Our State of Curiosity

CURIOSITY IN THE WORKPLACE

Curiosity is a driver of change and innovation. However, its true significance for businesses and commerce has yet to be fully explored – do employers really value curiosity, and curious employees? How significant is curiosity in different industries, generations, countries, and cultures? What barriers are there to curiosity? What strategies could help overcome these barriers?

Always curious, we created a tool that acts as a foundation for the development of scientific curiosity studies: The Workplace Curiosity Inventory (MWCI). The tool defines the four dimensions of workplace curiosity: Joyous Exploration (the joy derived from learning and seeking out new knowledge), Deprivation Sensitivity (recognising knowledge gaps and pondering ideas to fill them), Openness to People’s Ideas (valuing and purposely pursuing the perspectives of others), and Distress Tolerance (the willingness to embrace new and uncertain situations).

Since 2016, our research has highlighted the many benefits of increased workplace curiosity. With each study, we continue to unearth new ways to support and nurture curiosity in the workplace.

2020 STATE OF CURIOSITY REPORT

Are we as (a company) really curious? For our 2020 State of Curiosity Report, we invited colleagues in 23 countries to share thoughts on curiosity’s role in the workplace. The goal is to raise awareness for the importance of workplace curiosity and inspire other businesses and organizations to invest in the topic.

Check out the gallery to discover the report’s key findings…

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We the Curious!

Curious minds dedicated to human progress, our employees are a whopping 13.7% more curious than those not employed at the company.
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Big on Innovation

Our highly curious colleagues also scored well on innovation questions – indicating a direct link between the topic and curiosity.
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Culture of Curiosity

Our colleagues across the globe show no significant differences in curiosity – testament to the company’s culture, overcoming cultural differences in the areas of curiosity and working styles.
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Driving Digitalization

Our highly curious colleagues scored well on digitalization questions – suggesting a direct, positive link between the topic and curiosity.
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Coming of Age

Among our highly curious employee groups, there are fewer colleagues under the age of 25. This may be because they are still adjusting to new positions and corporate environments.
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Make it Yours!

A reflection of our curious work environment, colleagues see project ownership and autonomy as key enhancers of curiosity in the workplace.
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A Belief in Curiosity

Compared with those not employed at the company, our colleagues think curiosity plays a more important role in tackling global challenges (climate change, world hunger, cancer, access to clean water, and infertility). They more appreciate the value curiosity offers in addressing global issues.
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Attracting the Curious

From our most curious employees, there were more highly curious among those who have recently joined the company. This might be because a new environment stimulates curiosity more.
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2018 STATE OF CURIOSITY REPORT

In 2018, we surveyed more than 3,000 workers across five industries in China, Germany, and the U.S. to examine curiosity’s potential as a driver of workplace innovation.

Check out the gallery to discover the report’s key findings…

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High Score!

The numbers are in and with an average curiosity index score of 70.4, it’s safe to say that employees in the US are definitely curious – with approximately 1/3 of respondents identifying as “highly curious”. Read on for more fascinating results…
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Generation Gap?

Millennials are the most curious demographic in the US. Surprisingly, the majority of highly curious employees can be found in large-to-medium sized organizations – typically in research and development roles.
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Time to innovate?

When it comes to improving curiosity, there’s consensus among workers worldwide that the most important enhancers are receiving the time necessary to explore new ideas (40%) and freedom to accomplish certain tasks (42%)
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Strength in Numbers

From a US point-of-view, the most important factors for enhancing curiosity at work are freedom to determine the best ways to accomplish assigned tasks (46%) and receiving the time necessary to explore new ideas (37%).
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Creative Catalysts

The ability to inspire colleagues is also important. And with 36% of US respondents agreeing that hiring creative individuals can aid curiosity – American organizations are more likely than others to employ people who bring this quality to teams.
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A Bright Investment

Breakthrough begins with curiosity: A sentiment that resonates among over half of US workers – with 56% of respondents agreeing that investing in curiosity is important.
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Tech Down?

Contrary to what you might think, only 36% of US workers believe that their organization’s senior management see digitalization as a priority – markedly lower than the 49% of counterparts in China.
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Curious about the Future?

The majority of American workers (66%) believe that curiosity can help address the challenges posed by cancer – by far the highest score, when compared to respondents in Germany (59%) and China (46%).
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INTERACTIVE REPORT

Dive into our interactive 2018 State of Curiosity Report and discover new ways to improve your curiosity at work…

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2016 State of Curiosity Report

Where it all started! Our inaugural report is the first comprehensive study of curiosity in the workplace. An important first step in promoting the power of curiosity, the report details how increased curiosity drives scientific discovery, innovation, and commercial success in fast-moving markets.

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