[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":473},["ShallowReactive",2],{"db-company":3,"page-writing-articles-curiosity-and-intelligence-the-case-for-m-shaped-professionals-en":24},{"id":4,"extension":5,"meta":6,"stem":22,"__hash__":23},"db/db/company.json","json",{"name":7,"registrationNumber":8,"businessNumber":8,"dateOfIncorporation":9,"type":8,"publicationManager":7,"registeredOffice":10,"corporateOffice":14,"emails":19,"social":20,"url":21},"Nicolas Bages","","1986",{"phone":11,"address":12},"none",{"unit":8,"street":8,"postalCode":13,"city":8,"country":8},false,{"phone":15,"address":16},"+00/00000000",{"unit":8,"street":8,"postalCode":8,"city":8,"country":8,"gps":17},{"latitude":18,"longitude":18},0,{"sales":8},{"facebook":8,"linkedin":8,"x":8,"instagram":8,"teams":8,"gmaps":8},{"website":8},"db/company","0ivZqUmrLRJhhXT1FJE9r0Yfyu61ogQvu0tIXACVB04",{"id":25,"title":26,"body":27,"description":460,"extension":461,"meta":462,"navigation":467,"path":468,"seo":469,"sitemap":470,"stem":471,"__hash__":472},"pages_en/writing/articles/curiosity-and-intelligence-the-case-for-m-shaped-professionals.md","Curiosity and intelligence: The case for M-Shaped professionals",{"type":28,"value":29,"toc":442},"minimark",[30,34,37,40,52,62,65,68,73,76,79,82,85,88,91,96,99,166,169,172,176,179,190,193,196,207,210,214,217,221,224,228,231,234,246,267,270,273,311,315,319,322,333,338,341,345,348,352,355,358,362,365,368,376,379,390,393,397,400,406,409,412,432,436,439],[31,32,33],"p",{},"In the fields of Product Design or Engineering we often are obsessed by \"how\". How to implement, how to configure, how to transform, how to optimise.",[31,35,36],{},"This vertical expertise is precious. It allows us to ship and deliver value. Yet, the world changes fast. The technological landscape evolves, usages and concepts change too... Professionals who rely solely on execution risk obsolescence.",[31,38,39],{},"Being a M-shaped professional helps me with metacognition, the ability to step back and reflect on my own thinking process. It allows me to better understand how I learn, how I think, and how I can improve across these different fields. It also serves as a trigger to question my own assumptions and biases while noticing them in others.",[31,41,42,43,47,48,51],{},"In this article I want to share with my point of view on intelligence, curiosity and change balancing between ",[44,45,46],"strong",{},"operational capabilities"," and ",[44,49,50],{},"prospective capabilities",".",[53,54,55,59],"ul",{},[56,57,58],"li",{},"Operational capability is the ability to build, fix, optimise on a day-to-day basis.",[56,60,61],{},"Prospective capability is the ability to anticipate, to understand and to leverage new paradigms to create value in the future.",[31,63,64],{},"For both an individual and an organisation, prospective capability is what keeps us relevant on the long run. However, cultivating curiosity and openness requires us to fight against the \"trained incapacity\" that impacts many fields. It starts by becoming aware of psychological and behavioral frictions that happen when hard-earned expertise turns into a blind spot.",[31,66,67],{},"What follows is a roadmap to bridge the gap between individual cognitive psychology and enterprise architecture.",[69,70,72],"h2",{"id":71},"the-experts-trap-where-does-this-mindset-come-from","The expert's trap: Where does this mindset come from?",[31,74,75],{},"Engineers and security professionals are trained and conditioned to the \"fail early\" methodology. Finding flaws, problems and vulnerability at the start of a lifecycle is much more efficient than discovering them later. The idea is to treat failures as a data point rather than a roadblock. Being blocked often means losing time, money or reputation.",[31,77,78],{},"Over a career, many engineers and IT people unconsciously adopt it as a mindset and a default way to operate. Every thought goes through a strict filter of risk, failure, problems, vulnerabilities, ... They are trained experts in looking for what will not work first. But this model eventually moves over into human and social relationships.",[31,80,81],{},"When the professional value is tied to spotting what is broken, cross-functional communication can easily start to sound like \"blocking\". This is where cultural differences begin as an obstacle to vision and innovation. Collaborators often label such experts as negative, non team players, resistant to change, or even cynical. Team members rarely understand that very different mindsets are at play.",[31,83,84],{},"This phenomenon tends to quietly exclude the those who are less curious or creative from the group. Feeling misunderstood and a sense of