Unexpected Discoveries: The Importance of Serendipitous Learning

Well, that was an unexpected discovery!

Time flies, and as time flies, so does technology and knowledge gains. It’s always good practice to plan some structured learning. You know, the type we build into our calendars to have a quiet moment to read some research or participate in a webinar.

However, sometimes the best ideas and solutions do not come from structured planning but from unexpected encounters and spontaneous conversations. It may seem counter-intuitive to say that we need to structure the “unstructured.” But by doing so and then building in reflection time to investigate the unexpected, we can help create environments where new ideas and solutions can emerge naturally.

As we all know, serendipitous learning (or as I’m calling it here, “Unexpected Discovery”) is not a trendy new term – it’s a legitimate subset of incidental learning. Simply put, serendipitous learning occurs when we gain new insights, discover previously unknown aspects, or recognize connections that we hadn’t seen before. It’s the kind of learning that can happen by chance and often as a we are participating in other activities such legitimate research work, or simply scrolling through LinkedIn.

Think of it as taking a stroll across the beach and then happen upon a hidden treasure trove of knowledge – without even realizing that you were on a treasure hunt in the first place!

Letting the evidence point the way, there is growing research on the benefits of serendipitous learning, which highlights how unplanned interactions and spontaneous conversations can lead to new ideas, insights, and connections, such as:

• Serendipitous learning: Recognizing and fostering the potential of microblogging (Buchem, I. (2013). Serendipitous learning: Recognizing and fostering the potential of microblogging. Form@re – Open Journal Per La Formazione in Rete, 11(74), 7–16.)
• When Success is Born Out of Serendipity, by Fran Johansson
• Serendipitous learning: learning beyond the predefined label space (Harrer, A., & Womser-Hacker, C. (2011, September)

The question on the table is: How can we help create momentum around looking for and “seeing” the unexpected? How can we encourage employees to take the time and explore resources to see new topics for learning and discover new ideas outside their immediate job responsibilities? How can we help shine a light on the benefit of unexpected discoveries and insights that can help improve job performance and continue to foster a culture of continuous learning and innovation?

Note: Special Day – Wednesday, April 12

Coming to you from Learning Solutions!

This special coffee chat will be coming to you live from Learning Solutions in Orlando. I’ll share some of my goals for the conference, and I look forward to hearing from you about your unexpected discoveries when it comes to attending formal gatherings such as this one.

Can’t make it in person? No worries. Register for this chat and receive the following:

 Follow-up email with resources and extra goodies

 Copy of the video recording

 Copy of the chatbox transcription

 Copy of the full session transcript