The Gift of the Unexpected

In 1928, a Scottish bacteriologist named Alexander Fleming returned from a two-week vacation to a messy lab only to notice something strange: a petri dish of staphylococcus bacteria had been accidentally left uncovered. Where the bacteria should have thrived, there was instead a peculiar ring of inhibition—a clear sign of bacterial destruction. A stray mold spore, which had floated into his lab by chance, had become the foundation for one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th century: penicillin.

This story is one of the many famous examples of serendipity in the history of innovation—a reminder that some of the most transformative discoveries and ideas don’t always come from careful planning and deliberate inquiry. Rather, they often arise from unexpected situations, mistakes, and seemingly trivial coincidences. Serendipity, at its core, is the collision of accident and insight. But what makes these chance moments so valuable? And why are some individuals and organizations more likely to seize on them than others?

Serendipity Effect

The concept of serendipity was coined in the 18th century by Horace Walpole, inspired by the Persian fairy tale “The Three Princes of Serendip“, where the protagonists often stumbled upon solutions to their problems by chance. Walpole’s definition, however, doesn’t fully capture what makes serendipity so remarkable in the context of innovation. Serendipity isn’t just about chance; it’s about the ability to recognize opportunity when it presents itself in the unlikeliest of ways.

Many of history’s great innovators didn’t just experience luck—they were primed for it. Take the story of the microwave oven. In 1945, engineer Percy Spencer was testing radar equipment when he noticed something odd: a chocolate bar in his pocket had melted. Instead of shrugging off the event as a strange but irrelevant mishap, he began experimenting. Soon after, he developed the world’s first microwave oven. Spencer’s curiosity in the face of an accident turned what could have been a forgotten anecdote into a billion-dollar industry.

What makes these stories resonate is the element of surprise—the sense that profound change can emerge from the most unpredictable sources. Yet, while we can all appreciate the magic of serendipity, it’s not as simple as waiting for chance to strike. The real question is: how do we harness it? How do we create the conditions where serendipitous moments are not only possible but likely?

Engineering Serendipity

The popular belief is that serendipity can’t be forced; after all, how do you plan for the unplanned? But that’s only part of the equation. While you can’t predict exactly when or where an unexpected breakthrough will happen, you can certainly create environments that are fertile ground for these chance moments to occur.

Consider Silicon Valley, the modern-day crucible of technological innovation. What sets this place apart from other regions isn’t just the concentration of talent or capital—it’s the culture of openness and collision. The cafes, shared workspaces, and conferences where engineers, investors, and entrepreneurs mingle are all designed to foster spontaneous encounters. Steve Jobs understood this well when he designed Pixar’s headquarters. Instead of spreading departments across the building, he insisted on a single, central atrium where employees from different disciplines were forced to interact. Jobs believed that by increasing the likelihood of chance meetings, he was also increasing the likelihood of serendipitous discoveries.

Academic research supports this idea. Sociologist Ronald Burt’s studies on networks have shown that people who occupy “structural holes”—the gaps between different groups or communities—tend to be more innovative. They’re more likely to encounter novel ideas, which come from exposure to different perspectives. Burt’s findings suggest that serendipity thrives when diverse people and ideas come into contact in unexpected ways.

The same principle can be applied to organizations. Companies that encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration and allow for intellectual exploration beyond rigid job descriptions often find themselves with higher rates of innovation. Google’s famous “20 percent time”—a policy that allowed employees to spend 20% of their workweek pursuing projects of personal interest—led to the development of Gmail, Google Maps, and other transformative products. The structure of 20 percent time wasn’t rigid, but its openness created fertile ground for the collision of curiosity and creativity.

Creating a Culture of Curiosity

If there’s a common thread among the innovators who consistently benefit from serendipity, it’s their insatiable curiosity. The Alexander Flemings, Percy Spencers, and Steve Jobses of the world don’t merely stumble upon good fortune—they are constantly exploring the edges of their environments, noticing anomalies, and asking questions.

This raises an important point: to cultivate serendipity, organizations need to foster a culture of curiosity. This means rewarding experimentation, even if it leads to failure, and encouraging employees to seek out new experiences and perspectives. A curious mind is one that’s constantly processing new inputs, primed to recognize the value in the unexpected.