isolation, many turn to deeper and deeper expertise to find back validation, selfworth and the feeling of being useful. As a way to psychological safety.",[31,86,87],{},"Unfortunately, this is a vicious circle, drives to difficulties in being able to step back and see the big picture. It is also a major source of frustration for the whole group as they end up working in silos.",[31,89,90],{},"Over time, this mindset can cristalize into a high Need for Cognitive Closure (NCC). A state where an individual looks for predictability and sees ambiguity as a threat.",[92,93,95],"h3",{"id":94},"identifiying-biases-and-frictions-against-curiosity-and-innovation","Identifiying biases and frictions against curiosity and innovation",[31,97,98],{},"When an individual develops NCC, this is when biases and friction show up:",[100,101,102,118],"table",{},[103,104,105],"thead",{},[106,107,108,112,115],"tr",{},[109,110,111],"th",{},"Friction",[109,113,114],{},"Manifestation",[109,116,117],{},"Core belief",[119,120,121,133,144,155],"tbody",{},[106,122,123,127,130],{},[124,125,126],"td",{},"Ego and status",[124,128,129],{},"\"I know best\" or \"Never heard of it so it must be irrelevant\"",[124,131,132],{},"\"Learning something new forces me to temporarily give up my position as the smartest person in the room.\"",[106,134,135,138,141],{},[124,136,137],{},"Energy and scope",[124,139,140],{},"\"I don't have time to learn this\" or \"This isn't in my scope\"",[124,142,143],{},"\"I'm too exhausted by operations to dedicate cognitive energy to this new/unproven/non-stable-yet subject.\"",[106,145,146,149,152],{},[124,147,148],{},"Semantic resistance",[124,150,151],{},"\"They use buzzwords. It is just marketing.\"",[124,153,154],{},"\"By labeling an emerging concept as \"hype\", I excuse myself from the discomfort of having to understand it.\"",[106,156,157,160,163],{},[124,158,159],{},"Sunk cost and status quo",[124,161,162],{},"\"We've already invested so much in this\" or \"We've always done it this way\"",[124,164,165],{},"\"Abandoning our existing systems invalidates the massive efforts and time I have invested in them.\"",[31,167,168],{},"The worst is when friction combine and consolidate with each other. Ultimately, an expert's identity is tied to mastery. Because new paradigms are, by definition, unvalidated and unmastered, the expert sees them as a threat to status or reputation. But being an expert isn't about how one lives through the eyes of others, it is about the expertise one built.",[31,170,171],{},"At an individual level, this manifests as rejection or silence. At an organizational level, it transforms into structural stagnation.",[69,173,175],{"id":174},"breaking-biases-learn-to-envision-the-solved-problem-first","Breaking biases: Learn to envision the solved problem first",[31,177,178],{},"To counter this, one must practice metacognition. Step back and analyse internal thought processes.",[31,180,181,182,185,186,189],{},"In cognitive philosophy, Bertrand Russell explains that to learn something deeply, one must first encounter it in an abstract or symbolic form (",[44,183,184],{},"knowledge by description",") before moving to the concrete, hands-on application (",[44,187,188],{},"knowledge by acquaintance","). Many experts get stuck into a fixed mindset and only stay in the realm of what they master, their immediate acquaintance.",[31,191,192],{},"In other words, start by the big picture. Details will come later. Accept that control is counter productive.",[31,194,195],{},"Whenever I face innovation, I always try to answer three questions:",[53,197,198,201,204],{},[56,199,200],{},"What is the fundamental problem that this innovation seeks to solve?",[56,202,203],{},"If this problem was solved everywhere, what would be the impact on my job?",[56,205,206],{},"Does this innovation push the frontier of what is possible today?",[31,208,209],{},"By setting aside complexity, I can focus on the concept layer. I can categorise and compare innovations more easily. It is horizontal vs vertical thinking. Both approaches are valid but they must be balanced.",[92,211,213],{"id":212},"horizontal-problem-solver-top-down-view","Horizontal problem solver (top-down view)",[31,215,216],{},"Identify an out-of-the-box technical capability and immediately look for where it could change / disrupt / improve the existing. Here, understanding the strategic purpose is enough to validate my curiosity, even if I haven't mastered the details, yet.",[92,218,220],{"id":219},"vertical-expert-bottom-up-view","Vertical expert (bottom-up view)",[31,222,223],{},"A bottom-up approach refuses to validate an incoming tool or idea if its exact contribution cannot be measured against the current one. While I accept that this argument is a form of intellectual honesty, it often risk of missing the forest for the trees.",[69,225,227],{"id":226},"operationalizing-curiosity-horizon-scanning-and-intelligence","Operationalizing curiosity: Horizon scanning and intelligence",[31,229,230],{},"We cannot test everything nor be experts in everything. We must prioritize what matters and be able to make decisions with incomplete information. The question is \"how?