Businesses today face a multitude of challenges as they grapple with delivering results in the context of the pandemic, navigating economic realities, and managing the demands of disruptions such as digital transformation. Keeping the status quo and being complacent could be costly. 

In such a dynamic environment, it can be easy to lose sight of some of the fundamental ingredients for success: Inquiring minds and a spirit of innovation.

Innovation is in fact essential for companies to stay competitive, and curiosity is a prerequisite for innovation. A company that encourages curiosity and exploration can survive and thrive.

Curiosity builds a future-ready workforce

Research reinforces the critical role of innovation for sustainable business performance.  For example, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report in 2020 estimated that 40% of core skills will change in the next five years and 50% of all employees will need reskilling. Hence, the ability to adapt and explore new possibilities has never been as important for employees as it is now.

Similarly, a survey by global management consultancy McKinsey & Company found 43% of respondents were already experiencing skill gaps. Innovative learning programmes and a culture that nurtures curiosity help employees prepare for what lies ahead.

Cultivating a culture of curiosity, therefore, is mission critical to encourage a habit to seek out new knowledge and explore possibilities in the workplace for upskilling a workforce.

Curiosity drives creativity

Curiosity was described by the English writer Samuel Johnson as “one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect”. Statesman Edmund Burke called it “the first and simplest emotion which we discover in the human mind”.

A research by the Harvard Business Review placed a similar value of the virtue of curiosity and explained why it is as important in the modern workplace as it was to great thinkers of the past.

Curiosity leads to fewer decision-making errors, it found. When curiosity exists, individuals are more likely to be open-minded and raise questions, and less prone to confirmation bias – trusting only information that supports their existing beliefs.

Curiosity also brings more innovation and positive results at work. Encouraging people to be curious often improves their work life, as those who are curious in difficult work situations come up with creative solutions. A curious person is always genuinely interested, strives to achieve, and is more likely to succeed.

What’s more, curiosity reduces group conflict and encourages open communication. People who are curious tends to be more empathetic. They seek to learn from others, taking an interest in their ideas rather than focusing solely on their own. This promotes effective teamwork that ultimately results in better performance. 

Cultivating a culture of curiosity

At CLP, building an enabling culture is key to delivering its long-term business strategy and providing an engaging work environment for its people.

While some degree of curiosity is innate, it can also be learned. Being aware of this concept and encouraging people to ask questions and explore ideas can prompt fresh thinking and reveal new perspectives.

A broad range of culture topics were posted and discussed online as colleagues shared their thoughts and raised questions about CLP’s future workplace, sowing the seeds of innovation that drive any business forward.

Investing in people and culture

To be successful, fostering a culture of curiosity also requires strong leaders who are self-aware and willing to invest time and effort to coach, guide and steer, whatever the situation is and whenever their people need of them.

For example, how can leaders provide a suitable environment for people to speak their minds freely, and to disagree or debate so that a “best” solution can be created for customers and shareholders?

The Harvard Business Review study found that 70% of 3,000 respondents said they face barriers to asking more questions at work, fearing that challenging the status quo would bring judgment or show signs of weakness.

That caution is understandable, but the reality is that asking questions and not settling for the first or easiest solution often produces better results. Companies should create an environment in which everyone feels valued for who they are, and is comfortable to speak their mind without fear of repercussions.  

In an environment where changes are often the only constant, getting the basic right would be the best tactics for companies to move forward. For CLP, developing a culture of curiosity and good leadership are some of the key business levers the company can leverage as it digitalises and decarbonises to deliver greener energy for customers in its next phase of growth.