Why Curiosity Drives Change Capacity
The Change Signal with Scott D. Anthony
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Scott D. Anthony, Clinical Professor of Business Administration at Tuck and innovation strategist, challenges how we think about change leadership in large organizations. Most companies lose their curiosity, focusing only on whether spreadsheet numbers add up — a pretty boring question.
The real work is building adaptive capacity through deliberate discomfort. You need people uncomfortable enough to learn but not so uncomfortable that they shut down or find scapegoats.
Scott shares the remarkable DBS Bank transformation story, from Singapore's lowest-ranked bank to globally recognized innovator. Their secret weapon? The Gandalf scholarship program that generated 30x returns on learning investments.
And here's where it gets interesting: successful leaders develop paradoxical thinking. They perceive danger while staying optimistic, allocate resources while avoiding rigidity.
Here’s where he gets helpfully provocative: When leaders say, "I wish I could, but my shareholders won't let me," that's just avoiding hard work. Every organization claims its situation is uniquely difficult — it's not.
Change management isn't about finding better excuses. It's about building curiosity, managing productive discomfort, and developing the mental agility to hold competing truths.
The three big questions that arise from this Change Signal conversation with Scott D. Anthony:
What's systematically killing curiosity in your organization?
Can you hold your team in that sweet spot between comfort and chaos? And
Are your excuses actually avoiding the real work of transformation?
ABOUT SCOTT:
Scott D. Anthony is a clinical professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a global innovation advisor. He’s the author of several books, including Dual Transformation and Eat, Sleep, Innovate, and has worked with senior leaders at Fortune 500 companies and government agencies to rewire their approach to change.
Scott's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottdanthony
Explore Scott's work: https://www.innosight.com
