Demystifying serendipity: How mundane practices enable the identification and pursuit of extraordinary discoveries

Abstract

Serendipity is often associated with a sudden and extraordinary “eureka” moment. Yet, recent research frames it as a distributed social process. In this article, we extend this nascent research by examining serendipity through a practice lens, conceptualizing it as an effortful social endeavor that unfolds over time. We conducted a 5-year, real-time longitudinal study of a pharmaceutical company engaged in a pre-competitive research consortium. Our analysis reveals that surprising discoveries emerge through four recurring practices, deep-diving, listening in, connecting, and implementing, which bundled together form “serendipity work.” Initially, these practices are related to tasks around planned objectives in the consortium, but over time, they lead to new, unexpected discoveries and reorient toward exploring and shaping the discovery to build strategic value for the company. We contribute to the literature by demystifying serendipity, showing how rather than a spontaneous event, it is actively shaped through mundane practices involving multiple actors.