THE POWER OF CURIOSITY

How employees can develop a spirit of discovery and openness to new ideas, and use change as an opportunity.

How does curiosity manifest itself in everyday work? What opportunities do we miss if we don't foster curiosity? How can we create a culture where questions are valued as much as answers? What small rituals or routines can we introduce into our daily lives to keep curiosity alive? What does success look like when curiosity becomes part of our DNA – for employees, teams, and the entire company? #alwayscurious

Curiosity was already ranked as one of the most important character traits of the 21st century by the World Economic Forum in 2016. Stefan Oschmann, CEO of Merck, says: "No company can afford to ignore the power of curiosity in the workplace." Based on our findings, we can identify gaps in workplace curiosity, but also the potential for improvement.

Curiosity is one of our most important qualities. Curious people are more open to new experiences, learn faster, work more conscientiously, are more successful, and live longer. This presentation identifies the curiosity killers, such as the "need for closure." This is the desire to get rid of uncertainty as quickly as possible. It stifles curiosity. However, the presentation also highlights the drivers of curiosity: the joy of discovery, the drive stemming from a lack of knowledge, openness to the ideas of others, and tolerance for pressure.

WORKPLACE CURIOSITY? WHAT IS THAT?

Curiosity is more than a feeling – it's a driver of motivation, learning, and innovation. Employees experience how curiosity creates a desire for new things and facilitates change.

Workplace curiosity has four dimensions: Jouyous Exploration – the desire to try new things. Deprivation Sensitivity – the urge to fill in open questions and clarify uncertainties. Openness to the ideas of others – the willingness to adopt different perspectives. Stress tolerance – the ability to cope emotionally with the new and unknown.

And finally, Distress Tolerance – the ability to endure uncertainty and incompleteness without prematurely reverting to routines. Taken together, these four dimensions make curiosity a key resource for innovation, learning, and successful change.

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.

EINSTEIN

CURIOSITY MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

In our practical research within companies, I have repeatedly experienced how powerful curiosity can be as a driving force for real change.

During a curiosity initiative at Merck, we surveyed around 3,500 employees and found that teams who ask questions, try things out and allow new perspectives are not only up to 25% more innovative, but also noticeably more satisfied.
Being curious doesn't mean having to know everything, but rather asking the right questions, remaining open to ideas , and bravely exploring new paths.

Try it out. Where curiosity is fostered, better solutions emerge, along with greater collaboration and more job satisfaction. In short: curiosity is our key not only to enduring change, but to actively shaping it.

Projects with Porsche Consulting have clearly shown me that companies where curiosity is not only tolerated but actively encouraged have a higher climate for innovation, even in times of crisis.

HOW DO I INSPIRE CURIOSITY?

To cultivate curiosity means to consciously awaken it and translate it into small, achievable steps. What we know about curiosity from research must be experienced firsthand. Through a blend of sound scientific knowledge and immensely entertaining insights, the profound importance and everyday ease of curiosity become clear.

"Question Liberation" is one of the most unusual interactions to convince even the biggest question-haters in a very short time: Asking questions leads to success.
A live body voting on the dimensions of curiosity playfully demonstrates the research into who has which strengths in curiosity.
Tools like "Pushing Paper" for greater stress tolerance or "Speed Delphis" for increased motivation through lack of knowledge make curiosity tangible and practically transferable.

This way, curiosity is not left to chance, but systematically encouraged – both individually and as a team.

THE TAKE AWAYS

Strengthen the Joyous Exploration - define the focus of the questions, collect 30 questions, then decide which of these questions provides the better answer .
Cultivating motivation through knowledge gaps - Start a meeting with: "What don't we actually know yet?"
Be open to the ideas of others - those who are curious about people build trust and cooperation more quickly .
Build Distress Tolerance – “Uncertainty is fertilizer for innovation.” Those who can endure without an immediate answer come up with new ideas. When the next question arises, don't answer immediately – first gather three new questions.
Curiosity isn't just a "nice to have ," but a muscle that makes us stronger, smarter, and more resilient. It gives us the courage to break free from routines, use questions as a source of energy, open up new perspectives, and tolerate uncertainty. Those who cultivate these four dimensions experience more fun, more ideas, more inspiration, and more fascination.

INQUIRE!