The Business Case for Curiosity

Engage Infotech
Sep 8, 2018 · 2 min read

Most of the breakthrough discoveries and remarkable inventions throughout history have something in common — this is that they are the result of curiosity. The desire to push boundaries, seek out new information, feel new experiences and explore innovate possibilities is a basic human attribute.

New research points to three important insights about curiosity as it relates to business.

  1. curiosity is much more important to an enterprise’s performance than was previously thought. That’s because cultivating it at all levels helps leaders and their employees adapt to uncertain market conditions and external pressures: When our curiosity is triggered, we think more deeply and rationally about decisions and come up with more-creative solutions. In addition, curiosity allows leaders to gain more respect from their followers and inspires employees to develop more-trusting and more-collaborative relationships with colleagues.
  2. by making small changes to the design of their organizations and the ways they manage their employees, leaders can encourage curiosity — and improve their companies. This is true in every industry and for creative and routine work alike.
  3. although leaders might say they treasure inquisitive minds, in fact most stifle curiosity, fearing it will increase risk and inefficiency. In a survey I conducted of more than 3,000 employees from a wide range of firms and industries, only about 24% reported feeling curious in their jobs on a regular basis, and about 70% said they face barriers to asking more questions at work.

The Benefits of Curiosity

  1. Fewer decision-making errors.

2. More innovation and positive changes in both creative and noncreative jobs.

3. Reduced group conflict.

4. More-open communication and better team performance.

Two Barriers to Curiosity

  1. Leaders have the wrong mindset about exploration.

2. Management seek efficiency to the detriment of exploration.

When we are curious, we view tough situations more creatively.

Five Ways to Bolster Curiosity

1. Hire for curiosity.

2. Model inquisitiveness.

3. Emphasise learning goals.

4. Let employees explore and broaden their interests & leaders can reward people for learning as well as performance.

5. Have “Why?” “What if…?” and “How might we…?” days.

In most organisations, leaders and employees alike receive the implicit message that asking questions is an unwanted challenge to authority. They are trained to focus on their work without looking closely at the process or their overall goals. But maintaining a sense of wonder is crucial to creativity and innovation.

The most effective leaders look for ways to nurture their employees’ curiosity to fuel learning and discovery which lead to interesting outcomes.

Read Francesca Gino’s the entire article here: https://hbr.org/2018/09/curiosity

Engage Infotech

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www.engageinfotech.com

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