our future competence: embracing strategic serendipity!

2014 National AMCOR-EBRD Conference, Bucharest, RomaniaSep. 22nd 2015 International Conference Speech, Noordwijk, Netherlands

EmbracingStrategic Serendipity

By Constantinos Stavropoulos CMC®, Founder & CEO


Preamble: A True Story based on a Fairy Tale

Embracing Serendipity?

Recent Discussion: during “Black Monday”


Blending Contradictions

Mingling Incongruities

Interweaving Oxymora

CLIENT: A Mindboggling Cosmos


Constantinos: … Too Many Futures

Probable Creatable

Preferred Surprising

Planned


CLIENT: … a new VUCA world


Constantinos: …with VUCA PIES

Progressive

Volatility

Increasing

Uncertainty

Explosive

Complexity

Spasmodic

Ambiguity

P rogressive

I ncreasing

E xplosive

S pasmodic


What Can We Do

CLIENT: … What do you think?

Constantinos:

Act like a Prince of Serendip.

Would you like to listen to a fairy tale?

CLIENT:

#@&%-)@$%(((:;=*”&24)X(_&!!!!


Acting Like A Prince of Serendip

Retooling Uncertainty into Certainty


With a “Whole New Mind”


A 'silly’ Fairy Tale?

- Blind in the right eye?

- Lacks a tooth?

- Lame and crippling?

- Carrying butter on one side?

- And honey on the other side?

Emperor Behram of Serendip sends his three sons

(three princes) traveling to discover the world.

Along the way, they meet a camel driver.

- Have you seen my camel?

- Yes! Yes!! Yes!!! Where is she?

- What have you done to her?


A 'silly’ Fairy Tale? Not at all

Camel driver takes them to Court and Emperor to judge.

- Grass cropped only on left side of road

- Blind in the right eye?

- Bits of chewed grass scattered across the road

- Lacks a tooth?

- Footprints of one foot dragging

- Lame and crippling?

- Ants on one side of road

- Carrying butter on one side?

- Flies on the other side of the road

- And honey on the other side?

After providing explanations, they get acquitted!


Serendipity: Accidents & Sagacity

Ideas

Objects

Intuitions

Knowledge

fragments

Experience

Expertise

Craftsmanship

ACCIDENTS

Multiple Encounters

SAGACITY

Creative Act


Known Serendipitous Discoveries

- Forgot one of the petri dishes on the shelf

- mold contaminated the bacteria he was studying

- Realized that the mold killed the bacteria

- Understood he had stumbled into a breakthrough – new antibiotic


Known Serendipitous Discoveries

MinoxidilDeveloped to treat high-blood pressure,

but prescribed against hair loss.

AspirinIntended as an anti-inflammatory but

widely used as a preventative measure

against heart attacks


Known Serendipitous Discoveries – Guess!

Originally patented (in 1886)

for medicinal purposes, as a

nerve and tonic stimulant,

and a cure for headaches.


Known Serendipitous Discoveries – Guess!

Mid-eighties• Pfizer begins a research program into angina

• (disabling heart condition from insufficient supply of oxygen to heart)

• An active chemical compound was isolated (sildenafil citrate)

• Commenced clinical trials and trial results proved disappointing

• But, some ‘accidental’ side effects in toxicity trials

• So, Pfizer decided to commit another $340 million to the project

• Repeating Phase II clinical trials using impotent men as a target group

• The drug’s effectiveness was, this time, beyond doubt.

• The Food and Drug Administration approved ___ in March 1998.

• Net present value over $6 billion

• What was the Drug? Guess!


CLIENT: still wondering …

Strategic

Serendipity

Constantinos: “Let’s meet again in a few days”


Our Next Meeting

Bringing the Puzzle Pieces Together


Process of Serendipity by Lawley &Tompkins (2008)

Serendipity: How It Works


Serendipity: How It Works

Search

ContingencyPrior Knowledge

Serendipitous

Discovery

Serendipity in Opportunity Discovery (Dew, 2009)


Puzzle Piece 1: Exploring

Search

Prior Knowledge

Systematic

Exploration

“Connecting the Unconnected”


Puzzle Piece 2: Pre-Discovering

Search

Contingency

Pre-Discovery

“Linking the Unlinked”


Puzzle Piece 3: Recognizing

ContingencyPrior

Knowledge

Spontaneous

Recognition

“Shaping the Unshaped”


Serendipity: The Whole Puzzle

Search

ContingencyPrior Knowledge

Serendipitous

Discovery

Serendipity in Opportunity Discovery (Dew, 2009)

Systematic

ExplorationPre-Discovery

Spontaneous

Recognition


Taking it a Step Further …

Recognize

Pre-

Discover

Explore

Shape

Link

Connect


EXPLORING (Connecting via Co-Creating)

CO-CREATING CONNECTIONS

Sailing on-the-wind (Snatching Within)

“Connecting the Unconnected”


PRE-DISCOVERING (Linking via Roadmapping)

ROADMAPPING LINKAGES

Sailing off-the-wind (Grasping Around)

“Linking the Unlinked”


RECOGNIZING (Shaping via Imagining)

Sail “before-the-wind“ (Seizing Beyond)

“Shaping the Unshaped” IMAGINING SHAPES

Accidents Sagacity


1 Searching for Differentiation, but gaining Certification.

2 Probing for Renewal & Recertification,but ending Serving.

3 Solely Serving, but also receiving Leads.

4 Attending Conferences, but also invited for Speaking.

5 Speaking at Conferences, but also invited for Training.

… And a Case in Point

A Landscape of Serendipitous Potential


CLIENT: Hmmm!!!

The Future Competence

Exploring – Pre-Discovering – Recognizing

Connecting – Linking – Shaping


CLIENT: Spread the Word Constantinos!

Tell your Colleagues

Invite them to Collaborate

Springboard Globally

Build-Up Your Novel Offering

Launch Your New Service


CLIENT: And … by the way …

We would like your help

for our “Serendipitous Quest”

to …. (confidential) …


So, Let's do it!

Constantinos A. Stavropoulos CMCFounder, InnoValue

Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: constantinosstavropoulos

Skype: c.stavropoulos

Tel: +30 210 7454367,

Cell: +30 6944 440136

http://www.innovalue.gr

спасибі

Let's Embrace Together

Strategic Serendipity

our future competence: embracing strategic serendipity!

Presentations & Public Speaking