Curiosity Quotient : Is it only innate?

The recent HBR article titled ‘Curiosity is as important as intelligence’ by Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic states that curiosity quotient is as important to Intellectual quotient and there is a reason why people with higher curiosity quotient can perform complex functions. CQ( Curiosity quotient) can determine how long we go in our career. Einstein has rightly said that ‘The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing’.

To think of it , it makes a lot of sense. But our question as HR practitioners is how to identify and improve this in our employees .It may not be a tough job to identify people who have a tilt towards their opted field of work during interviews, which can definitely be attributed as initial stages of CQ towards that particular area.

But is curiosity an innate expression or can it be developed? As an example, consider the job role of a tester in an IT company. At times considered mundane by those in software development this might be a job where it is difficult to sustain people’s interest level . What managers need to do is to show them the bigger picture consistently. Show them the power of their job through applications that they use . Along with focusing on how this can improve their career, tell them the impact of their job and more importantly why they should do what they ought to. These tips are more relevant in the initial stages. But this doesn’t mean that CQ can be instilled in people who do not even have the slightest interest.It just means that the managers need to do the right things to sustain each team member’s interest in the work they do, else they might end up losing employees who would otherwise have been spirited and passionate.