The concept of curiosity has been cropping up a lot lately. For good reason.
When I think of curiosity, my mind immediately goes to a four-year old. Why is the sky blue? Why do dogs bark? Why is my hair brown? Where do babies come from? So. Many. Questions.
Children have incredible curiosity about all things which is why they come up with such inventive ideas in their play. Give a child a stick and she creates a swashbuckling pirate adventure. Give a child a round object and it is anyone’s guess what games he will imagine next.
As we grow up, we often lose this sense of wonder, curiosity and inventiveness in the hard realities of adulting. We don’t even create space for those types of environments any longer. And yet, science has shown that within a company, curiosity improves engagement and collaboration, which then leads to innovation and adaptation.
Fostering a culture of curiosity helps teams think outside the traditional boxes that limit solutions. Business owners often worry that creating space for curiosity leads to inefficiency and might even lead to unnecessary risk or (gasp) failure.
But think of it like this: curiosity poses the very questions that lead to creative solutions to a problem which opens up new avenues for product development.
It’s often been said that the key to developing new business is finding customers’ problems and solving them. What better way to tap into new customers than by solving new problems? A healthy culture of curiosity is key to discovering new problems to solve.
How do you foster a culture of curiosity in the workplace?
Hire curious people and then let them inquire. Don’t be afraid of people who ask hard questions and challenge status quo, as long as they can think in team and are willing to be a part of the solutions.
Emphasize, model and reward learning. Make “what are you learning?” a regular conversation starter. Maybe give your team paid learning days to encourage them to try new things and then come back and share their newfound knowledge with the team.
Schedule regular brainstorming sessions where all stakeholders are free to explore the “what ifs” and “whys” and even “why nots”. Take notes and post them in a team forum for further exploration.
There is something magical about a group of curious people coming together to pool their distinct talents and move an idea from concept to reality. And then shift and do it again. The joy of working with others is the exponential power of teamwork, especially within a culture of curiosity.
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