This week, we explore the notion of curiosity, and why it is crucial for business.

1. GET BUSINESS
SMART
The value of curiosity

2. GET BUSINESS SMART
The value of curiosity
In the context of the fast-shifting business landscape, the ability to ‘adapt’ and be ‘agile’
are often referred to as key business challenges, both within advertising and across
industries. The State of Curiosity (2018) report by science and technology company,
Merck, finds that:
“The most successful organizations are those that not only survive, but also thrive, in
uncertain, rapidly-evolving times. They nurture working environments that encourage
continuous learning and exploration to help them adapt.”1
The ability to be flexible and open-minded is highly valued, but rarely discussed in relation
to ‘curiosity’, despite it being a crucial and directly associated trait. Continuous learning is
by definition curiosity: curiosity is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘a strong
desire to learn or know something.’2
No wonder then, that Merck’s report found that:
“The best employees are curious. They are learners,
constantly discovering new and better ways of doing
things.”3
If business success depends on organizations’ ability to evolve, which in turn is driven by
learning and exploration, then curiosity is fundamental for business.
AN INNOVATION CULTURE
In 2018 Harvard Business Review interviewed 1,000 business leaders in different sectors,
asking “what makes an innovation culture?” The leading answer for every sector was
encouraging and rewarding curiosity.4
Indeed, curiosity drives us forward: curious
employees are more adaptable, resourceful, and innovative.
It makes sense that curiosity is linked to innovation: whilst knowledge is a passive state of
mind, curiosity is an active one. This is backed up by research. The State of Curiosity
report found that 84% of workers from the US, Germany, and China felt that curious
colleagues were most likely to bring an idea to life at work.5
1
The State of Curiosity. Merck Group. 2018. Link
2
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/curiosity
3
The State of Curiosity. Merck Group. 2018. Link
4
As above.
5
As above.

3. GET BUSINESS SMART
The value of curiosity
AN EMPATHETIC CULTURE
As well as making us active and proactive, the desire to learn is often driven by being
genuinely interested. This fuels engagement with the world and people around us, which
is as important in the workplace as it is at home with family or friends, as BBDO China’s
campaign for Roundtable for Cancer China acknowledges.
The campaign, ‘Knowing Nothing’, uses the corporate visual language of graphs and pie
charts to illustrate uncomfortable truths around mental health. This effectively makes the
point that regardless of how much you think you know about someone when they are part
of a big data set, in reality you very little, or nothing, about them as a person.6
‘Knowing Nothing’ encourages people to be curious about their colleagues, and
businesses to be accountable for the wellbeing of their employees. The campaign
illustrates how curiosity and indeed, empathy are good for both people and business.
A CREATE-IT-YOURSELF CULTURE
Curiosity is valued differently depending on age, country, and occupation. For example, a
survey found that 46% of Scientific R&D employees identified as being highly curious,
significantly higher than employees in all other sectors, whilst 66% of Scientific R&D
employees are in high agreement that investing in curiosity to drive innovation is a sound
investment.7
Curiosity also varies between organization size (37% of employees working in large
organizations are highly curious compared to 20% in micro-sized organizations),
suggesting that larger companies have the resources and therefore greater ability of
nurturing curiosity.8
As Harvard Business School professor Francesco Gino notes, the abundance of curiosity
which children demonstrate illustrates it is a natural, instinctive state of mind, which is
diminished by age.9
Age hampers curiosity as it brings with it a learned sense of
embarrassment of not knowing – businesses can be confident that curiosity is something
which can be encouraged and therefore created, most obviously by nurturing a tolerant
environment which encourages asking questions.
6
Knowing Nothing by BBDO. The Drum. 2019. Link
7
As above,
8
As above. 9
The Power of Curiosity. Harvard Business Review. 2018. Link

4. GET BUSINESS SMART
The value of curiosity
THE VALUE OF CURIOSITY
Encouraging curiosity is in businesses’ best interests, not simply because of the direct
implications, but because of other closely associated, valuable character traits:
“The highly curious demonstrating qualities, such as being organized, collaborative, and
detail-oriented themselves—[are] all traits required for high-performance.”10
In summary, curiosity is instinctive, but often stamped out by our environment. Businesses
should be incentivized to encourage curiosity in their employees, on the grounds it is
strongly linked to agility, problem solving, innovation, creativity; characteristics which
businesses have never needed more.
If you are interested in learning more about the subject of this article, please contact
Sophie Meadows, Insights Manager, meadowss@bbdoknows.com
ABOUT BBDO KNOWS
BBDO KNOWS is a planning resource for the BBDO network.
BBDO KNOWS offers thinking, strategy, insights and inspiration on key categories, key
themes and consumer segments.
If you are interested in learning more about the way BBDO thinks please contact Melanie
Norris, Global Planning Director, norrism@bbdoknows.com.
DISCLAIMER
The information and materials in this article are for general information purposes only. Whilst we try to ensure that
all information and data in this article is accurate, complete and up to date, this article should not be relied upon
and you should seek advice if you intend to use or rely upon any of the insights or data contained in this article.
This article must not be shared, downloaded, copied or distributed for commercial purposes without the prior
approval of BBDO. © BBDO 2019 All rights reserved.
10
The State of Curiosity. Merck Group. 2018. Link