Merck has started an experiment entitled “Anyone can become more curious”. In 2016, the company has launched a curiosity initiative, which measured and described curiosity in detail in various countries such as the United States, China, and Germany and regularly publishes texts and self-tests at curiosity.merckgroup.com.
They now want to find out if and how one can increase curiosity so as to ultimately lead to more or better science-driven behavior. The experiment is set to last six months and involves three teams from Porsche Consulting, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and Merck, respectively, and looks at the impact curiosity has on meaningful business outcomes. The organizers hope that the program can lead to game-changing ideas that will differentiate a business in a competitive environment.
The three teams of up to 15 people each are working in completely different areas: The Porsche Consulting team is active on a client project in Australia, the Weizmann Institute team focusses on safety in their working place, and the Merck team works in research and development of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting.
During and after the six-month period, data will be collected in all three teams and analyzed to understand changes in employee curiosity, employer support for curiosity, and the innovation environment. This quantitative data will be combined with qualitative data collected at monthly check-ins. The outcomes will be reported at curiosity.merckgroup.com. Where they should also drive or increase the curiosity of the readers themselves.
- Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
- Porsche Consulting GmbH, Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany
- Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Also of interest
- First International Curiosity Study,
ChemistryViews.org 14 October 2016.
85 % think that a curios person is more likely to bring an idea to life at work according to a study from Merck
