People believe in the power of curiosity to make the workplace better.

According to recent research with The Harris Poll, both leaders and knowledge workers recognize that the skills most impactful to business success are rooted in curiosity. The World Economic Forum echoes this, naming curiosity one of the top skills for the future of work.

And yet for a skill that’s increasingly valued, curiosity is still misunderstood and, as a result, undersupported.  

When we talk about curiosity at work, what often springs to mind is a fast-moving, idea-chasing, lone-explorer type. That’s Intellectual Curiosity, and it’s important, but it’s only part of the story. There’s another, quieter type that shapes how we connect and collaborate: Relational Curiosity.

To bring out the best in our teams—and ourselves—we need to understand and practice both. 

Understanding the two dimensions of curiosity

Intellectual Curiosity

Intellectual Curiosity is about accumulating knowledge or filling gaps. It drives us to explore new ideas, continuously learn, and innovate. It’s about understanding how things work and how they could work better. This kind of curiosity is reflexive, directed inward, fueled by a personal need to know.

It often shows up in moments of problem-solving. Say a new software release causes a spike in user issues– an intellectually curious developer might dig into the logs, isolate variables, and pinpoint the root cause. This is curiosity in service of solutions. 

No surprise, then, that this is the dominant form of curiosity in most organizations: 76% of business leaders say it’s the only type promoted in the workplace today. 

Relational Curiosity

Relational Curiosity, on the other hand, is about turning curiosity outward: it’s motivated by a desire to understand, support, and connect with others.

Where Intellectual Curiosity might dig into data, Relational Curiosity leans into conversation. Picture a disagreement between team members. A relationally curious leader doesn’t jump in to fix or take sides. Instead, they ask questions to reveal what’s going on beneath the surface– assumptions, unclear expectations, or maybe competing priorities.

They help make the invisible visible; not to assign blame, but to build shared understanding. When leaders model this behavior repeatedly, people begin to see the person behind the problem. Because of this, trust deepens, communication improves, and teams can start to shift from defensiveness to collaboration.

When curiosity is used in service of others, it transforms how people work together. And with 84% of business leaders saying it’s curiosity about each other that will drive business decisions, it’s clear that this mode of curiosity is more important than ever.

Both dimensions matter - but one is largely missing

We need both dimensions to build workplaces that work, for people and performance. Intellectual Curiosity can spark great ideas and solutions. Relational Curiosity creates the safety, trust, and empathy required to act on them. Together, they fuel innovation and resilience. 

But here’s the challenge: while Intellectual Curiosity is often rewarded and prioritized, Relational Curiosity is rarely taught or modeled.

Business leaders and knowledge workers are noticing the gap: 87% say there is an urgent need for Relational Curiosity in the workplace to remain relevant.

To truly thrive in the next era of work, we need to go beyond asking how to optimize systems and start asking more about the people using those systems. After all, most if not all of today’s challenges—disengagement, burnout, fear, overwhelm—are rooted in the human.

Organizations that can make the shift and balance both dimensions of curiosity will do more than adapt; they’ll build connected, resilient teams, ready for whatever’s next.

Curiosity in Action

Curiosity makes workplaces better. The kind that fills knowledge gaps and fuels innovation, yes. But also the quieter kind that helps us slow down, listen well, and connect across differences. 

Because relationships are still the foundation of great work. 

When we commit to bringing more of that Relational Curiosity into our organizations, we build the conditions for stronger conversations, deeper trust, and teams that can and want to work together through whatever’s next.

If you’re looking to take the first step, start with Coach-Like Curiosity: a skill anyone can learn to stay curious a little longer in the moments that matter most.