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Christian Busch

@chrisserendip.bsky.social
532 followers 665 following 90 posts

Prof @USCmarshall. Focus: luck, serendipity, zemblanity, innovation, leadership. Author @PenguinRandomHouse: CONNECT THE DOTS / THE SERENDIPITY MINDSET / ERFOLGSFAKTOR ZUFALL (bit.ly/3Q1tEFO)

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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
What happens after serendipity strikes? A new 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍 study of 8,530 patented inventions finds that serendipitous inventions are less likely to be commercialized internally, but more likely to create value through licensing.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
How do chance and serendipity link to broader conversations in management, entrepreneurship, and strategy? Our excellent panelists at this year’s Academy of Management serendipity panel tackled this question from very different angles. A few insights: (1/x)
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Interested in collecting network data in diverse contexts? Join us at tomorrow's Academy of Management PDW on the topic! #AOM2026
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
We invite you to join us at this year’s Academy of Management Annual Meeting for a session on “Chance, Luck, and Serendipity in Management and Strategy.” We hope to see you there!
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Who acts when AI increasingly acts with us? Great new Call for Papers for an Organization Science Special Issue on “Agency in the Age of AI.” Submission deadline: February 1, 2027 More details: orgsci.substack.com/p/agency-in-...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
We invite you to join our Academy of Management PDW, “Chance, Luck, and Serendipity in Management and Strategy,” at this year’s AOM Annual Meeting! events.aom.org/events/aom-2...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
What role can serendipity play in organizational research? Anna Grosman's thoughtful Organization Studies review of 'Connect the Dots' (international paperback version of 'The Serendipity Mindset') connects serendipity to core conversations in our field: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
The 2026 Academy of Management Annual Meeting program is now available online, looking forward to seeing you in Philadelphia! events.aom.org/events/aom-2...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
We often assume that organizations fail because they stop learning, but sometimes they fail because they become exceptionally good at learning the wrong things. In this new paper we examine how routines that appear rational and successful can unintentionally (and actively) reproduce harm over time.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
We invite you to join our Academy of Management PDW, “Chance, Luck, and Serendipity in Management and Strategy,” at this year’s Academy of Management Annual Meeting! Looking forward to seeing you there!
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Some misfortune falls from the sky; some quietly builds under our feet. The opposite of serendipity is zemblanity: when misfortune is built in. The luck matrix helps make those patterns visible and shows where we can shape luck: psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conn... @psychtoday.bsky.social
psychologytoday.com
Zemblanity: When Bad Luck Is Built In
Not all bad luck is random. The concept of zemblanity shows how hidden patterns in our habits, decisions, and systems can quietly shape the setbacks we later call “chance.”
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
A big thanks to the volunteers in the TED Translators program for making this talk accessible with subtitles in Arabic, English, French, Hebrew, Spanish & Turkish! If someone comes to mind who might enjoy exploring the patterns behind good & bad luck in these languages: www.ted.com/talks/christ...
ted.com
Is luck random — or can you cultivate it?
When the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires destroyed his home and neighborhood, scientist Christian Busch encountered the opposite of serendipity: "zemblanity," or bad luck by design. Drawing on more than a ...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
If you’re interested in research on chance, luck, and serendipity in management, we hope you'll join us at the related session at this year’s AoM Annual Meeting in Philadelphia! More information: bit.ly/AOM2026_LuckandSerendipity
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
What if what we call good or bad luck isn’t always as random as we think? Our research suggests there are patterns. In this new TED talk, I explore the “evil twin of serendipity”: bit.ly/TEDZemblanity
bit.ly
Is Luck Random — or Can You Cultivate It? | Christian Busch | TED
When the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires destroyed his home and neighborhood, scientist Christian Busch encountered the opposite of serendipity: "zemblanity," or bad luck by design. Drawing on more than a decade of scientific research, he explores how people can navigate unpredictability by adopting a serendipity mindset that transforms setbacks into unexpected new beginnings. He asks: What if good luck isn't random but can actually be cultivated? (Recorded at TED@BCG on ctober 23, 2025) Join us in person at a TED conference: https://tedtalks.social/events Become a TED Member to support our mission: https://ted.com/membership Subscribe to a TED newsletter: https://ted.com/newsletters Follow TED! X: https://www.twitter.com/TEDTalks Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ted Facebook: https://facebook.com/TED LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ted-conferences TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tedtoks The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world's leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit https://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. Watch more: https://go.ted.com/christianbusch https://youtu.be/DWZzQI24Qhs TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com #TED #TEDTalks #PersonalGrowth
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Reposted by Christian Busch
Gary Weatherhead @garyweatherhead.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
The hidden architecture of failure – understanding “zemblanity” "Zemblanity emerges when small, seemingly unrelated vulnerabilities connect & compound, producing failures that, often in hindsight, appear both foreseeable and avoidable.." @chrisserendip.bsky.social blogs.lse.ac.uk/businessrevi...
blogs.lse.ac.uk
The hidden architecture of failure – understanding “zemblanity” - LSE Business Review
Human agency embeds fragility into systems, creating misfortune by design. Resilience depends on dismantling the patterns that make bad luck inevitable.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
A little over a year ago, our house burned down in the LA wildfires. That experience forced me to confront zemblanity: making unhappy discoveries "by design": www.ted.com/talks/christ... I hope it helps us all create a little more serendipity, and a little less zemblanity.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 16/03/2026
