Curiosity: The Most Underrated Superpower at Work

Curiosity is a vital workplace superpower, driving innovation, team engagement, and financial success, yet often suppressed by traditional leadership.

Curiosity is often overlooked in the workplace, yet it’s a powerful tool for innovation, learning, and building stronger teams. Despite 92% of employees believing curiosity boosts innovation and job satisfaction, only 24% feel curious regularly, and 70% face barriers when asking questions at work. Leaders often suppress curiosity, fearing inefficiency or risks, but the evidence shows it leads to better creativity, decision-making, and problem-solving.

Key Takeaways:

Curious teams innovate more: A 34% boost in creativity is linked to curiosity.
Employee engagement improves: Encouraging curiosity increases satisfaction and retention.
Financial impact: Companies prioritising curiosity report 391% higher revenue growth.
Leadership benefits: Curious leaders adapt faster, make better decisions, and foster collaboration.

To harness curiosity, organisations should:

Create a culture of questions and psychological safety.
Encourage open discussions and value diverse perspectives.
Embed curiosity into leadership practices and measure its impact.

Curiosity isn’t just a personal trait - it’s a practical tool for driving success at work.

HOW CAN LEADERS CREATE ENVIRONMENTS FOR CURIOSITY TO THRIVE? (Interview with Stefaan van Hooydonk)

How Curiosity Works in Modern Leadership

Leadership today demands adaptability and a forward-thinking mindset. Sticking to outdated methods leaves leaders struggling to keep up. In contrast, curiosity stands out as a vital trait, equipping leaders to navigate complexity with agility and insight.

Curious leaders keep an open mind, actively seeking out information that challenges their assumptions. This willingness to embrace being wrong offers a significant edge in decision-making. Ty Wiggins, a leadership advisor at Russell Reynolds Associates, explains:

"Curiosity is a wonderful trait and one that you see more in confident leaders who are not challenged by a personal insecurity about needing to be the smartest person in the room - all of the time."

This approach fosters mutual respect and engagement within teams, strengthening both relationships and decision-making processes.

Curiosity also sharpens leaders' ability to adapt quickly, avoiding stagnation. By committing to continuous learning, they stay informed, spot changes early, and think more deeply about their implications.

Curiosity vs Other Leadership Traits

While traits like creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving are essential, curiosity plays a distinct role, often acting as the foundation for these abilities. Understanding this difference highlights its unique importance.

Creativity thrives on curiosity. While creativity involves generating new ideas, curiosity is what drives leaders to explore unfamiliar territory in the first place. Research backs this up - a one-unit increase in curiosity is linked to a 34% boost in creativity. Essentially, curiosity provides the spark that creativity needs to ignite.

Critical thinking, on the other hand, revolves around analysing and evaluating information. Curious leaders enhance this process by seeking out diverse viewpoints and questioning their own beliefs. Dana Landis, also from Russell Reynolds Associates, describes how curiosity manifests:

"Curiosity in leaders often shows up as a natural expansiveness in their thinking. They've tapped unlikely data sources in their search for solutions, often wandering far off the path of their immediate context or challenge. They light up when their assumptions are challenged, or a new idea comes into frame that they've never considered."

Problem-solving typically involves applying known methods to resolve challenges. Curious leaders, however, take a different approach. Instead of rushing to use familiar solutions, they explore the problem more thoroughly. This deeper investigation often uncovers hidden opportunities or root causes that traditional approaches might overlook.

The key distinction lies in mindset and approach. Many leadership traits focus on efficiency and quick fixes, but curiosity encourages leaders to slow down, ask questions, and dig deeper - even if it seems less efficient in the short run. This investment in understanding often leads to better outcomes over time.

Curious leaders also practise focused inquiry. Their curiosity isn't random but directed towards specific goals and calculated risks. This disciplined approach sets effective curious leaders apart from those who might get sidetracked by every intriguing idea.

This mindset illustrates why curiosity is such a transformative force in leadership, shaping both decision-making and organisational culture.

