harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, coworking europe 2012, paris

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Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko Harnessing Serendipity in coworking Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

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Page 1: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

Harnessing Serendipity in coworking

Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi

Page 2: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

The history of serendipity

Persian fairy tale ”The travels and adventures of three princes of Serendip”

(Serendip is the ancient name of Ceylon, now known as Sri Lanka)

Horace Walpole (1717 -) was fascinated by the tale and started to write about ”serendipity” in his widespread correspondence

One of the most difficult English words to translate, voted also to TOP 10 in the most beautiful English words

The phenomena was further elaborated and studied by Robert K. Merton and various others (et al Royston Roberts)

Page 3: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

Cases throughout the history

Columbus, Newton, Archimedes, Watt ……

Penicillin, Teflon, Post It, artificial rubber, X-rays, SMS, Viagra, vacination on small box …..

Google, Pixar, 3M, Virgin, MIT Media Lab …..

List of books: Merton, Roberts, Eyre, Jaworski, Taleb, Hagel et al, Hoffman, Lane&Becker….

Page 4: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

Some definitions

”lucky accident” --- too simple, luck overrated

”Finding something valuable while looking for something else” -- better

Original Walpole’s definition driven from the Persian fable:

”They (the princes) were always making discoveries, by accidents and by sagacity, of things of value that they were not in quest of” (Brewer’s Dictionaryof Phare and Fable 1977)

Ongoing SerenA research project in U.K. defines it in three elements : unexpected event or encounter insight value

Luis Pasteur: ” Fortune favors a prepared mind”

Page 5: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

Plan, design, harness ……?

So far I have found several ways to describe it:

”Planned serendipity” Lane&Becker

”Design for serendipity” Hagel et al

”Maximize serendipity around you” Taleb

”Engineering serendipity” ??

”Serendipity machine” ”Serendipity Engine” – these both sound way to brutal as coming from the past thinking from the industrial age

I use ”Harnessing serendipity” on individual and community level and

”Serendipity management” on institutional and organizational level

Page 6: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

What are we talking about?

Attitude, mental state

Unexpected events

Preparedness

Insight

Curiosity

Supporting elements – environment, facilitation, interaction, diversity

Synchronicity

Emergence in complex systems

…..

Page 7: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

The themes to elaborate

1) Unexpected design (physical, virtual)

2) Unexpected encounters

3) On personal level, serendipitous lifestyle

Page 8: Harnessing serendipity introduction into topic in miniworkshop, Coworking Europe 2012, Paris

Global Oasis Network Coworking Europe 9.11.2012, Ilkka Kakko

Thank You!Further information:

Oy Karostech Ltd

Contact person: Ilkka Kakko

E-mail: [email protected]

+ 358 50 536 2941

www.respectserendipity.com; www.globaloasis.fi

Twitter: Serendipitor

In Facebook a great group:

Serendipity Management: http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6655331989