• Managers in the US struggle, similarly to their global peers, with issues related to employee morale and retention, as well as face challenges related to hiring applicants with necessary technical and interpersonal skills.
• Managers in the US are on par with global averages, and believe curiosity is an intrinsically valuable trait that will continue to become more important for employees to have – particularly among company leadership.
• A quarter or more (29%) of managers in the US admit to a curiosity skills shortage among current employees and job applicants – many believe they do not have enough of this trait. Likewise, these managers feel their employers can be doing more (24%) to foster and encourage this trait in employees.
• Curiosity can help address US managers’ concerns. Highly valuable benefits of curiosity include greater efficiency (64%), more creative thinking (62%) and stronger collaboration (61%) within the workplace and among employees.

US media analyses of articles like those published by Forbes[1] and Harvard Business Review[2] and findings from our own study show curiosity’s impact and how coaching, growth-mindset and hiring are commonly used tools to build this trait in the workplace. Our research shows:

• Companies in the US can do more to formally encourage and infuse curiosity throughout their organization’s practices, for example, through performance reviews and hiring criteria.
• Two in five managers in the US fall into a category of individuals considered to be highly curious based on the SAS Curiosity Index (on par with global findings). These managers exhibit greater workplace engagement and motivation and do more to encourage this valuable skill among their direct reports.

Amid the Great Resignation and current hiring frenzy, US managers:

• Believe curiosity is a very valuable trait in employees (67%).
• Believe curiosity is much more important for employees to have today than it was five years ago (47%).
• Strongly agree curiosity in employees drives real business impact (57%).
• Strongly agree employees who have more curiosity tend to be higher performers (54%).

Managers in the US are more likely to believe curiosity is a very valuable trait across organizational levels compared to most other regions – particularly within company leadership:

• C-suite executives (70% in the US vs. 58% globally).
• Directors and departmental leaders (68% in the US vs. 56% globally).
• Midlevel managers (58% in the US vs. 51% globally).
• Entry-level employees (52% in the US vs. 53% globally).

When asked in which departments it is especially valuable for employees to have curiosity, US managers say:

• IT (61%).
• Research and development (60%).
• Marketing (50%).

Top employee challenges managers in the US are facing:

• Keeping employee morale/motivation high (62%).
• Getting employees to push beyond just basic job duties (51%).
• Retaining good employees (50%).
• Cross-collaboration with other teams/departments (48%).

Managers in the US recognize the potential benefits of curious employees. Very valuable benefits of curiosity in employees are:

• Greater efficiency and productivity (64%).
• More creative thinking and solutions (62%).
• Stronger collaboration and teamwork (61%).
• Greater employee engagement and job satisfaction (57%).
• More flexibility and adaptability during times of uncertainty (57%).

To succeed in the next three years, managers in the US need employees with:

• Technical skills in data analysis (58%) and artificial intelligence (56%).
• Personal attributes like problem solving (60%) and creative thinking (59%).

Focusing on the beneficial outcomes of curiosity, US managers believe it is valuable for employees to have this trait when:

• Innovating new solutions (67%).
• Tackling complex problems (59%).
• Analyzing data (53%).

Looking to managers who rate high in curiosity[3], these managers:

• Use an average of 4 different data sources in their role vs. 3 for their less-curious peers[4].
• More often use employee data (73% vs. 62% among those who rate low in curiosity), performance metric data (68% vs. 59%) and customer data (63% vs. 41%).

These more-curious managers, globally and in the US, tend to be more advanced in their company’s integration of digital technology as well. Overall, just a third (34%) of US managers believe their company’s integration of digital technology is very advanced. However, those US managers who rate high in curiosity are more likely to describe their organization as very advanced (41% vs. 20% for those who rate low in curiosity), highlighting how curiosity can help organizations adapt and become more competitive.

Companies in the US lag others globally in their formal inclusion of curiosity (or similar traits) in:

• Employee performance review criteria (60% in the US vs. 70% globally).
• Company training and development (60% in the US vs. 71% globally).
• Hiring criteria (59% in the US vs. 66% globally).
• Promotion or advancement decisions (58% in the US vs. 66% globally).

Like managers in other markets, those in the US personally consider or encourage curiosity via:

• Coaching or team development (84%).
• Employee performance reviews (81%).
• Hiring decisions (78%).
• Promotion or advancement decisions (75%).

Almost a third of managers in the US (29%) note employees and job applicants today do not have enough curiosity, compared with under a fifth (18%) of managers globally, suggesting that compared to the global average, managers in the US feel they are facing a curiosity skills shortage.

Likewise, a similar proportion of managers in the US believe their current employer is not doing enough to encourage and foster this trait in employees (24% US vs. 15% globally), exacerbating these issues.

US managers note they are only somewhat or not equipped to identify curiosity in:

• Job applicants (55%).
• Direct reports (50%).

About a third of managers in the US (on par, if not less than global averages) are very concerned about curiosity’s potential to lead to:

• Increased risk of errors or bad decisions (31%).
• Decreased efficiency or productivity (31%).
• Greater difficulty coming to a final decision or taking action (30%).

These managers, like their global counterparts, admit they find it challenging to:

• Develop curiosity in employees who don’t naturally have it (47%).
• Connect curiosity to job performance (44%).
• Connect curiosity to business impact (44%).

The Curiosity Index[5] was used to measure the prevalence of workplace curiosity in managers – managers in the US generally fall along global lines and can be categorized as:

• High curiosity (most inclined to identify with statements defining a curious nature) (40%).
• Moderate curiosity (41%).
• Low curiosity (least inclined to identify with statements defining a curious nature) (19%).

Highly curious managers in the US embrace differing ideas and have a relentless pursuit of knowledge and understanding. They often strongly agree that:

• They continue to seek information until they understand complex problems fully (87%).
• They seek out opportunities to expand their knowledge and skills (85%).
• It is important to listen to ideas from people who think differently (85%).

Further highlighting the value of curiosity in helping companies address some of their key challenges when it comes to employee retention and performance, more-curious managers are more likely to:

• Strongly agree they would continue to work for their employer for as long as possible (80%).
• Strongly agree they feel motivated to go above and beyond what their job requires (84%).
• Say their direct reports’ performance is very strong (69%).

The top methods more-curious managers in the US use to foster and encourage curiosity are by:

• Publicly praising employees who demonstrate curiosity (75%).
• Rewarding curiosity in performance reviews (73%).
• One-on-one coaching or mentoring (57%).

Managers in the US can be categorized as:

• High-curiosity collaborators (39% of US managers vs. 35% globally). The most-curious segment. These managers value collaboration, are teamwork driven and are relentless in finding answers. They do this through listening and valuing co-workers' ideas and continuously seeking opportunities to expand skills but are more hesitant when new challenges present themselves. Focused on curiosity, these managers believe this trait leads to greater efficiency and productivity at work and results in greater job satisfaction.
• Flexibility-driven opinion seekers (20% of US managers vs. 26% globally). These managers embrace challenges, and the possibility of being distressed does not impact their motivation. Curiosity leads to greater flexibility and adaptability during times of uncertainty and can bring more empathy and inclusivity to workplaces. These managers do not believe that curiosity leads to a boost in efficiency or overall team performance.
• Productivity-focused leaders (26% of US managers vs. 24% globally). These managers believe curiosity can lead to stronger collaboration and teamwork and help increase efficiency and productivity in the workplace. They do not, however, believe curiosity drives inclusivity and diversity of thought.
• Anti-curiosity leaders (14% of US managers vs. 16% globally). The smallest segment, these managers do not believe curiosity adds any value to performance or the workplace.