Cultivating and Harnessing Unexpected Opportunities: How Monochronic Orientation Fosters Innovation by Facilitating Serendipity in New Firms
研究发现，偏好顺序处理任务的单时倾向能增加新企业的偶然发现，进而提升创新绩效，尤其在动态环境中效果更显著。
Despite growing interest in serendipity in entrepreneurship, its antecedents, contingencies, and outcomes remain understudied. We find that new firms with a monochronic orientation—a preference for handling tasks sequentially—experience more serendipity, which in turn enhances innovation performance. This is amplified in dynamic environments, where unexpected discoveries are more likely to generate value. Challenging assumptions that systematic search and broad information inputs drive innovation, our study highlights focused attention as a driver of serendipity. By linking serendipity to strategic attention allocation and environmental conditions, we offer insights into how firms can foster and capitalize on unexpected discoveries to drive innovation.