Jérôme Barthélemy

3 weeks ago | hbr.org | Jérôme Barthélemy |Nicolas Mottis

Serendipity has led to many scientific breakthroughs. For instance, Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin while doing research on influenza. But unlike scientists, business leaders and managers are reluctant to embrace serendipity. To some extent, this is understandable. It is unpredictable, and companies cannot entirely depend on it to innovate. Nonetheless, businesses could benefit from more doses of serendipity. Here are three ways in which companies could increase their chances of benefiting from serendipity: 1) Encourage openness to surprises. 2) Foster interactions among employees. 3) Make experimentation part of the culture.