Towards a theory of serendipity: a systematic review and conceptualization

Busch, Christian (2024) Towards a theory of serendipity: a systematic review and conceptualization. Journal of Management Studies, 61 (3). 1110 - 1151. ISSN 0022-2380

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Abstract

Serendipity – the notion of making surprising and valuable discoveries – plays a major role in the success of individuals and organizations alike. Previous research has established the importance of serendipity and identified important individual- and organizational-level antecedents. However, the literature has been dispersed and the boundaries of the concept have been blurry, leading to a lack of conceptual clarity and structure, and thus limiting validity and managerial actionability. Based on a systematic literature review, I synthesize existing management-related research on serendipity and explicate the emergence and composition of serendipity in the organizational context. I first identify three necessary conditions that differentiate serendipity from related concepts such as luck or targeted innovation: agency, surprise, and value. Then, I draw from the literature on sensemaking, event-based theorizing, and quantum-based approaches to management to conceptualize the process of cultivating serendipity in the organizational context as a process of enabling potentiality and materialization, and develop a multi-level theory of (cultivating) serendipity. This conceptualization contributes to our collective understanding of how, why, and when (i.e., under what conditions) organizations can leverage the value in the unexpected, which opens up fruitful avenues for further research.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14676486
Additional Information:	© 2022 The Authors
Divisions:	LSE
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Date Deposited:	22 Apr 2024 09:24
Last Modified:	01 May 2024 00:00
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/122704

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