Teams Display A Lack of Curiosity? Try This
By Lisa Bodell for Forbes
In the workplace, a curious mind is an asset. It challenges assumptions and actively seeks new perspectives as well as understanding. This mindset fuels creativity, experimentation and problem-solving — key ingredients for innovation in any environment.
But in my experience, curiosity is conspicuously absent from most of today’s organizations. A startling fact given that between the ages of three and five years old, the average kid asks 75 questions an hour. That number drops off to nearly zero by age 11. Science offers plenty of rational reasons why, but as a workplace expert and author, I’m focused on ways to reverse the anti-curiosity trend in adults.
To help people rediscover this trait, lead your teams through a proven exercise for building curiosity, disruptive thinking and ultimately, more productive and impactful ideation. Merck Pharmaceuticals uses it in strategy meetings, and manufacturing company AMICO builds disruptive questions into its strategic planning every year.
In the context of this technique, a disruptive question is defined as:
· Provocative: A controversial or unorthodox line of questioning that stimulates debate and encourages different perspectives or interpretations.