Michael Dell believes that curiosity will be the most important attribute for CEOs to succeed. While most employees feel their employers encourage curiosity, many also feel there are barriers to building curiosity into their work. Organizations can foster more curiosity by encouraging inquiry, examining multiple perspectives, encouraging learning both within and outside of work, and avoiding blame when failures occur. Building a culture of curiosity is challenging but important for an organization's future success.

1. ..But satisfaction brought it back
Curiosity killed the cat

2. When asked to name the one attribute CEOs will need most to
succeed Michael Dell, CEO - Dell Inc., replied,
“I would place my bet on curiosity.”

3. Can Curiosity be learnt?
Given the right conditions, all of us have the
potential – look back to when we were children

4. MAKING CURIOSITY REAL
AT ORGANIZATIONS

5. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL
84% of employees feel
their employers encouraged
curiosity*
60% of employees
believe there are barriers to
building curiosity into
work*
Legacy structures, continued emphasis on authority and routine
discourage the expression of Curiosity
*Merck KGaA study

6. • Establish freedom and incentives to
ask questions
• Keep the questions
• More genuine than rhetorical
• Exploratory not just practical
• Penetrating, but also speculative
• Bring inquiry into day-to-day
conversations, meetings and
projects
# 1
Encourage Inquiry

7. • Proactively encourage different perspectives
• Capture the minority and dissenting voices
• Focus on the perspective not the individual
# 2
Examine multiple Points of View

8. # 3
Encourage Learning of all kinds
• Let curiosity wander outside the corporate bubble
• Establish personal time policies allowing for “passion projects”
• Keep continuous conversation regarding life outside of the office
• Find meaningful ways to connect work with other interests

9. # 4
Don’t play the Blame Game
• Avoid the ‘villain, victim, and hero’
dynamic
• Create a secure environment to fail
• Empower employees with ownership –
embolden them to fight for their ideas
• Stay forward facing even in the face of
failure

10. Building such an organization is a daunting task
– but one well worth the investment and risk
Pictures credit :Pexels.com
THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THE
CURIOUS