If you want to change the way business is done in your industry, you have to ask disruptive questions. Breaking down the status quo and coming up with an idea, plan, or process that changes the game starts with a line of inquiry that challenges assumptions, demands creative thinking, and brings out the best from you and your team.
Before you can create a product or a service that will transform the world, you have to disrupt your own thinking first. Disruptive questioning is how a provocative line of inquiry leads to new insights and new innovations.
These are the questions you need to ask yourself and your team if you aim to bring innovation to the table.
1. What does your industry think customers want? What if the industry is wrong?
Industries that are reluctant to change can often get caught in outdated thinking. They assume they know what customers want, but the truth is that the lack of options means they haven’t even noticed a change in preferences.
That’s the opportunity digital marketplace Nobul saw in the real estate industry. Founder and CEO Regan McGee realized that the way real estate agent commissions and services worked hadn’t changed in decades. It was a non-competitive environment stuck in its ways, and it left customers feeling frustrated and confused.
Speaking with the publication Superb Crew, here’s how McGee explained the change Nobul envisioned:
“The nucleus of the company is all about transparency and empowerment for homebuyers. Nobul is a digital marketplace that connects homebuyers and home sellers to the real estate agents that are right for them. Our platform enables buyers and sellers to openly see the transaction histories, pricing, reviews and services of real estate agents. Agents can then actively compete for the prospective buyers’ business.”
2. How can you meet new customer expectations? What technology can you develop to meet those needs?
It’s the age of disruption, and technology is changing the game in a number of industries. Consumers expect more tech-enabled features, and they’re more than happy to embrace tech-inspired disruption.
Technology can make a relatively simple idea a reality. Uber began with a simple concept: hailing a ride with your phone and knowing where it was and when it would arrive. It was an answer to the simple frustration of not being able to find a cab when you need one, and the technology behind the app is what makes it all possible.
3. Has it been done before? Are you actually solving a problem?
Too many technology solutions fall short of their ambitious, innovative aims. You need to be honest with yourself and your organization by asking one simple question: are you really solving anything?
You’re not going to have the market impact you’re hoping for if your solution has already been done or if it solves a problem no one is concerned about.
True innovation means targeting a real need in your industry. Disruptive questioning helps you see the problems clearly and come up with a necessary solution.