\". Well, it is not about being an expert in everything but about having a broad vision and understanding how different fields can interact to create value.",[31,232,233],{},"As an executive or cross-functional leader, one cannot afford to wait for a market need to materialize before beginning to read about it. It's already too late by then. The idea is to architect and build a system for anticipation.",[31,235,236,237,241,242,245],{},"To anticipate the future and align ",[238,239,240],"em",{},"Business x IT x XD",", I practice ",[44,243,244],{},"horizon scanning"," that represents three steps:",[247,248,249,255,261],"ol",{},[56,250,251,254],{},[44,252,253],{},"Detection",". Curiosity and openness to explore new fields. Proactively tracking weak signals and emerging trends.",[56,256,257,260],{},[44,258,259],{},"Qualification",". Expertise to evaluate if a signal is relevant. How it could impact the organisation in the future.",[56,262,263,266],{},[44,264,265],{},"Mapping",". Synthesis to understand how different fields can interact to create value.",[31,268,269],{},"By refusing steps (a) and (b), an expert forbids himself to play a strategic role for the business. He may be a very good expert in his field, but he cannot be a strategist.",[31,271,272],{},"Then, to scale from an intuition, curiosity has to be treated as an intelligence process to feed decision makers with insights and to build a collective intelligence.",[247,274,275,281,287,293,299,305],{},[56,276,277,280],{},[44,278,279],{},"Planning & Direction",": Ask the right questions. What is the problem? What do we want to know?",[56,282,283,286],{},[44,284,285],{},"Collection",": Gather data from multiple sources.",[56,288,289,292],{},[44,290,291],{},"Processing & Exploitation",": Translate the data into a usable format.",[56,294,295,298],{},[44,296,297],{},"Analysis & Production",": Analyze the data and produce actionable insights.",[56,300,301,304],{},[44,302,303],{},"Dissemination & Integration",": Provide the insights to the decision maker.",[56,306,307,310],{},[44,308,309],{},"Feedback & Maintenance",": Get feedback from the decision maker, evaluate the results against real-world impact, and refine the process.",[69,312,314],{"id":313},"systematizing-change-from-individual-to-organizational-through-enterprise-architecture","Systematizing change: From individual to organizational through Enterprise Architecture",[92,316,318],{"id":317},"individual-level","Individual level",[31,320,321],{},"At an individual level, this process sounds like a part-time job so I try to apply some rules that directly contribute in:",[53,323,324,327,330],{},[56,325,326],{},"Being able to bridge gaps for stakeholders.",[56,328,329],{},"Understanding the \"why\" behind things.",[56,331,332],{},"Enabling cross-functional collaboration and building trust.",[334,335,337],"h4",{"id":336},"_1-understand-the-fundamentals","1. Understand the fundamentals",[31,339,340],{},"Faced with information overload and informational burnout, my method is scientific. I ignore the noise of social media to go read research papers, study publications from consortiums, and analyze frameworks. Going straight to the source makes it possible to get familiar with the vocabulary and map out concepts against the current or future needs of the organization.",[334,342,344],{"id":343},"_2-search-for-the-delta","2. Search for the delta",[31,346,347],{},"This is the most crucial point in my opinion. I look for what is different. Because value lies within the delta, in the break from classic patterns. This is what allows us to anticipate opportunities, advise a business one step ahead, and maintain its competitiveness in the market.",[334,349,351],{"id":350},"_3-learn-the-vocabulary","3. Learn the vocabulary",[31,353,354],{},"This is a concept that multilingual people understand intuitively. Learning a new language is to open a new window to the world. Being able to translate ideas from one language to another allows us to see things from different perspectives and to understand the world in different richer way. I often say I don't think the same in english or in french...",[31,356,357],{},"This is the same for technology, design, psychology. Technical vocabulary is not