What would you do if you had some time each week, say four hours, or even eight, to explore your ideas? Perhaps you would discover other aspects of your field. Maybe you would launch your own venture within the company like the 3M employee who came-up with the post-it note or the Google employee who created the company‘s email service, Gmail.
Some organizations are providing just that opportunity, harnessing employee innovation not with the addition of an activity or practice, but with the opposite: time.
Industry leaders like Google, 3M, and Hewlett Packard have famously offered employees opportunities to think about projects outside of their regular duties. The idea is that with a little time, employees can practice curiosity and be on the road to new innovations.
Why is this chance to explore so important? Findings from our State of Curiosity report show that this opportunity is not just about giving employees time to think, but it is about what that time represents. When employers allocate time for ideation, it creates freedom in the workplace, encourages exploration (without fear of failure), and establishes trust.