Examples of Curiosity in Action

Curiosity-driven leadership isn't just theoretical - it delivers real results. In the UK, leaders applying curiosity to their daily work have seen tangible benefits across various organisational contexts. Here are some examples of how this approach works in practice:

Cross-departmental collaboration: Curious leaders often question how different teams tackle similar challenges, leading to unexpected synergies. This approach breaks down silos and fosters innovative solutions that wouldn't arise within isolated departments.
Leadership development programmes: Many organisations now include curiosity as a core skill in their training initiatives. For instance, the SAS Curiosity At Work study (2021) revealed that nearly three-quarters of managers value curiosity highly in employees. These programmes encourage leaders to ask better questions, explore diverse perspectives, and challenge their own assumptions in a supportive environment.
Strategic planning sessions: When leaders model curiosity during these sessions, they move beyond simply reusing past strategies. They challenge underlying assumptions by asking questions like, "What if our main premise is flawed?" or "How would someone outside our industry approach this?"
Feedback and performance reviews: Curious leaders approach these conversations with a genuine interest in understanding their team members' perspectives. This creates more meaningful discussions and often uncovers insights that improve individual and team performance.
Decision-making processes: By embedding curiosity into decision-making, leaders avoid rushing to the first viable solution. They actively seek out dissenting opinions and encourage challenges to proposed ideas. While this may take more time upfront, it often results in stronger, more sustainable decisions.

These examples show that curiosity is far more than a "nice-to-have" trait. It's a structured, intentional approach that can be cultivated and applied across organisations. The challenge lies in creating opportunities for exploration while staying focused on outcomes and accountability.

Why Curiosity Gives You a Business Advantage

Curiosity isn’t just a personal trait - it’s a business powerhouse. It fuels innovation, boosts employee satisfaction, and strengthens financial performance. These benefits don’t just appear overnight; they build over time, creating a ripple effect that transforms organisations.

Driving Innovation and Problem-Solving

Curiosity is the spark that ignites innovation. It encourages teams to challenge the status quo and explore fresh ideas. In a survey of over 3,000 employees, an impressive 92% credited curious colleagues with introducing new ideas into their teams and organisations.

The impact of curiosity on innovation becomes even clearer when we look at the numbers. Companies known for their innovative practices experience double the revenue growth, and those with structured innovation strategies grow 2% faster. Take Jim McKelvey, for example. His curiosity about why small businesses struggled with payment processing led to the creation of Square, a solution that revolutionised the financial technology sector. His simple yet powerful question - "Why is it so difficult for small businesses to process card payments?" - sparked an idea that reshaped an industry.

Curious teams don’t stop at surface-level fixes - they dig deeper. By asking questions like "Why?", "What if…?", and "How might we…?", they uncover hidden opportunities and tackle systemic challenges. This mindset enables organisations to innovate in ways that are both meaningful and sustainable.

Improving Talent Retention and Engagement

Curiosity also plays a key role in employee engagement and retention - two factors that significantly impact an organisation’s bottom line. The cost of replacing staff is steep: replacing leaders can cost up to 200% of their salaries, while replacing technical professionals and frontline workers costs around 80% and 40% of their salaries, respectively. Despite this, only 24% of employees report feeling curious in their jobs regularly. This represents a massive untapped potential for companies willing to nurture a curiosity-driven workplace.

When leaders actively encourage curiosity, the results are striking. For instance, a manager at a technology firm improved team engagement by fostering open-ended questions, practising active listening, and encouraging self-reflection. Within just six months, employee satisfaction scores jumped by 20%, as shown in organisational surveys.

Curiosity also enhances collaboration. It inspires team members to consider perspectives beyond their own, fostering a more inclusive and dynamic work environment. By creating spaces where employees feel valued, motivated, and eager to learn, organisations not only improve retention but also strengthen their competitive edge. This cycle of engagement and empowerment naturally translates into stronger financial outcomes.

The Financial Impact of Curiosity

The financial benefits of embracing curiosity are both tangible and impressive. Companies that prioritise curiosity report 391% higher revenue growth compared to their competitors. Additionally, organisations that implement curiosity-driven initiatives save considerable amounts annually - ranging from £80,000 for smaller businesses to over £800,000 for larger ones - by identifying inefficiencies and finding smarter solutions.

Atlassian offers a standout example. Through its ShipIt Days, which allow employees to work on innovative projects, the company has maintained a culture of continuous innovation. In 2024, Atlassian reported total revenue of approximately £3.5 billion, a 23% increase from the previous year. The company credits part of its success to these initiatives. Similarly, Novartis introduced its "100 Hours of Learning" programme, increasing average employee learning hours from 35.8 in 2019 to 45.7 in 2020. This focus on learning correlated with higher engagement and productivity.

