Listen Up: The importance of asking questions and fostering a culture of curiosity in the modern workplace

Howard Krais, co-founder of True, and Cai Kjaer, CEO and co-founder of SWOOP Analytics, have the key to driving engagement and innovation in the workplace. This key is curiosity.

Cai Kjaer, CEO, SWOOP Analytics.

In the book Leading the Listening Organisation, which Krais co-authored with Kevin Ruck and Mike Pounsford, he argues that listening is a central enabler for innovation, change, and employee engagement. And the key to listening? Asking questions. According to Kjaer, SWOOP Analytics' research on millions of data points has found that when questions are asked, online threads are 2.5 times longer than if no questions are asked, highlighting the power of questions in eliciting conversation and engagement.

Howard Krais, co-founder, True.

According to Krais, effective listening means the ability to understand the perspective of others – and respond appropriately. In Leading the Listening Organisation, Krais argues that listening needs to be understood as a central enabler for innovation and delivering change. The research in the book reinforces the many benefits organisations can obtain from effectively listening, including better performance, improved risk management and a deeper appreciation of customer needs.

When you combine the insights from SWOOP Analytics and Krais’ work on culture building, you get a compelling argument for the importance of asking questions in the modern workplace. By measuring curiosity using SWOOP Analytics' Curiosity Index, organisations can gain a deeper understanding of their employees' motivations and respond appropriately, leading to a more flexible and adaptive business.

According to MIT Sloan; "In changing environments, the big prizes go to those who ask better questions and learn faster. In organisations, this comes down to leaders supporting others to think more strategically and ask deeper questions." By asking questions, we can challenge assumptions, gain new perspectives, and drive innovation. In research carried out to support Krais’ book, employees reported that digital channels were their preferred way of sharing views and suggestions.

This means that asking questions online, via employee engagement platforms, like Microsoft’s Viva Engage, is an exceptionally powerful way to elicit conversation. With 90% of these messages currently not including any questions, there is ample opportunity to ask more questions and drive deeper engagement.

So, what can we do to encourage more questions in the workplace?

One approach is to create a culture that encourages and rewards curiosity. This can be done by providing training and coaching to help employees ask better questions, and by creating greater opportunities for employees to share their ideas and insights. Leaders can also model curiosity by asking questions themselves and encouraging others to do the same. Krais' agency True is well-positioned to help companies with this culture change.

Another complimentary approach is to use SWOOP Analytics' Curiosity Index to measure how curious an organisation is based on the number of questions being asked on company-wide digital channels. For example, SWOOP Analytics’ research uncovered a very large variance in people asking questions, with some using digital channels only for broadcasting and entirely missing the opportunity to ask questions. This can provide valuable insights into how engaged and curious employees are, and help organisations target cultural initiatives such as those True delivers.

Here’s an example of how the same topic (announcing a promotion) can be approached with - and without - engagement and curiosity:

Without engagement and curiosity

With engagement and curiosity

Congratulations to Mary on her well-deserved promotion!  Mary has consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership skills and a strong commitment to our team’s success. Her dedication, hard work, and innovative ideas have made a significant impact on our projects.  Let’s take a moment to recognise Mary’s achievements and celebrate this exciting milestone in her career. Please join me in congratulating Mary.

Hello team, I have some exciting news to share! Our own Mary has been promoted. Her hard work, dedication, and innovative thinking have truly paid off! Mary, could you share a bit about your journey and what helped you succeed in your role? And team, let's use this opportunity to celebrate and learn from each other. What are some of your own experiences or tips for career growth within our organisation?

The shift from one-way broadcast to deliberately using the occasion to ask questions and let people share experiences is stark, but only requires small tweaks in framing the message.

In summary, asking questions is a powerful way to demonstrate you are listening and driving deeper conversation and engagement in the modern workplace. By measuring curiosity using SWOOP Analytics' Curiosity Index, and creating a culture that encourages and rewards curiosity, organisations can gain a deeper understanding of their employees' motivations and respond appropriately, leading to a more flexible and adaptive business.

Connect with Howard Krais and schedule an introductory meeting to explore how your leaders can become better listeners.

Connect with Cai Kjaer and get a demo of how SWOOP Analytics enables better listening.