Membership professionals face an ever-increasing pace of change in areas ranging from technology and member expectations to competition. It can feel as if our entire industry is in constant flux.

Such rapid change in so many areas means that creativity and innovation must be used and applied always, not just when something radical happens. Yet, the ability to innovate has remained a mystery to most.

McKinsey & Company found in its Global Innovation Survey that only 6 percent of managers surveyed said they were satisfied with their organization's innovation performance. Meanwhile, the National Business Aviation Association and Marketing General Incorporated found that nearly 60 percent of associations [PDF] have no process for cultivating innovation and new ideas. And only 32 percent of respondents said that everyone in their organization was "on board" with innovation.

Sometimes, our own organizations stand in the way of innovation. We hear phrases like, "That's not the way we do it here." "Our members like it this way." Or, "I would love to do that, but there just aren't enough hours in the day."

Despite challenges and the current state of innovation, one thing is clear—the pace of change is not decreasing. Without an innovative and flexible way of approaching membership, associations will not be able to serve their members and advance their missions.

The Heart of All Innovation

The good news is that forward-thinking associations are galvanizing creativity and innovation. And they are doing so without making large investments, taking on high levels of risk, or adding significant hours to their workday.

These associations are embracing curiosity as a core part of their culture. Curiosity prompts us to ask "why" and "what if." It encourages us to question our assumptions and try something different. It opens the door to new ways of thinking and new possibilities. Curiosity lies at the heart of all innovation.

Without an innovative and flexible way of approaching membership, associations will not be able to serve their members and advance their missions.

The American Art Therapy Association used curiosity to transform its culture from reactive and traditional to innovative and flexible. "I realized that AATA had become entrenched in its thinking. Our tendency to avoid change had become self-defeating and was holding us back from expanding membership and advancing our mission," says Executive Director Cynthia Woodruff, CAE. "We had to become more entrepreneurial and that meant adopting a future-forward view of our business and becoming comfortable with innovation."

Woodruff began by leading her staff to embrace curiosity. "I began asking 'why' a lot," says Woodruff. "I encouraged the team to question long-held beliefs about what our members valued, to recognize internal or external limitations to change, and to focus on what 'can be' versus 'what has always been.'"

When the AATA team moved away from their commonly held assumptions, creativity flourished. They developed several new elements for their membership program and annual conference. As a result, both membership and conference attendance increased. "We've grown into a nimble, creative organization," Woodruff says.

A Culture of Curiosity

How can your association embrace curiosity to drive creativity and innovation? Curiosity must be treated as a skill. And like all skills, opportunities to learn and practice must become part of the culture. There are four steps to this process:

1. Set the stage. Explain to your team what you're trying to achieve and why. This may sound simple, but it is the step most often overlooked because in our excitement, we jump ahead to implementation. Discuss curiosity with your team. Explain what it is, why you're embracing it, and how it will lead to creativity, innovation, and a stronger membership program.

2. Model behaviors. The best way to teach a new skill is to model that skill in your own behavior. Make a habit of asking why you believe something about your members and their behavior. Brainstorm what the association could do if some assumptions were not true. And do this thinking in front of your teams.

3. Encourage. Asking "why" and "what if" can be intimidating. But with encouragement, curiosity will take on a life of its own within your association. As you begin embracing curiosity, create opportunities for your team to be curious together. Bring in pizza or go offsite. Praise the conversation and reward collaboration and constructive dialogue.

4. Celebrate. Most important, don't forget to celebrate your successes often and loudly. Celebrate even the smallest effort to embrace the new culture. As small, initial efforts are celebrated, team members will gain the confidence to embrace curiosity more often. And that repeated practice will lead to proficiency. Before you know it, your team will be celebrating the creativity and innovation that results.