Curiosity also improves research and development efforts, making them more targeted and efficient. This reduces waste and increases the likelihood of meaningful breakthroughs. However, a disconnect persists between leaders and employees. While 83% of executives believe their organisations encourage curiosity, only 52% of employees agree. This gap highlights missed opportunities for companies to fully harness the potential of a curious workforce.

The evidence is clear. Curiosity isn’t just a nice-to-have - it’s a measurable driver of business success. From sparking innovation to retaining top talent and improving financial performance, curiosity has the power to transform organisations from the inside out.

What Blocks Curiosity in the Workplace

Many workplaces in the UK face challenges in fostering curiosity, often held back by structural and cultural hurdles. Identifying these barriers is the first step in creating an environment where asking questions and exploring ideas are encouraged.

Structural and Cultural Barriers

The biggest obstacles to curiosity often lie within rigid organisational systems and long-standing workplace norms. Fear is a major factor - employees may avoid asking questions because they worry it will make them seem incompetent, uninformed, or unprepared.

Strict processes and time pressures further discourage curiosity. Employees are often required to stick to established procedures rather than explore alternative methods. Poor communication between teams compounds the problem, with only 46% of employees feeling there is effective communication across departments. This lack of connection can lead to isolated work environments, reducing opportunities for collaboration and creative problem-solving.

Perhaps the most damaging barrier is the absence of psychological safety. This concept, described as:

"The belief and reassurance that you can express yourself without fear of negative consequences"

is essential for fostering curiosity. Without it, employees are unlikely to ask questions or challenge existing practices.

Another issue is the lack of structured opportunities for brainstorming and feedback. For instance, 80% of front-line managers do not use reverse feedback methods, limiting exploration and leaving employees feeling less engaged and satisfied.

Why Leaders Resist Curiosity

Structural and cultural barriers don’t just affect employees - they also shape leadership attitudes. Leaders often resist curiosity due to ego-driven biases. Some prefer to surround themselves with people who think like they do, creating what researchers term a "mirrortocracy." This approach stifles diversity of thought and innovation. Leaders may also fall into patterns of confirmation bias or cling to the status quo, both of which block the open-mindedness that curiosity demands.

Fatigue and burnout further contribute to this resistance. Overwhelmed leaders are more likely to react with judgement than curiosity. Instead of asking, "What’s making this task challenging?" they might demand, "Why isn’t this finished yet?".

Another factor is the fear of disruption. Leaders may view curiosity as risky, worrying that questioning existing methods could lead to failure or destabilise the workplace. This fear can make them hesitant to encourage exploration or change.

However, some organisations have demonstrated how shifting leadership attitudes can unlock curiosity. Microsoft’s transformation under CEO Satya Nadella is a prime example. When Nadella took over in 2014, he replaced the company’s "know-it-all" culture with a "learn-it-all" mindset. By empowering employees to seek better solutions rather than relying on top-down directives, Microsoft experienced both cultural renewal and significant growth.

Some leaders also resist curiosity because they believe it might slow productivity. Workplace researcher Dr. Diane Hamilton challenges this notion, stating:

"The opportunity cost of not questioning assumptions is often greater than the time spent exploring better options"

Leaders who understand this are more likely to see curiosity as a strategic advantage rather than a hindrance.

Importantly, curiosity doesn’t undermine authority or create chaos - it strengthens teams and drives innovation. Harvard researcher Francesca Gino highlights its benefits:

"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"

Addressing these barriers requires deliberate action and cultural shifts, encouraging leaders to embrace curiosity as a powerful tool for organisational success.

How to Build Curiosity in Your Team

Once you've pinpointed what dampens curiosity, the next step is to take deliberate actions to nurture it within your team. Encouraging curiosity requires a thoughtful approach and consistent effort.

Creating a Culture of Questions

Encourage questions to take centre stage, rather than rushing to provide answers. This means shifting from a directive leadership style to one that prioritises coaching and exploration. For instance, consider hosting 'question hall' meetings where the focus is on sparking dialogue rather than delivering directives. These sessions can inspire team members to think creatively and discover innovative solutions.

Set clear goals but give your team the autonomy to decide how to achieve them. Actively listen to their ideas and use prompts like, "What else are you curious about?" to keep the conversation flowing. Organise cross-departmental discussions to generate fresh perspectives and break down silos.

When questions are welcomed and explored, it creates an atmosphere where team members feel safe to probe deeper and share their thoughts openly.

