All the revolutionary discoveries and notable inventions throughout history, from flames to electric cars, have one thing in common: they are the result of curiosity.
This impulse to seek new information, to live new experiences and to explore new possibilities is a basic characteristic of an individual, and new research in the sociology of organizations seems to place him one step higher in relation to the performance of companies. Curiosity helps managers and employees adapt more easily to uncertainties and market pressures, allows leaders to more easily earn the respect of colleagues, and inspires employees to develop strong relationships based on trust.
But what is curiosity? What value does it bring to the organization? How do we show curiosity? What are the barriers to curiosity in the workplace? and How do we build this culture of curiosity?
These are the questions we aim to answer. In this article, we will address the benefits of an organizational culture that encourages curiosity. You will be able to read about barriers and strategies that can help managers encourage these behaviors in the following materials that we prepare.
CONTENT
- What is curiosity at work?
- Why is it worth investing in curiosity?
- Fewer mistakes in decision making
- More for innovation in both creative and executive jobs
- Fewer conflicts, the development of interpersonal skills and empathy
- Facilitates social learning
Above all
1. What is curiosity at work?
The answer to this question also comes with another question … or more questions … He is stubborn to constantly address the challenges of “What if …?” … What if I can do more than I do now? If that idea works? It will happen? What if we can change the world? What’s next?
When you follow your curiosity, get out of your comfort zone. And here, outside the comfort zone, is where the real magic takes place. And … whether it’s about following your dreams or staying awake until the end of the series marathon, curiosity makes us dream, explore the unknown and discover our true passion.
The soul of those cultures that encourage lifelong learning, curiosity is a generator of happiness, a facilitator for innovation and inspiration for more and better.
2. Why is it worth investing in curiosity?
For at least they bring 4 benefits… and you can find them below.
a. Fewer decision-making errors.
A curious employee is waiting for fewer confirmations … Rather, he seeks information to support his beliefs and less evidence that he is not mistaken. In addition, he is not influenced by preconceived ideas and will constantly find alternatives to solve the situations he faces.
b. More for innovation in both creative and executive jobs
Encouraging curiosity can result in improved working life. It was observed that curious employees tend to approach difficult situations more creatively, and curiosity generates decreases in stress levels and weight aggression. Studies also show that curious employees get better results at work because curiosity improves the ability to learn and retain*.
c. Less conflict, development of interpersonal skills and empathy
Studies show that curious employees share information more openly and listen more carefully. This is because the curious usually tend to put themselves in the other person’s shoes rather than focus on their own perspective. This makes them more efficient in the team, better manage conflicts and, implicitly, get better results. They are certainly in line with trends – A study by McKinsey Global Institute**, shows that by 2030 we will have a 24% increase in tasks involving interpersonal skills.
d. Facilitates social learning***
The joy of discovery is contagious. And when you discover something interesting, don’t stop telling stories! The relationship between curiosity and the desire to say more is, in fact, the one that pushes us to check the phone more often, to play gifs with cats or to stop from what we do to listen to our office colleague. . Beyond these, in the organizational environment social learning**** has long-term benefits in the high level of employee satisfaction, involvement and loyalty. It will definitely be a topic on the HR table in the next period if it is not already there.
The English mistakenly believe that it was curiosity that killed the cat! In fact, “Ignorance killed the cat! Curiosity was only staged! ”(”Ignorance killed the cat, curiosity was framed! ” CJ Cherryth)
Photo credit: freepik.com
* https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(14)00804-6?_returnURL=http%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0896627314008046%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
** https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/DLO-08-2019-0173/full/pdf?title=the-role-of-curiosity-in-workplace-automation
*** https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html
**** https://www.docebo.com/blog/what-is-social-learning-how-to-adopt-it/
