Serendipity

For other uses, see Serendipity (disambiguation).
"Happy accident" redirects here. For other uses, see Happy Accidents.
Horace Walpole
by Joshua Reynolds
Robert K. Merton 1965

Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery.[1] In 1754 Horace Walpole coined the word and described an amazing discovery as being “of that kind which I call Serendipity”. Robert K. Merton first came upon the concept-and-term of serendipity in the 1930s in the Oxford English Dictionary. Here, he discovered that the word had been coined by Walpole. Merton revealed 1946 his concept of the "serendipity pattern" in empirical research, of observing an unanticipated, anomalous, and strategic datum, which becomes the occasion for developing a new theory.[2] Merton describes it later as "the discovery through chance by a theoretically prepared mind of valid findings which were not sought for"[3][4]

The concept is often associated with scientific and technological breakthroughs, where accidental discoveries led to new insights or inventions. For example, many significant discoveries in history, such as penicillin, Post-it notes, Viagra, or the microwave, arose from unforeseen circumstances that were then recognized and capitalized upon.[5][6][7]

While in popular usage often understood as a matter of pure chance, scientific discussions emphasize the crucial role of human agency—recognizing, interpreting, and acting upon unexpected opportunities. This interaction between chance and conscious action has been a key theme in areas such as creativity, leadership, innovation, and entrepreneurship[8][9][10]

Christian Busch views serendipity as "active luck," where chance encounters and human action come together. A missed flight or a casual walk in the park can lead to new friendships, interests, or even career opportunities.[11][8]

  1. ^ "Serendipity". OxfordDictionaries.com. Oxford dictionary. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
  2. ^ R. Campa: Making Science by Serendipity. A review of Robert K. Merton and Elinor Barber’s The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity Journal of Evolution and Technology - Vol. 17 Issue 1 – March 2008- pgs 75-83
  3. ^ Robert K. Merton: Social Theory and Social Structure. The Free Press, Glencoe IL 1957, S. 12.
  4. ^ Merton, R. K. and Barber, E. (2004). The Travels and Adventures of Serendipity: A Study in Sociological Semantics and the Sociology of Science. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
  5. ^ de Rond, M. (2014). ‘The structure of serendipity’. Culture and Organization, 20, 342–58
  6. ^ Copeland, S. (2018). ‘“Fleming leapt on the unusual like a weasel on a vole”: challenging the paradigms of discovery in science’. Perspectives on Science, 26, 694–721.
  7. ^ Vuong, Quan-Hoang (2022). A New Theory of Serendipity: Nature, Emergence and Mechanism. Walter de Gruyter GmbH. ISBN 9788366675582.
  8. ^ a b Christian Busch: The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck on nextbigideaclub.com. Book: New York: Penguin Random House 2020.
  9. ^ Dew, N. (2009). ‘Serendipity in entrepreneurship’. Organization Studies, 30, 735–53.
  10. ^ Race, T. M. and Makri, S. (2016). Accidental Information Discovery. Cultivating Serendipity in the Digital Age. London: Elsevier.
  11. ^ Busch, Christian (2024-05-01). "Towards a Theory of Serendipity: A Systematic Review and Conceptualization". Journal of Management Studies. 61 (3): 1110–1151. doi:10.1111/joms.12890. ISSN 0022-2380.