Difficult questions are better than easy answers

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April 14, 2026 | 12:00am

The meeting of department heads was a graveyard of cold coffee and untouched doughnuts when CEO Danny Gomez snapped. Product defects are at an average high of 31 percent for the past three months. He wanted a head on a platter or at least a very convincing roadmap toward change.

“I need a credible answer!” Danny barked. “Why are we producing defects?” Tony, the senior VP for operations, cleared his throat. He gained the trust of Danny on what he wanted for the past 20 years: a fast solution that required no actual thinking.

“It’s the humidity, Danny.” Tony said smoothly. “It’s slowing down the pneumatic actuators. We should probably install industrial-grade dehumidifiers.” Danny gave him a faint smile. That was a tangible answer.

Danny authorized a $150,000 budget release. He went back to his executive suite to check his golf handicap, while Tony went to his office feeling like a man of action. The rest were astonished as to why Danny approved it without consulting other department heads.

Roselle, head of engineering asked in a hushed tone: “Why invite us to that meeting when they don’t ask our opinion?”

Two weeks after purchase, the dehumidifiers were humming, the air was as dry as a tropical beach. Defects went down to 20 percent for the first month. What happened in that factory is a textbook case of how not to use the Five Whys.

That’s when Camille, a newly hired quality engineer who had the courage to ask questions, went down to the shop floor. She didn’t look at the humidifiers.

She talked to Old Joe, who was 10 months away before retirement after working for the factory for 40 years when the site was still cogon grass. “Uncle Joe,” Camille asked, “Why are we producing defects?”

“That’s easy,” Joe said, pointing to a small, flickering red light on a control panel. “The sensor on the machine thinks there’s a jam when there isn’t. Our SOP says if we call maintenance, we have to file a three-page report. So, we just wait for the machine to reset itself.”

Old Joe continued: “Earlier, management told us the sensor was fine and that we just needed to wear safety gloves.” Camille realized the “Easy Answer” (the humidifier) was a $150,000 band-aid solution on a $10 problem.

The difficult question — “Why are the people doing the work afraid to report a faulty sensor?” Joe claimed they’ve done it before but routinely rejected by command-and-control management.

In an empowered culture, everyone is allowed to ask even dumb questions. It’s better than correcting dumb mistakes. Not in the case of Danny who wanted an immediate answer, not paralyzing questions like the Five Whys.

Tony’s answer was “humidity.” It sounded like a decent answer but not exactly. Assuming that it’s correct, the CEO should have asked: “Why humidity?”

Let us guess the Q&A between Danny and Tony: “Because we increased the use of air-conditioning.” Danny’s third Why: “Why did we increase the use of air-conditioning?” Tony: “Because it’s the dry season.” Stop! Can you imagine the frivolity of the CEO’s fourth Why?

Asking Five Whys works best at the shop floor, not in speculative boardroom discussions.

Enter Camille who uses her newbie license to ask questions. She wasn’t looking for easy answers, but for difficult questions. This brings us to a conversational, friendly and respectful conversation between her and Old Joe.

Camille’s First Why: “Why are we having defects?” Joe: The sensor falsely detects a jam.” Second Why: “Why is the sensor falsely detecting a jam?” Joe: “Because it needs a preventive check-up.” Third Why: “Why not call maintenance?” Joe: “There’s too much paperwork – all five pages.” Fourth Why: “Why is there too much paperwork?”

Joe: “That policy was introduced 20 years ago.” Fifth Why: “Why did management create that policy?” Joe (shrugs): “To avoid frivolous reporting. Or maybe, they don’t trust us.”

Ultimately, the expensive dehumidifiers weren’t filtering water out of the air; they were filtering the accountability out of the boardroom. The real leak wasn’t in the pipes or the climate control, but in a leadership style that preferred the hum of machinery over the voices of its own people.

Until Danny learns that a “head on a platter” serves no one, the company will continue to pay a premium for the silence of its employees.

Rey Elbo is a quality and productivity activist. Send your comment, question, or story to [email protected] or DM him on Facebook, LinkedIn, X or via https://reyelbo.com