The 9 Whys

The 9 Whys is a liberating structure developed by Henri Lipmanowicz and Keith McCandless. The game serves to clarify the purpose of a task, topic, or initiative by distinguishing what we do from what truly makes it important. In pairs, one person questions the other up to nine times with 'why is this important to you?', then the roles reverse. Participants then share in groups of four, followed by a collective synthesis that reveals the deeper purposes.

Walkthrough

1. 1

   Framing the intention and choosing the topic

   3 min

   The facilitator presents the objective: 'We will clarify why this work really matters, beyond tasks and deliverables.' They specify that the exercise is not about finding the root cause of a problem: it is not the 5 Whys. They invite everyone to keep a real work topic, team, project, or transformation in mind. Participants listen and silently choose the topic they wish to explore.

   Tip — Emphasise from the start the difference from a problem analysis: if someone starts looking for causes, redirect them to the purpose with 'why is this important?'

2. 2

   Forming pairs and explaining the questioning

   3 min

   The facilitator forms pairs and designates one person as A and the other as B. They give the exact instruction: 'A starts by asking B: what do you do when you work on this topic? Then A asks: why is this important to you?' They explain that A will then ask 'why is this important to you?' up to nine times, building on the previous answer. B responds briefly, without seeking the perfect phrasing.

   Tip — Ask the interviewer to discreetly count the whys on their fingers: this helps maintain depth without interrupting the flow of conversation.

3. 3

   First interview: A questions B

   5 min

   The facilitator starts the timer for 5 minutes and reminds: 'A questions, B responds; A does not explain, advise, or debate.' A begins with 'what do you do when you work on this topic?', then continues with successive whys, up to nine if time allows. B responds based on their personal experience, even if the answers become simpler or deeper. The goal is to move from visible activity to the underlying purpose.

   Tip — If the pair gets stuck, suggest that A repeat verbatim an element of B's response: 'Why is that, specifically, important to you?'.

4. 4

   Second interview: B questions A

   5 min

   The facilitator announces the role reversal: 'Same structure, same listening requirement, this time B questions A for 5 minutes.' B starts by asking what A does when they work on the chosen topic. Then B repeats 'why is this important to you?' up to nine times, without turning the exchange into a conversation. A responds concisely and personally, revealing what truly matters.

   Tip — Remind that silence is useful: after a deep why, leave a few seconds before prompting again, as the best answer often comes after the first hesitation.

5. 5

   Sharing in quartets

   5 min

   Each pair joins another pair to form a group of four. The facilitator gives the instruction: 'Share what you have discovered about the purpose of your work, not all the details of the interview.' Each person has a short speaking time to name a formulation, a realisation, or a surprise. The group identifies words, intentions, or purposes that resonate among the four individuals.

   Tip — Encourage participants to speak in 'I' rather than generalities: this avoids slogans and maintains the power of personal exploration.

6. 6

   Synthesis in plenary

   5 to 8 min

   The facilitator gathers everyone and asks: 'What deep purposes have you heard or formulated?' They collect a few short phrases, without trying to capture everything or classify too quickly. They can note the formulations visible to all to highlight convergences. The synthesis serves to connect individual motivations to the collective purpose of the work.

   Tip — Do not correct participants' words: an imperfect but authentic formulation is better than a too-smooth institutional phrase.

7. 7

   Closing and anchoring the use

   2 to 4 min

   The facilitator concludes by asking everyone to remember a phrase or word that gives meaning to their action. They remind that the 9 Whys can be reused before launching a project, redefining a mission, or aligning a team. They invite participants to note the formulation that seems most vivid to them. The closure transforms introspection into a resource that can be mobilised for future work.

   Tip — End with an individual written formulation: this prevents the energy of the moment from dissipating as operational discussions resume.

Variants

• Short variant: limit the plenary synthesis to one phrase per quartet, asking only 'what common purpose did you hear?' to keep a format close to 20 minutes.
• Team variant: have everyone explore the same collective topic, such as a project or common mission, then compare in plenary the emerging purpose formulations.
• Remote variant: create pairs in separate rooms for 5 minutes, reverse roles in the same rooms, then group two pairs into a group of four before returning to plenary.
• Anchoring variant: after the synthesis, ask everyone to write a sentence starting with 'This work is important to me because...' and keep it as a reference.