Igniting the Spark - Cultivating Curiosity in the Workplace
Introduction
Curiosity is the desire to know more, deepen understanding, ask questions, explore, and challenge the status quo.
Curious people ask “why” and “how.” Why do we do things this way? How can we improve how we do it?
Curiosity is core to organisational transformation and growth. Yet, many leaders underestimate its power or completely dismiss it.
SAP commissioned the “Capitalising on Curiosity” study in February 2022. It found that organisations across Australia and New Zealand with a more curious culture experienced:
The value of curiosity in the organisation is at an all-time high. It gives the employees and the organisation an edge in problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, and forming valuable connections. It is the mindset of outstanding leaders.
It’s a game-changer for fostering team unity and sparking innovation. For any company, large or small, no matter the industry, having a team always asking "why" and "how" can lead to game-changing ideas, streamline operations, and ultimately, increase financial performance.
Benefits
Everyone and every organisation can benefit from a culture of curiosity.
Enhanced problem-solving
Curious people will question the problem they are being presented with. They will ask, “Is this the problem, or is it the result of a larger problem?”
When people ask these questions, they get to the root cause and implement better solutions.
They ask, “Why did this happen?” and “How did this happen?” They keep asking these questions repeatedly until everyone believes they have delved as deep as they can.
Curious people will also seek out new information and perspectives. They will look at a problem from a multitude of angles. This leads to increased creativity and effective solutions.
Increased adaptability
Change is constant, and therefore, the need to adapt is paramount. You must notice when things change and think about what the change means to you. Then, you can adapt.
If you drive change and want to increase organisational adaptability, you must be curious about the context and people.
Your curiosity will ask questions such as “What will happen?” “Who will it affect?” “How will it affect those people?” “What will those people need?” “When will they need it?” “How can I help?”
People cannot adapt to change if they fear it. They will resist. I firmly believe that, generally, people do not resist change just because it is change. They resist it due to fear of the unknown.
This is why the organisational change agents are so important. Their role is to ensure there is no “unknown” and that changes and their implications are understood. They are there to allay the fear.
However, in many organisations, this is either non-existent or poorly performed. Everyone needs to be curious and try and figure things out for themselves and others. Then, they can prepare themselves to adapt.
Improved job performance
When you are curious, you look for ways to work smarter instead of harder. Smarter ways of working increase performance.
Rather than accept the status quo because “it is the way we have always done things around here”, the curious are prepared to challenge it and ask, “Why do we do it this way?” and “How could we do it better?” Routine processes and procedures can be streamlined and automated, saving employees time. Curiosity is an antidote for status quo bias.
When employees are encouraged to be curious, it adds excitement to the job. They can innovate and experiment to find better ways of doing things.
The results from the “Capitalising on Curiosity” study showed how curiosity increases employee engagement. When employees are engaged, performance increases.
Greater knowledge sharing
Curiosity is the compulsion to know more. It is the drive to explore, learn, question, and seek more knowledge and ideas.
Organisations with a culture of curiosity tend to have more collaborative relationships and knowledge sharing. It drives employees to seek knowledge, ask critical questions, and continuously learn from each other.
Curiosity encourages seeking out a diversity of opinions and perspectives.
Engagement and well-being
Todd Kasdan, professor of psychology at George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, found that greater curiosity makes people more open to hearing the opinions of others, even if they differ from their own.
This is fundamental if you want constructive conflict and avoid issues such as groupthink and confirmation bias.
He also found increased job satisfaction and engagement, better social relationships with colleagues, reduced stress, and increased innovation in more curious employees. The more curious report better experiences compared with the less curious.
Barriers
The “Capitalising on Curiosity” study found that despite widespread agreement on the importance and value of curiosity to an organisation, most employees in Australia (82%) and New Zealand (79%) agree that there are barriers to asking questions and being curious in their organisation.
The top three barriers to curiosity according to senior leaders and employees.
The other big barrier is the disconnect that exists between leaders and employees.
Other barriers include:
Build
Given the existing barriers, how do you build a culture of curiosity in your organisation?
