Escaping the curiosity crisis: why we should all be more curious at work

By Alf Rehn

How curious is your organization? Granted, this is not the easiest question to answer, for several reasons. To begin with, how should the question be interpreted? To more than a few of us, our organizations are quite curious indeed, populated as they are by the oddballs and freaks we call colleagues. On the other hand, if you by curious mean “keen to explore new things and new ideas”, far fewer say yes – actually only about one in four do! To continue, how is curiosity even measured? It’s easy to say that organizations should be curious and interested in new things. It’s less easy to say what constitutes healthy curiosity, and when you’ve crossed over to just wasting time on Reddit. Or something far less wholesome…

For innovation and the quest for innovative organizations, this constitutes a real problem. This, as companies that wish to succeed in the rapidly moving and mutable environment of today don’t really have a choice when it come to curiosity. You either get curious, or become a curiosity. Note that this is no re-iteration of that old and cheesy exhortation “Innovate or die!”. Curiosity is all about being open to things, wanting to learn more, not necessarily about changing for the sake of change. Much of our current innovation crisis, and the fatigue many feel when faced with yet another repetition of the word, stems from a curious (heh) polarization in our approach to it all. We assume that companies are either innovators, ready to change their model and their technology at the drop of a proverbial hat, or laggards, with a myopic hatred of anything new or novel.

For most companies, however, the fact of the matter is that they are caught in an endless struggle between capability and creativity. You might not adore the capabilities your company possesses, but you know that they are among the few you got. You know that great things come from creativity, but you also know just how risky innovation is. It is safer to stick to what you know, at least until it isn’t. This is where curiosity enters the picture.

A curious company is not necessarily a company that tries out any- and everything under the sun. No, a curious company is one that studies things, is interested in new developments, collects inputs and data without being too judgmental about where these come from. A well-resourced curious company then translates this into a series of experiments and projects, trying out the new new things to see whether they will fit with what the company is doing. What curiosity does not mean is that one throws all caution to the wind, and switches business models or product portfolios on a whim.

So how can you make your company more curious? It is easy to say that companies should incentivize curiosity, but far more difficult to do in practice. You could call in Francesca Gino, the Harvard Business School guru who has made a name for herself in promoting curiosity and “rebel talent”, but for most companies, it’s really all about a few simple things.

Cherish questioning. In today’s complex world, it is often the company with the best questions that wins. Rather than silencing inquisitive people, organizations should incentivize them. It is only by not taking things for granted and instead relentlessly asking “Why?” that a company can stay ahead of the curve when new technologies or business models emerge. Make asking questions, about yourself and about the competition, a continuous exercise. When in doubt, ask more questions.

Use your weirdos. In my experience, companies often have far more new ideas and curiosity than they realize. Every company I’ve worked with has had a tremendous about of curious people working for them, often seeing new development far before the boardroom becomes aware of them. Make sure that all the existing curiosity in the organization is utilized by ensuring that people feel respected and that they get to voice their ideas and observations.

Switch things up. Far too often organizations get caught in a rut. They read the same trade magazines, go to the same conferences, and drink in the same pub, year after year. Upgrade your corporate curiosity by ensuring that new inputs are also collected – order novel magazines, join new conferences, and most importantly of all, hire for diversity and new perspectives.

Developed from Alf Rehn’s new book Innovation for the fatigued: How to build a culture of deep creativity, out March 3rd from Kogan Page, priced £14.99

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