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Two Types of
Accidental Discoveries
①
By-product: occurred while the
inventors were trying to discover something else
②
Serendipitous: were stumbled
upon by chance |
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Accidental Breakthroughs: The
Role of Serendipity in
Innovation
Vadim Kotelnikov is a
prominent voice connecting
serendipity (accidental
discovery) with
innovation, viewing it not
just as luck but as a skill to
be cultivated, emphasizing the
need for a prepared mind,
observation, and passion to turn
unexpected findings into
valuable breakthroughs,
essential for business and
creativity. He highlights
that true serendipity involves
an "achievement
attitude" to leverage
accidents and that it's a
developable capability, crucial
for
turning problems into
opportunities and
gaining a competitive edge.
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Many ideas surface in the
strangest ways, often when they
are least expected. Sometimes
they seem to pop up almost by
accident. The accidental
discovery is triggered by
chaos and contradictions,
rather than by order and logic.
When open-minded people read,
listen or watch, they often find
things that catch their eye,
leading them off into other
areas of enquiry. "The real
magic of discovery lies not in
seeking new landscapes, but in
having new eyes," said Marcel
Proust.
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Examples
of Accidental Discoveries
Velcro
Medeleev's
Periodic Table
Post-It
Note |
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Open Mind
Be a student, keep
an
open mind.
Look at people,
business, processes, nature and everything else
with no fixed ideas. with no judgment. They are
all doors to inspiration and new discoveries. |
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Have your mind prepared for new
insights.
Expect to make an accidental
discovery any moment.
~
Vadim
Kotelnikov
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Be
observant, keep your eyes open
at all times.
Be
sagacious enough to link
together apparently innocuous
facts in order gain a
breakthrough insight and
discover serendipitous value.
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The Power of Cross-Functional
Excellence
The wider your fishing net,
the more fish it will
catch.
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Your mind can accept only those
ideas that have a frame of
reference with your existing
knowledge and comprehension. It
rejects everything else.
If
your knowledge is functionally
focused, you'll be open to new
ideas related to your functional
expertise only and will miss all
other learning and innovation
opportunities.
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To frequently make
unexpected discoveries, broad knowledge and
flexible thinking are required.
No idea will be wasted if you develop
broad
cross-functional expertise. Each and every
idea will immediately connect with the existing
knowledge and will inspire you, energize you,
and encourage your serendipity and
entrepreneurial creativity. |
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InnoBall helps anticipate
challenges ahead and make accidental discoveries while searching
for
opportunities that would help address these challenges |
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