Psychological safety
Leaders must make it safe for employees to ask questions, challenge decisions, and speak up without fear of reprimand or repercussion. This is an environment of psychological safety.
Author Timothy Clark describes psychological safety “as an environment where you feel included, that it is safe to learn and contribute and that you can challenge the status quo – all without any fear of being shamed, embarrassed or marginalised.”
Leaders build a more psychologically safe environment by encouraging a learning mindset, showing their vulnerability, and building connections within the team. When you create a culture of learning, people will be prepared to challenge the status quo and ask hard questions. Leaders encourage everyone to ask questions and be curious. When leaders show their vulnerability, it promotes a sense of openness. Leaders encourage others to share their challenges and struggles. When employees feel connected and have a sense of belonging, they feel safe to be curious.
Why days
Provide your employees with the time and resources they need to be curious. Leaders can organise “why?” days where employees are encouraged to tackle a challenge. People from diverse disciplines, backgrounds, and levels of expertise come together to find solutions. The group’s diversity allows them to see a challenge from many perspectives.
Google is credited for popularising the 20% concept in which employee spend 20% of their time working on what they think will benefit Google. They are encouraged to be curious, innovative, and creative. The concept, still in practice, led to the development of Gmail and AdSense.
3M had the 15% project, leading to the Post-It Note's invention.
Atlassian’s “20% Time Experiment” significantly improved Jira. Bamboo and Confluence in just six months. Atlassian also has a quarterly 24-hour "ShipIt" hackathon, which allows employees to pursue any project. In the past, employees have used this time to refine the Jira Service Desk and improve the Jira software for loading screens. The day still highlights the prosperity of time dedicated to employee-based curiosity and innovation.
Failure is a good thing
Leaders must establish an environment where failure is celebrated as a learning opportunity. Employees will only be curious and try new things if failure is tolerated. Albert Einstein said, “Failure is success in progress.” I prefer not to use “failure” but instead talk about “setbacks.” Setbacks are temporary, and they delay progress. They can be overcome, whereas failure denotes something final and irrecoverable.
Benchmark
Leaders must set a benchmark and lead by example. They must be role models, demonstrating their curiosity and lead by example.
There is excellent advice from author and speaker Scott Shigeoka in an article for Harvard Business Review, “4 Phrases That Build A Culture Of Curiosity.”
He talks about leaders practising “deep curiosity” rather than “shallow curiosity.” Deep curiosity means more than getting data and facts. It is a practice centred on unearthing stories, values, experiences, and feelings.
“When conversations go beneath the surface in this way, it can strengthen work relationships, foster a better understanding of yourself as a leader, and help you to navigate conflict or anxiety in the office.”
His research has uncovered four key statements that leaders can use to build a culture of curiosity intentionally. Proactively using these statements sets the benchmark for others.
“I don't know.”
Being intellectually humble is a rare but valuable quality in a leader. When you admit the limits of your knowledge, you implicitly encourage others to offer up their interpretations, questions, and ideas. In other words, not knowing all the answers creates space for curiosity.
“Tell me more.”
This simple follow-up statement is a powerful demonstration of curiosity that allows you to dive beneath the surface of a conversation. People almost always have more to say—waiting for your attention and permission to say it.
“I understand that you’re more than your job.”
Simply acknowledging that we’re all impacted by our personal lives, relationships, and world events creates new opportunities to address those things and provide support if needed.
“Who else has something to share?”
The best leaders know that insights and solutions sometimes come from surprising people rarely invited to the brainstorming or decision-making tables. Be proactive about bringing those voices into discussions.
Using these phrases daily will build a culture of deep curiosity. When you model it, others will do the same.
“Curiosity is contagious.”
Brief
The power of curiosity in the workplace cannot be underestimated. Embracing a culture where questions and exploration are the norm rather than the exception can lead to unprecedented growth, innovation, and adaptability.
As the barriers to curiosity are dismantled and a culture of deep curiosity is cultivated, organisations can expect to see a more collaborative, resilient, and thriving workforce ready to meet the challenges of a rapidly evolving business landscape.