Building Psychological Safety

A lack of psychological safety is often a major roadblock to curiosity. Leaders can counter this by fostering an environment where taking risks and speaking up are not just accepted but encouraged. Highlight the importance of psychological safety as a driver of innovation and engagement. As Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School, explains:

"Leaders must prioritise a culture of learning and innovation for team members to be comfortable speaking up, taking risks, and sharing information. This does not happen by default. It emerges with effort and curiosity and care. When achieved, the result is a more creative, innovative, and successful team and organisation".

To set the tone, show vulnerability - acknowledge your own mistakes, share challenges, and admit when you don't have all the answers. Establish clear guidelines for handling failure, reassuring your team that experimentation is part of the process and won't be penalised. Brené Brown captures this sentiment perfectly: "There is no innovation or creativity without failure".

Encourage open discussions where differing opinions are welcomed and treated with curiosity rather than judgement. Celebrate contributions, even when the outcomes are less than ideal, to reinforce that effort and exploration are valued.

Tools to Embed Curiosity into Leadership Practices

Once you've laid the groundwork with questioning and psychological safety, use practical tools to make curiosity an integral part of your leadership. Treat work as a series of experiments by incorporating regular retrospectives. These sessions focus on learning and improvement rather than perfection, helping teams identify new opportunities.

Create structured processes for idea-sharing, complete with transparent evaluation criteria and recognition for innovative contributions. Job rotation and cross-training programmes can expose employees to different roles, sparking curiosity about how various parts of the organisation function. Additionally, learning communities and collaborative platforms can provide spaces for ongoing discussions and 'curiosity conversations' across teams.

How to Measure the Impact of Curiosity

Quantifying curiosity might seem like a challenge, but linking it to measurable outcomes provides clear insights. The trick lies in blending traditional performance metrics with curiosity-driven indicators that connect questioning and exploration to tangible business results.

Metrics That Reflect Curiosity

Traditional metrics, like project velocity or features delivered, only tell part of the story. To gauge the impact of curiosity, you need to dig deeper. For instance, tracking the number of questions raised in meetings or monitoring how actively team members seek out new skills can reveal much about engagement levels [21]. Reviewing learning and development records, cross-departmental collaborations, and participation in optional training programmes can also be revealing. Deloitte research highlights that such activities can boost employee engagement by 47% and productivity by 21%.

Another metric to consider is experimental project revenue. IBM’s data shows that organisations with strong innovation cultures experience revenue growth 2.5 times higher than their peers. A more focused approach could involve introducing a Net Curiosity Score (NCS) - akin to employee satisfaction surveys but centred on how comfortable employees feel asking questions, challenging norms, and exploring fresh ideas.

Alex Bögli points out that a shared, inspiring team vision plays a vital role in fostering curiosity [21]. This suggests that team-based metrics, rather than individual ones, might better capture the collective impact of curiosity.

Curiosity doesn’t just lead to innovation; it also improves employee retention, which delivers meaningful financial benefits.

Real-World Examples: Curiosity in Action

Several companies provide compelling examples of how curiosity can drive long-term success. Atlassian’s ShipIt Days, for example, are 24-hour innovation marathons where employees work on passion projects outside their usual duties. Participation rates, the number of ideas generated, and the innovations that make it into core products are all tracked. In 2024, Atlassian reported approximately £3.4 billion in revenue - a 23% year-on-year increase - partly due to its commitment to fostering innovation.

Novartis offers another example with its "100 Hours of Learning" initiative. Employee learning hours rose from 35.8 in 2019 to 45.7 in 2020, correlating strongly with improved engagement and productivity.

SurveyMonkey (now Momentive) has embedded curiosity into its operations. Former CEO Zander Lurie explained how "powering the curious" shaped everything from product development to customer engagement and internal collaboration. The company tracked the impact of employee questions by measuring both the volume of concerns raised and the speed at which they were addressed.

Research backs up the financial benefits of curiosity-driven initiatives. Organisations adopting such approaches save between £80,000 for smaller companies and over £800,000 for larger ones annually, thanks to faster problem-solving, reduced turnover, and more efficient innovation processes.

Yet, there’s often a disconnect between leadership and employees. While 83% of executives believe their organisations encourage curiosity, only 52% of employees agree. Even more telling, 49% of executives think curiosity is rewarded through salary growth, but just 16% of employees feel the same.

