On serendipity and organizing

• Published in: European management journal Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 319 - 330
• Main Authors: Cunha, Miguel Pina e, Clegg, Stewart R., Mendonça, Sandro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-10-2010; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Series: European Management Journal
• Subjects: Creativity; Exploration; Learning; Metaphor; Metaphorical association; Organization theory; Organizational learning; Organizational research; Serendipity; Serendipity Learning Unsought discovery Creativity; Studies; Unsought discovery; Learning; Serendipity; Creativity; Unsought discovery
• ISSN: 0263-2373; 1873-5681
• DOI: 10.1016/j.emj.2010.07.001

Serendipity means the accidental discovery of something valuable. While it is sometimes presented as an element of organizational learning, it has rarely been addressed
per se by organizational scholars. We discuss and elaborate the processes associated with serendipity in the organizational context. At its core, serendipity is a process of metaphorical association – seeing something in another thing. New ways of seeing may provide the necessary ingredients for creativity and exploratory learning, which will counter organizational tendencies towards inertia and the ossification of dominant mindsets and practices.