Collaboration starts with curiosity

Collaboration is often spoken about as a structural or procedural goal, but at its heart it is a relational practice.

Genuine collaboration begins when people approach one another with curiosity rather than certainty (especially when certainty through assumption).

Curiosity invites questions, perspective taking and learning, while certainty tends to close conversations and reinforce silos, also inadvertently setting limitations on what can be achieved.

When leaders model curiosity, they create the conditions for shared thinking and co-creation. Through the lens of practice architecture, the "sayings (language), doings (actions) and relatings (interactions)" of the people and leaders, shape workplace culture directly.

What people say, what they do in their actions and how they position themselves in relation to others, either opens or closes the space for collaboration to thrive.

At EVERY interaction you have two choices: 1/to connect or 2/ to disconnect (read that again).

In collaborative cultures grounded in curiosity, we see:

Sayings (the language people use)

🍃 “Help me understand your perspective.”

🍃 “What might we be missing here?”

🍃 “What can we learn from this?”

🍃 “Let’s explore that idea further.”

Doings (the actions people take and the environment provided)

🍃 Asking open questions before offering solutions

🍃 Inviting multiple perspectives in decision-making and listening to those perspectives🍃 Reflecting on outcomes together rather than assigning blame

🍃 Creating space and tools for dialogue and shared problem solving

Relatings (the way people position themselves with others)

🍃 Treating colleagues as partners in thinking rather than competitors or subordinates

🍃 Valuing difference as a resource rather than a disruption

🍃 Sharing influence and decision-making power

🍃 Building trust through listening and respectful challenge

When curiosity is present, collaboration moves beyond coordination of tasks. It becomes a dynamic process where people learn with and from one another, creating stronger insights and more sustainable outcomes. In this way, curiosity becomes the quiet engine of collective intelligence.

⭕ When was the last time you replaced certainty with curiosity in a team conversation? ⭕ What open ended question could you ask this week that might open a new perspective for your team?

⭕ How do your everyday sayings, doings and relatings invite collaboration, or stop collaboration?

⭕How often do you use disconnecting language instead of connecting language?

A note on questioning:

• A closed ended question allows the receiver to answer yes or no

e.g.

Did the project meet the deadline?

I’ll assume you know what you’re doing?

• An open-ended question allows the receiver to provide more detail?

e.g.

What assisted or challenged the team in meeting the deadline?

What can I do to provide you with what you need to get that done?