Balancing Short- and Long-Term Indicators

The most effective programmes use a mix of leading indicators - like questions asked, learning hours logged, and cross-functional collaborations - and lagging indicators, such as revenue from new products, employee retention, and customer satisfaction. This dual approach helps leaders track both immediate changes and long-term outcomes.

Regular pulse surveys can also gauge whether employees feel safe to ask questions and explore ideas. Monitoring these scores quarterly, alongside traditional engagement metrics, allows organisations to identify trends and fine-tune their strategies over time. By doing so, they can nurture a culture where curiosity thrives and yields measurable results.

Conclusion: Using the Power of Curiosity

Curiosity isn’t just a trendy leadership term - it’s a game-changer that can elevate leaders and their organisations. Studies highlight this clearly: organisations that embrace curiosity-driven practices see notable gains, with a one-unit rise in curiosity linked to a 34% boost in creativity and improved overall performance.

The way forward is simple but impactful. Lead by example: ask thoughtful questions, listen with intent, and embrace moments of uncertainty. As Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google, put it:

"We run this company on questions, not answers"

Shifting from providing answers to encouraging better questions can reshape how teams work together.

Creating a workplace where curiosity thrives is essential. Dedicate time for discussions that start with "Why?", "What if…?", or "How might we…?". Foster an environment where mistakes are stepping stones to progress rather than setbacks, paving the way for fresh ideas and innovation.

To make this mindset stick, weave curiosity into your organisation’s DNA. Use it as a benchmark in performance reviews, recruitment processes, and leadership evaluations. Recognise and reward the effort and learning that go into exploration - not just the end results. Many workplaces leave this potential untapped, but it’s an opportunity waiting to be seized.

There’s often a gap between how executives perceive curiosity and how employees experience it. This disconnect is a chance to bridge the divide.

Small, everyday actions can spark big changes. Start by asking one extra question in your next meeting, encouraging your team to think outside the box, or setting up mentorship programmes that connect people across departments. These seemingly minor steps can lead to a cultural shift over time.

Curiosity doesn’t mean having unlimited time to explore - it’s about maintaining a sense of wonder, even when the pressure is on. It’s about seeing challenges as puzzles to solve instead of obstacles to fear. With curiosity-related skills in demand by 87%, this mindset is no longer optional - it’s crucial. This drive to question and explore fuels the innovation and resilience we’ve discussed earlier.

FAQs

How can organisations encourage curiosity and overcome barriers to it in the workplace?

Organisations can cultivate curiosity by promoting an environment that values discovery and open thinking rather than strict adherence to routines. Leaders play a crucial role here, setting the tone by showing curiosity themselves - posing thoughtful questions, embracing different viewpoints, and encouraging team members to challenge assumptions without the fear of criticism.

A key element in this is psychological safety, where individuals feel secure enough to share ideas and take risks. Offering access to learning opportunities, like workshops or specialised training, can further spark curiosity and inspire innovative thinking. When employees are given the freedom to explore new ideas and collaborate on imaginative solutions, organisations often benefit from higher engagement and a steady flow of fresh, impactful ideas.

How can leaders cultivate curiosity in their teams on a daily basis?

Leaders can nurture curiosity by fostering a workspace where team members feel comfortable asking questions, sharing their ideas, and challenging existing assumptions without fear of being judged. When open-ended discussions are encouraged, and input from everyone is actively sought, it sparks fresh thinking and exploration.

Setting the tone through personal example is just as important. Leaders who openly embrace new ideas, consider alternative solutions, and show a genuine willingness to learn send a powerful message. It signals to the team that curiosity is not just accepted but celebrated as a core behaviour.

Taking on a coaching mindset instead of relying on directives can also make a big difference. By guiding rather than instructing, leaders empower employees to think critically and develop creative solutions in their work. This approach not only builds problem-solving skills but also reinforces a culture of curiosity and innovation.

How can organisations evaluate the impact of curiosity on innovation and financial performance?

Organisations can measure how curiosity impacts innovation and financial performance by monitoring specific metrics. These might include the number of new ideas generated, the rate at which innovations are implemented, and overall employee engagement. A workplace that nurtures curiosity often sees improvements in problem-solving, collaboration, and adaptability, which collectively drive better financial results.

Using surveys and feedback tools can offer further understanding of how curiosity affects individual and team performance. When these insights are tied to tangible business outcomes - such as increased revenue or reduced costs - it becomes easier to recognise the benefits of cultivating curiosity within teams.