How Time Allocated For Curiosity Impacts Collaboration At Work

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I, along with most everyone else, had a Blackberry. The company once dominated its market, and from the outside, it seemed the company could do no wrong. It was later, in an open letter to BlackBerry bosses, that a senior RIM executive told the reality of what was happening inside. He shared that teams felt isolated, suggestions were dismissed, and employees knew better than to ask questions. The organization was so focused on protecting what it already had that it missed what was happening around it. That is similar to what happened at Blockbuster and other companies that no longer exist. I consistently see organizations that still embrace that kind of culture, and that kills their innovation because they lack collaboration. When people feel they can’t ask questions, they just get through their day, focusing on doing tasks rather than exploring better ways of doing things together. Leaders need to recognize if that same culture exists in their own organizations. Your employees might look busy, and their calendars could be packed, but without a culture of curiosity that allows collaboration, your organization’s continued success is probably limited.

How Does Lack Of Time Prevent Curiosity At Work?

Creating a culture of curiosity requires time. When every day is filled with back-to-back meetings and constant deadlines, people naturally default to what is safe and familiar. Harvard researcher Teresa Amabile has shown that time pressure narrows thinking and limits creativity. That means employees stop asking why something is done a certain way or whether there might be a better option. They stop asking questions or providing insights because they simply cannot afford the time it takes to look beyond the immediate task. Over time, this creates an environment where questions are avoided, and the possibility of learning from them disappears.

Why Does Curiosity Matter For Collaboration Across Teams?

Collaboration is often described as teamwork, but effective collaboration requires that people are interested enough in each other’s work to ask questions and make connections. That interest comes from allowing time and encouraging marketing to speak to operations and engineers to speak to sales. When I worked in sales for AstraZeneca, they had me work on a marketing team to better understand how the marketing materials were created and whether they resonated with my customers. Without curiosity, teams work in isolation and rarely discover how much their efforts overlap. Heidi Gardner’s research at Harvard has shown that organizations that encourage cross-functional collaboration outperform those that do not. That kind of collaboration grows when people feel comfortable asking questions outside of their role.

What Happens When Efficiency Becomes More Important Than Curiosity?

Efficiency is valuable, but problems arise when it becomes the only priority. I speak to a lot of project managers who are very focused on staying on track to meet deadlines, but they often neglect to consider the opportunity cost of meeting those deadlines without asking questions. When leaders send the message that speed and output are all that matter, employees adjust their behavior accordingly. They stop asking questions because they do not want to be seen as slowing things down. They avoid cross-team conversations because they assume those will take time they cannot spare. They might meet their deadlines, but at a cost, because the long-term result is a culture where collaboration weakens. Efficiency without curiosity creates a system that looks productive until it is tested by change.

How Did Real Companies Struggle When Curiosity And Collaboration Broke Down?

Many companies beyond Blockbuster and Kodak failed to create a culture of curiosity. The real issues at BlackBerry were exposed in 2011, when a senior executive published an anonymous letter explaining that the culture did not allow people to speak openly without worrying about their careers. Employees reported that teams were cut off from each other, and many only learned about new products once they were announced publicly. Engineers who suggested changes, such as introducing touchscreens, were ignored. Leaders were focused on defending their existing success rather than exploring what could come next. By the time they recognized the need to adapt, Apple and Google had already taken control of the smartphone market. BlackBerry fell because curiosity and collaboration were suppressed by a culture that valued efficiency and control above all else.

What Can Leaders Do To Give Employees More Time For Curiosity?

One of the most effective steps leaders can take is to remove work that does not matter. Many organizations are weighed down by meetings that accomplish little, reports that go unread, and processes that exist out of habit. Clearing some of this noise creates the time employees need to explore questions. Even small changes matter. A short discussion at the end of a project about what could be improved sends a signal that curiosity is expected. Employees then begin to see that asking questions is not a distraction from their work but part of it. Recognition reinforces this shift. When leaders highlight thoughtful questions and share examples of how curiosity led to better results, they build momentum. Over time, employees become more comfortable connecting with colleagues across the company, and collaboration becomes part of everyday work.

How Can Encouraging Curiosity Strengthen Collaboration And Innovation?

When curiosity is present, collaboration becomes easier. Employees ask about each other’s challenges and share what they are learning. Insights that would normally stay locked within one department move across the organization. Psychologist Albert Bandura shared his work with me regarding how people learn not only from their own experiences but also from observing others. Curiosity creates more opportunities for this kind of learning because it prompts people to exchange information. As collaboration improves, innovation follows naturally. Employees begin to see possibilities that would not have been visible if they stayed focused only on their own tasks. Instead of innovation being assigned to a specific team, it emerges throughout the organization as people connect ideas and experiment with new approaches.

Why Curiosity And Collaboration Must Be A Leadership Priority

BlackBerry’s decline is a reminder that success can erode quickly when curiosity and collaboration are missing. The company had skilled people and loyal customers, but a culture that discouraged questions left it unprepared for change. That same risk is present in any workplace where employees are too busy to ask why something is done in a certain way or how it might be improved. Leaders who remove unnecessary work, recognize thoughtful questions, and encourage connections across teams create the conditions where collaboration can thrive. Efficiency still matters, but without curiosity, it only carries an organization so far. When curiosity is part of daily work, collaboration strengthens, innovation appears more naturally, and the organization is better equipped to handle the unexpected.