams, small groups, small businesses, and large corporations, 75 Cage-Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work Opens meetings, opens eyes, and opens minds, sparking the kind of creative energy that breaks down barriers and paves the way to success for employees and their organizations. in

About the Author

Dick Whitney is a market development specialist with Mercer Management Consulting. His clients have ranged from start-ups to global leaders. Melissa Giovagnoli is the president of Service Showcase, Inc., an eleven year old consulting and training firm specializing in team building and retreat planning using the Cage Rattling Questioneering Process.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (May 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070700192
• ISBN-13: 978-0070700192
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #745,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Makes you fully aware of the pitfalls of patterning in our minds & to encourage you to constantly challenge your assumptions!, October 21, 2006

By 

Lee Say Keng "KNOWLEDGE ADVENTURER/TECHNOLOGY... (Ho Chi Minh City/Singapore) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 75 Cage Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work: Shake-Em-Up Questions to Open Meetings, Ignite Discussion, and Spark Creativity (Paperback)

75 Cage Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work: Shake-Em-Up Questions to Open Meetings, Ignite Discussion, and Spark Creativity
by Dick Whitney, Melissa Giovagnoli

This book has been around for almost a decade. I have found it to be a very good book as it teaches readers how to break the normal thinking patterns in the mind. To use a popular neuro-linguistic term, how to do a 'pattern interrupt'!

Patterning is one of three principal operating principles of the human mind. (The other two: selective recognition & self-organising.)

The good thing about patterning is that you don't have to relearn the same pattern if you are comfortable with it or it works for you, e.g. riding a bike or driving a car or using a piece of software. The bad thing about it is that you may get stuck with it, especially when the old pattern doesn't work any more. In the same vein, the patterning makes it hard for a new idea to get fair treatment in your mind.

Edward de Bono, the father of lateral thinking puts it very beautifully: "The mind is habitually uncreative - it is usually preoccupied with organising masses of incoming data into convenient patterns. Once the pattern is established, then the mind tends to rely upon that pattern in future situations, in order to facilitate decision making & action in an otherwise complex world."

Dr David Perkins, author of 'Outsmarting IQ: The Emerging Science of Learnable Intelligence', explains further: "...As we go through life, puzzle out problems, & gain experience, we store up patterns that work well for us. In meeting new situations, we automatically try to make a match to what we know & select a pattern from our storehouse that might apply. This matching process gets influenced not only by what patterns we have stored up, but also by our goals, prejudices & passions."

So, how does one break old patterns or get out of complacency? On workable method is to pose to ourselves challenging, thought-provoking questions. Better still, wild & crazy ones!

Why such questions?

Well, for one thing, they set off processional effects that have great impacts beyond your imagination. Questioning your limitations is what tears down the walls in life - in business, in relationships. I believe growth & progress are often preceded by new & challenging questions.

This book offers 75 outrageous, thought-provoking questions that can clean out the cobwebs in your minds & get you working in new & productive directions.

The essence of the book is not so much using the 75 field-tested "cage rattlers" to shatter the complacency. I feel that the primary objective of the two authors is to make you fully aware of the pitfalls & dangers of patterning in our minds & to encourage you to constantly challenge your assumptions!

This book has 75 short chapters, fully corresponding to the self-described 'cage rattling' questions. Each chapter opens with the question, provides you with some ways to use the question, shares a war story & gives you further tips for using the particular question.

Frankly, I would encourage readers to formulate your own list of 'cage rattling' questions to be used in your own different situation. Certainly, you can make use of the book's questions as a springboard.

Sometimes, the questions to be asked don't even have to be 'cage rattling'. All you need to do is to reframe the question. For example, in problem solving, I always like to ask myself, 'what else can I do?' instead of 'what can I do?'; 'what has not yet happened here?' instead of 'what has happend here?'...

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars You can come up with these, December 18, 2000

By 

Stephen M Theobald (Cincinnati, OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 75 Cage Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work: Shake-Em-Up Questions to Open Meetings, Ignite Discussion, and Spark Creativity (Paperback)

I wouldn't disagree with any of the other reviews, but it's a matter of personal preference where I spend my money. I wouldn't spend it on this book. Once you focus on what you want to accomplish (ie., "shake-em-up"), you could come up with a lot of these challenges. "If your company were a car...If your company were a footbal team.." and so on. In a word, analogy. I've found in workshops I've conducted, whether they're on Creativity, Problem-Solving, Leadership, or other topics, I'll use this "provocative" technique maybe once or twice in a full day. Beyond that the novelty has worn off.

Much of the text that accompanies each question is also a little repetitious - the "war stories" all start to sound alike.

34 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great discussion starters!, December 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 75 Cage Rattling Questions to Change the Way You Work: Shake-Em-Up Questions to Open Meetings, Ignite Discussion, and Spark Creativity (Paperback)

I conduct workshops and train trainers, and this book is full of great questions to facilitate participant dialogue.

My team and I are constantly on the lookout for fun and interesting ice breakers and energizers. This book is a good resource. After each question, a "war story" and a "user's manual" section appears, with useful how-to information.

I recommend "75 Cage-Rattling Questions."