Curiosity, Asking Questions and Breaking Free of Thinking Ruts

UPDATE: This article has been updated from its original publishing date of August 2021.

“Why?” “What if ….”

Curiosity is an important part of creativity. And creativity is essential for the innovation we need in today’s successful organizations.

“Why?” you may be wondering. (And I hope you are.)

It’s because businesses (and people) must readily adapt to change — learning, growing, differentiating themselves and staying relevant. Customers want new features and capabilities. Processes quickly become outdated. Newcomers enter our markets with ideas (and offerings) that can threaten our steady courses. Pandemics can force us out of seemingly safe status quo territory that we didn’t even know was a rut.
 

Asking questions is the key to a curious mind … and culture

“What assumptions are we making?” “What is the next step?” “Who needs to know?” “What if we tried X?” “Instead of “either/or,” what if the answer is “and?” These questions from judynelson.com, invite us to fearlessly dig deeper, rather than wait for someone to tell us what they think we need to know. 

But these questions can be scary because they can cause disruption.

Curiosity takes courage.

But being curious and encouraging curiosity in those around you is important. It benefits individuals, teams, leaders and organizations. It helps keep people engaged and learning. It builds problem-solving skills and open-mindedness. It builds resilience — as change, risk-taking and questioning become the norm.
 

No assumptions please

“Why can’t I see the picture right now?” was the question Dr. Edwin Land’s daughter asked that led to the invention of the Polaroid camera. And some curiosity experts champion looking at situations as a child would, coupling this unassuming view with your experience and knowledge.

Author Warren Berger believes asking questions is the fuel for inquisitiveness. In his book, A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas, he proposes that rather than pressuring people to generate ideas in a typical brainstorm (which he believes can actually stifle creative thinking) that they be encouraged to formulate lots of questions around the issue to be solved, instead helping us to better understand the problem.
 

Leave status quo thinking behind

A fundamental element of curiosity and creativity is to break from the status quo and in doing that, it helps to consider how you’re thinking. Functional fixedness is one mental block that’s common to our thinking. We struggle to see an object for a use other than the original one it was intended, e.g., a hammer is for nailing, a paper clip holds papers together, a toolbox holds tools. At work, this often manifests as “that’s the way we’ve always done things.”

Biases such as confirmation bias or status quo bias can also stifle our thinking and creativity. We only seek information that supports choices or decisions we make, rather than continuing to stay open to all new information, both pro and con. With status quo bias, we stick with what we know because it’s comfortable.
 

Two other thinking modes

Besides asking questions, two tried-and-true types of thinking that can prove helpful in problem solving or looking for innovations are convergent and divergent thinking. These thinking types often work in tandem, first casting a wide net for ideas and then reviewing the best options to make a choice.

Divergent thinking is a strategy for solving problems characterized by the proposal of many possible solutions in an attempt to determine the one that works, suggests cleverism.com. It is often characterized by a lack of constraints and assumptions and the free flow of ideas to make an initial list (the brainstorming that Berger isn’t a fan of, but still works for many).

Convergent thinking is a problem-solving technique that brings together different ideas from different participants or fields to determine a single best solution to a lucidly defined problem.
 

Want to learn more? Register for: Problem Solving and Decision Making for Administrative Professionals.

Curiosity and creative thinking are important at all levels of organizations. They’re critical for individuals and teams. From asking questions to divergent and convergent thinking, it’s important to stop thinking like we always have and become more intentional. Start thinking without the constraints of assumptions and biases. Notice opportunities and their potential. Keep learning and gaining new information and experience.