In many team meetings, a recurring pattern emerges Team members provide updates such as, “I completed tickets 247 and 248,” followed by another saying, “I finished story 265 and will pick the next one.” These updates, while informative, reflect a mode of operation that prioritizes task completion over meaningful progress.
Tim Newbold refers to this phenomenon as “surface-level inquiry”, a mode where teams focus on execution without context, reflection, or strategic alignment. This approach often leads to disengagement, missed learning opportunities, and a disconnection from broader organizational goals.
Why is this a problem?
When your team operates like that ticking off tasks without understanding the bigger picture, they follow the bouncing ball. Each update is just the next bounce in a predictable pattern: complete a task, report it, move on. There’s no pause to reflect, no curiosity to question, and no effort to connect work with outcomes. Over time, the team risks becoming a mechanical assembly line producing output, but missing impact.
It’s better to have a great team than a team of greats.
Why Surface-Level Work Holds Teams Back
Surface-level work is characterized by a focus on what was done rather than why it was done or how it impacts outcomes. This approach can result in teams functioning as transactional units, prioritizing throughput over effectiveness. When left unaddressed, this pattern can reduce motivation, hinder innovation, and obscure opportunities to drive meaningful change.
The Bouncing Ball vs. Outcome-Driven Teams
Tim Newbold calls this the difference between surface-level inquiry and transformational inquiry.
- Surface-level inquiry: Focused on what was done. “I completed task X.” No deeper questions or connections.
- Transformational inquiry: Focused on why andEliminate the cycle of shallow task updates. Transition your team from surface-level work to transformational thinking and measurable outcomes through OKRs how the work matters. “How does task X move us toward our customer impact? What assumptions are we testing? What might we learn?
The difference? Surface-level keeps teams stuck in the day-to-day hustle. Transformational inquiry unlocks strategic thinking, innovation, and real progress.
A Framework for Strategic Thinking: Tim Newbold’s Inquiry Pyramid
credit by: Tim Newbold
OKR coach Tim Newbold shared in a recent Profit.co webinar that the “Inquiry Pyramid” is a model for elevating team thinking and engagement. The framework consists of five progressive levels of inquiry:
- Surface-Level Inquiry – Reporting completed tasks without context or reflection.
- Understanding the How – Analyzing the systems and processes behind the work.
- Understanding the Why – Exploring the broader purpose and customer impact.
- Systematic Inquiry – Examining the entire problem space to identify gaps or opportunities.
- Transformational Inquiry – Reframing problems and testing key assumptions to unlock innovation.
This progression enables teams to move beyond operational efficiency toward strategic impact and innovation.
Ready to break the task cycle? Foster curiosity and impact with outcome-focused OKRs
Case Study: Redbubble’s “Painted Door” Test
An illustrative example of transformational inquiry is found in a case shared by Newbold involving Redbubble, a creative marketplace for artists. One of the best ways to break free from the bouncing ball mindset is to experiment. Let curiosity lead. The company sought to assess demand for Amazon Pay without committing extensive development resources upfront.
During a weekly OKR check-in, the team proposed a low-effort experiment: insert an Amazon Pay button on the checkout page that, when clicked, displayed a message stating the option was not yet available.
The results revealed that users who typically abandoned the checkout flow clicked on the Amazon Pay option, signaling unmet demand. This experiment provided Redbubble with the data and confidence needed to invest in building the feature. It was a strategic decision sparked by curiosity, enabled by a culture of regular reflection. This small, creative test turned a guess into actionable insight and it all started with a question during a team check-in.
Elevating Weekly Check-Ins: From Ritual to Strategic Leverage
Weekly OKR check-ins are critical touchpoints where teams assess progress, course-correct, and reconnect with strategic goals. These check-ins should move beyond rote updates to structured, reflective conversations that:
- Evaluate progress toward each key result.
- Discuss confidence scores and assumptions behind them.
- Identify blockers early and resolve them collaboratively.
- Refine focus areas for the upcoming week.
When done effectively, these sessions reinforce alignment, build psychological safety, and cultivate a high-performing culture.
How Leaders Can Drive Outcome-Focused Culture
To transition from surface-level execution to outcome-driven performance, leaders should:
- Ask deeper questions: Instead of “What did you do?”, ask “What changed as a result?” or “What are we learning?”
- Encourage critical reflection: Use inquiry to evaluate the effectiveness and alignment of work.
- Foster constructive dialogue: Differences in opinion especially regarding confidence in outcomes should be welcomed, not avoided.
- Celebrate experimentation: Recognize team members who challenge assumptions or try new approaches, regardless of immediate success.
- Connect individual work to strategic impact: Ensure that every team member understands how their efforts contribute to broader business objectives.
Organizational Impact
Teams that consistently operate at higher levels of inquiry demonstrate greater agility, resilience, and strategic foresight. They pivot faster, learn continuously, and produce work that aligns more directly with desired outcomes. Rather than simply executing tasks, these teams solve problems and create value.
Conclusion
The shift from task-centric execution to outcome-oriented inquiry is not merely a process change it is a mindset transformation. By applying frameworks like Tim Newbold’s Inquiry Pyramid and embedding structured weekly OKR check-ins, organizations can unlock the full potential of their teams.
Curiosity, alignment, and reflection are not just soft skills they are the cornerstones of sustained, meaningful performance.
Start your transition today. Embed weekly OKR check-ins into your existing team cadence
FAQs
- What does the “bouncing ball” analogy represent?
- How can teams transition to outcome-oriented work?
- What is the “painted door” test used by Redbubble?
It describes a work environment where team members sequentially report tasks without context or critical reflection.
By integrating regular, reflective inquiry into meetings, particularly OKR check-ins, and focusing discussions on impact, learning, and strategy.
A lightweight experiment that simulates a feature (in this case, Amazon Pay) to validate customer interest before committing development resources.