a tool for exclusion but a toolbox for thoughts. Learning these new words and trying to understand the intention behind each term is about accepting to speak the language of the world to come, so that when the time comes, we are capable of designing solutions within it.",[92,359,361],{"id":360},"organizational-level","Organizational level",[31,363,364],{},"We can look at the Enterprise Architecture framework TOGAF, for Phase H (Architecture Change Management).",[31,366,367],{},"Phase H is about preventing corporate infrastructure from quietly drifting into obsolescence. The idea is to continuously track internal triggers and external triggers to ensure the architecture delivers its original target value.",[53,369,370,373],{},[56,371,372],{},"Internal triggers: governance requests, business growth/decline, capacity indicators, projects",[56,374,375],{},"External triggers: new technologies, market changes, regulations, competitors",[31,377,378],{},"When a meaningful shift is uncovered, the framework says that modifications must be strictly categorized to avoid over-complicating the architectural pipeline:",[53,380,381,384,387],{},[56,382,383],{},"Simplification: Decreasing architectural investment by retiring, de-scoping or merging redundant systems.",[56,385,386],{},"Incremental change: Gaining more value from existing operational and architectural investments.",[56,388,389],{},"Re-architecting: Making large investments to unlock new or transformative business value.",[31,391,392],{},"As a designer and engineer, my focus is to adapt these principles directly on to the product lifecycle and service delivery. This is a way to protect the ecosystem from obsolescence.",[69,394,396],{"id":395},"build-a-team-m-shaped-professionals","Build a team: M-shaped professionals",[31,398,399],{},"To build an organization that can balance day-to-day operations with future discovery, recruit and train M-Shaped professionals.",[401,402,403],"blockquote",{},[31,404,405],{},"An M-shaped professional possesses deep, authoritative expertise in two or more core domains, backed by a wide, collaborative literacy across adjacent disciplines.",[31,407,408],{},"Frameworks like ITIL and TOGAF highlight why these profiles are essential. They see through functional silos, align day-to-day tasks with the broader vision, and provide the flexibility needed to adapt to change.",[31,410,411],{},"When looking for talent to build a team, you can look for some cognitive psychology traits:",[53,413,414,420,426],{},[56,415,416,419],{},[44,417,418],{},"Combinatorial creativity",": A tendency to recombine existing concepts from completely different fields into useful ideas.",[56,421,422,425],{},[44,423,424],{},"Integrative Complexity and flexibility",": The cognitive capacity to hold multiple framework in mind at the same time, switching between them to find the best fit for the current context.",[56,427,428,431],{},[44,429,430],{},"Boundary Spanning",": Natural \"knowledge brokers\" comfortably operating across cultural, organizational, and functional fields to translate complex ideas between siloed business groups.",[69,433,435],{"id":434},"conclusion","Conclusion",[31,437,438],{},"Operational excellence keeps an organization alive today, but prospective capability is what keeps it alive tomorrow. By transforming curiosity from a personal habit into a structured, architectural discipline, we can prevent \"trained incapacity\".",[31,440,441],{},"Leadership is about having the courage, vocabulary, and cognitive flexibility to design the solutions of tomorrow. More than defending an expertise built yesterday.",{"title":8,"searchDepth":443,"depth":443,"links":444},2,[445,449,453,454,458,459],{"id":71,"depth":443,"text":72,"children":446},[447],{"id":94,"depth":448,"text":95},3,{"id":174,"depth":443,"text":175,"children":450},[451,452],{"id":212,"depth":448,"text":213},{"id":219,"depth":448,"text":220},{"id":226,"depth":443,"text":227},{"id":313,"depth":443,"text":314,"children":455},[456,457],{"id":317,"depth":448,"text":318},{"id":360,"depth":448,"text":361},{"id":395,"depth":443,"text":396},{"id":434,"depth":443,"text":435},"A reflection on how curiosity and metacognition help to remain relevant in a world of constant change, leveraging cross-domain expertise. How combining multiple capabilities help through change.","md",{"status":463,"publication_date":464,"views":465},"published","2026-06-06",[466],"strategist",true,"/writing/articles/curiosity-and-intelligence-the-case-for-m-shaped-professionals",{"title":26,"description":460},{"loc":468},"writing/articles/curiosity-and-intelligence-the-case-for-m-shaped-professionals","EsFY6lU6uxBZchwoJIIsfa07iTJ5pk25FcnpWEWpwAk",1781436153238]