Triggers help individuals recognize the unexpected and could arise from extroverted and introverted behaviors, alertness, positive emotions, self-awareness, or the interplay of these soft skills, the team found.
“The beautiful thing about triggers is that we can train ourselves in some of them; we don’t have to master all of them. It’s really just step by step,” Busch added. “I think curiosity is a nice one because curiosity is something that also makes us more humble and connects us more meaningfully with people.”
Biosociation advances the trigger and makes the mental linkage between the problem and the solution, aided by creativity and collaboration.
Having the ability to “see opportunity in the unexpected more clearly,” as Busch contends, depends on the individuals’ life experiences or corporate culture of the organization. Connecting the dots may come naturally or something that is encouraged. Conversely, an entrenched decision-making process or inherent bias could limit how someone reacts to any situation.
Busch believes that many of these abilities are initially influenced by our environment, but they can be shaped by individuals — it comes down to nature and nurture.
“It really depends on where you are in your life, what state [of mind] you’re in, what context you’re in,” Busch said. “It almost doesn’t really matter what kind of serendipity happened, what matters is that you’ve created that prepared mind so that serendipity can happen.”
Strategic Skill
The researchers determined the process could be replicated and cultivated, and focused on the role of serendipity in entrepreneurship and innovation. Their findings suggest how proactive decisions — by either the individual or organizational environment — can produce positive outcomes from unexpected events.
By understanding the process, entrepreneurs can create the conditions necessary to recognize trigger events and capitalize on the connection cues, spurring innovation and advancement toward mission goals. Accelerating serendipity, then, can become a strategic advantage for entrepreneurial success.
“If we can help people build a muscle for the unexpected, to essentially see that not as a threat, but to constantly think about, ‘could there still be some meaning in this?’” Busch added. “Then, we realize that when one door closes, there’s 20 other doors that we can walk through.”
A German native, Busch was selected as one of Germany’s “Top 40 under 40” from the country’s business magazine, Capital Magazin. His research, which became the basis for his best-selling book, The Serendipity Mindset, has appeared in publications including the Journal of Management Studies. You can watch Busch explain The Serendipity Mindset in episode three of the Marshall Minds faculty video series, available on the Marshall YouTube channel.