I recently ran a workshop with my co-author Christian Walsh and a team of product engineers at Allient New Zealand (formerly Dynamic Controls) that reminded me just how powerful curiosity at work can be.
We’d introduced DUCTRI, our approach to human-centred innovation, and then used an exercise called Collective Curiosity Mapping.
What stood out was the curiosity the group brought to the exercise. They were actively exploring questions, sharing perspectives and building on one another’s thinking.
It was a wonderful reminder of what can happen when people have space to be curious.
And it got me thinking.
What if curiosity isn’t just something people have, but something we can design for?
We often talk about curiosity as a personal trait or mindset. Something some people naturally possess more than others.
We encourage people to be curious. To challenge assumptions. To speak up. To think differently.
But consider how most meetings operate.
There’s an agenda to get through. Problems to solve. Decisions to make. Someone offers a solution, others respond, and the conversation quickly moves towards action.
We’re usually focused on finding answers, rather than exploring more questions.
We ask people to be curious, but so much of the way we work is designed around getting to answers.
Perhaps that’s worth reconsidering.
In his Harvard Business Review article Better Brainstorming, Hal Gregersen explores the power of generating questions rather than answers.
Changing the process can help people challenge assumptions and see problems differently.
Psychological safety matters too. People need to feel comfortable asking questions, admitting what they don’t know and challenging established thinking.
But feeling safe to contribute and having an opportunity to contribute aren’t necessarily the same thing.
That’s the distinction I’ve been reflecting on.
Curiosity isn’t just a quality we develop in people. It’s also something we can design into the way people work.
That workshop reminded me of something important.
Sometimes, the most valuable thing we can do isn’t to provide people with more knowledge, encouragement or motivation.
It’s to create the conditions where their existing knowledge, experience and curiosity can come together.
And that idea extends well beyond curiosity.
We spend a lot of time trying to change how people think and behave. Perhaps we should spend more time examining the environments, processes and expectations that shape how people contribute.
So here’s something to try.
At your next meeting, before discussing solutions, give everyone a few quiet minutes to write down the questions they think are worth exploring.
Then share the questions without immediately trying to answer them.
See what happens.
Perhaps the curiosity is already there. We need to make room for it.
See you soon,
Vaughan
Thanks to Melissa Davies, Head of Product and Engineering, Libby Kerr, Events Coordinator and the Allient NZ team.
P.S. Collective Curiosity Mapping is one of the practical tools in Innovation in Action. If you’d like to explore how to use it with your team, the book includes a step-by-step guide.