{"id":1487197,"date":"2026-05-12T11:15:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:15:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/?post_type=articles&p=1487197"},"modified":"2026-05-12T11:15:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T09:15:13","slug":"putting-curiosity-to-work","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/articles\/putting-curiosity-to-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Putting Curiosity to Work"},"featured_media":1487201,"template":"","meta":{"_has_post_settings":{"highlight_sharing":"default","image_sharing":"default","headline_sharing":"default"}},"schools":[],"areas":[481],"subjects":[420],"class_list":["post-1487197","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","areas-leadership","subjects-managing-people"],"custom-fields":{"wpcf-article-leadin":["Curiosity in leadership can enable better decisions in complex, AI-driven environments, write Nick van Dam and Sara Gao."],"wpcf-article-body":["Curiosity is often considered a core trait of great leadership and a driver for strategic thinking. Yet at senior levels, the value of curiosity depends less on how much leaders explore and more on how deliberately they direct that exploration. Left unmanaged, curiosity can fragment attention and slow decision-making \u2013 but, when properly directed, it becomes a source of insight, innovation, and sound judgment.\r\n\r\nWhen Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft in 2014, he placed a strong emphasis on building a culture of learning and curiosity.<\/a> What tends to get less attention is how<\/em>\u00a0leaders like Nadella actually put curiosity into practice, for themselves. Research with senior executives suggests that the most effective leaders do not treat curiosity as an open-ended exercise<\/a>. They channel it with purpose and constraints.\r\n\r\nThe shift matters more than it did even a few years ago. Artificial intelligence and rapid technological shifts have expanded what executives can explore. They have also increased the cost of losing focus. The constraint is no longer access to information, but where to direct attention. In this environment, curiosity is not simply a personal trait. It is more than a mindset. It is something that leaders must actively manage if they want to produce results.\r\n\r\nCuriosity at the Senior Level <\/strong>\r\n\r\nAt senior levels, curiosity is less about exploring widely and more about deciding where to look. It becomes a way of interpreting complexity, identifying what matters, and, perhaps most importantly, focusing attention. While curiosity has long been associated with lifelong learning and innovation<\/a>, research shows that it also plays a critical role in creativity and adaptive decision-making<\/a>. A recent study of executives confirmed these patterns: curiosity emerged less as a source of endless ideas and more as a way of making sense of fast-changing situations.\r\n\r\nFor frontline employees, curiosity might show itself through asking questions, experimenting with tasks, and developing skills. For senior leaders, it operates differently. It becomes strategic and situational, and helps executives interpret weak signals, sense risks as they begin to emerge, and frame opportunities as they begin to take shape. In this case, curiosity becomes less about exploration for its own sake, and more about disciplined inquiry and asking the questions that help move teams and the organization move forward.\r\n\r\nThis is where tension comes into play. Curiosity opens up new possibilities for leaders to consider, but it can also create distraction, information overload, and decision paralysis<\/a>. Several leaders in our research acknowledged this delicate balance: how too much exploration scatters attention, while too little stifles creativity. The most effective leaders were not the endlessly curious but those who knew how to direct their curiosity. For example, they used deadlines and boundaries to channel their curiosity and stay focused.\r\n\r\nBecause curiosity requires both openness and discipline, leaders must cultivate curiosity in themselves and others while also directing it strategically. Inside organizations, curiosity works best when it is directed toward a clear purpose. The question is not \u201cAre we curious enough?\u201d but \u201cAre we curious in the right place?\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Curiosity Compass\u2122<\/strong>\r\n\r\nCuriosity becomes most effective when leaders create the conditions, for themselves and for their teams, for it to produce insight rather than distraction. Across our conversations with executives, three dimensions repeatedly shaped whether curiosity actually led somewhere useful:\r\n
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  1. Energy and Space<\/strong>\r\nLeaders must create temporal space for curiosity. This involves not only allowing exploration but also managing energy levels \u2013 curiosity thrives when people feel energized, not exhausted. As Barbara Lee Fredrickson of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has shown, positive emotions enhance exploration and creativity<\/a>. Leaders who allow time for reflection in their schedules are more likely to make room for curiosity.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Culture and Leadership<\/strong>\r\nCuriosity spreads quickly inside organizations when leaders make it visible themselves. Harvard Business School\u2019s Amy Edmondson\u2019s work on psychological safety details how, when leaders openly ask questions and admit what they don\u2019t know, others feel they can do the same<\/a>. When leaders stay curious themselves, people are far more likely to speak openly and contribute ideas.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Purpose and Growth<\/strong>\r\nCuriosity becomes most powerful when connected to purpose. Research by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan of the University of Rochester on intrinsic motivation shows that exploration is sustained when it aligns with personal values and long-term growth<\/a>. People are more likely to stay engaged when they understand why new ideas and experimentation matter in the first place. Leaders who connect curiosity to a broader purpose give exploration direction.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\nTogether, these three dimensions help leaders manage curiosity as a strategic resource rather than an abstract leadership trait. Instead of asking \u201cAre you curious?\u201d, the better question becomes: \u201cAm I creating energy, culture, and purpose for curiosity to thrive?\u201d<\/em>\r\n\r\nPractical Ways to Channel Curiosity<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThere are four distinct ways leaders can turn curiosity into a disciplined leadership strategy:\r\n