For over a decade I’ve studied serendipity: how people turn unexpected events into something positive. That work kept pointing me toward its opposite, zemblanity: the faculty of making unhappy discoveries “by design.” Here I explore why often "bad luck" isn’t purely random: bit.ly/psychologyto...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Around 20 years ago I was an intern in Mexico City, figuring things out as I went. The launch of Crea Tu Buena Suerte (LATAM edition of The Serendipity Mindset) was a wonderful excuse to return. Now available: Mexico: bit.ly/creatubuenasuertemx LATAM: bit.ly/Suerte_LATAM US: bit.ly/SuerteUS
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Looking forward to speaking at the @tecdemonterrey.bsky.social Innovation for Impact Summit next week! I’ll share science-based ways leaders & organizations can work with the unexpected rather than against it & will introduce the LATAM edition of The Serendipity Mindset: etrillas.mx/libro/crea-t...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
Mexico City friends: on February 13 we’ll be introducing Crea tu Buena Suerte, the Latin America edition of The Serendipity Mindset, at @LibreriasGandhi. If you’re nearby (or know someone who is), we'd be delighted to have you with us!
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
The Spanish/Latin America edition of THE SERENDIPITY MINDSET is out now! If you (or your Spanish-speaking friends) are curious about a science-based way of creating “active luck,” you can find it here: bit.ly/creatubuenas.... Shares, posts, reviews, and recommendations are very much appreciated!
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 13/10/2025
Join us for the SMS conference symposium on the strategic role of chance, luck, and serendipity! A panel of inspiring thinkers and doers will explore how organizations can cultivate environments where chance encounters and unexpected connections turn into opportunities.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
Congratulations to Ranjay Gulati on today’s launch of *How to Be Bold*! As Adam Grant puts it, it's "an engrossing, evidence-based, and actionable guide to acting in the face of fear": lnkd.in/gECPs7hj
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Is serendipity really serendipitous? Henry Mintzberg just published a wonderfully playful reflection that grew out of our last Academy of Management session on serendipity. A light, insightful read on how small, unplanned moments can shape organizations and careers: bit.ly/henrymintzbe...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 23/09/2025
What's the role of emotion and energy when it comes to serendipity? Great new paper by Nele Terveen in the Journal of Business Venturing Insights, well worth a read! Well worth a read! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
How do chance, luck, and serendipity really shape strategy? We’ll explore this question at the upcoming SMS conference in San Francisco. We’d love for you to join, and to share with anyone else who might be curious about the topic!
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Reposted by Christian Busch
LSE Business Review @lsebr.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
Human agency embeds fragility into systems, creating misfortune by design. Resilience depends on dismantling the patterns that make bad luck inevitable. @chrisserendip.bsky.social
blogs.lse.ac.uk
The hidden architecture of failure – understanding “zemblanity” - LSE Business Review
Human agency embeds fragility into systems, creating misfortune by design. Resilience depends on dismantling the patterns that make bad luck inevitable.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 12/08/2025
How do we turn the unexpected into something valuable? Over the past few years, I’ve been part of a growing community exploring this question. I’m thrilled that one outcome—a paper developing a theory of serendipity—has just received the 2024 Best Paper Award from the Journal of Management Studies!
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 08/08/2025
One of the reasons I love academia: working with curious, hardworking students to prepare them for a meaningful (& lucky!) life by “cultivating serendipity.” This year’s MBA students in our USC Career Launchpad (Consulting Track) brought incredible energy, sharp thinking, and great questions.
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Reposted by Christian Busch
Shantha Mohan, Ph.D., DTM @shlead.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
"You might think of serendipity as passive luck that just happens to you, when actually it’s an active process of spotting and connecting the dots." psyche.co/guides/how-t...
A graphic showing how you find serendipity by Christian Busch, How to be lucky.
https://psyche.co/guides/how-to-open-up-to-serendipity-and-create-your-own-luck
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Do you have a paper idea on chance, luck, or serendipity? We’re excited to invite submissions for our session at the Academy of Management 2025 Annual Meeting; deadline is tomorrow (July 15)! Saturday, July 26, 14:00–16:00, Bella Center: Auditorium 10 Submit here: shorturl.at/P78Vj
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
What if the most transformative learning moments aren't planned? A great new editorial by professor Sigrid Harendza in the GMS Journal for Medical Education explores the role of serendipity in medical education, and offers a powerful reminder for any field: journals.publisso.de/index.php/en...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
“If this was the last day of my life, would I rather have dinner with the important customer or with her"? Steve Jobs' beautiful serendipity story (and our related research) featured in INC.: bit.ly/JobsSerendip.... More on our related research: bit.ly/nextbigideaclub
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 17/06/2025
Delighted that Dan Wadhwani will be the next Director of USC's Greif Center for Entrepreneurial Studies! Dan is such a great person to carry the center forward. If you’re interested in entrepreneurship research and practice in LA and beyond, this is your place! www.marshall.usc.edu/departments/...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Wonderful to see how much momentum the serendipity conversation is gaining at this year’s Academy of Management meeting:𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐲-𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬 won 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 & there are 20ish serendipity-related items on the agenda! If anyone still needs an excuse to explore this space, here it is:)
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Life’s twists aren’t always in our control; but how we respond is. It was a real pleasure to speak at the recent Learn-A-Thon hosted by PayPal, where we explored how "career luck" can be cultivated. The idea isn’t to chase some forced notion of “always stay positive.” It’s about rational optimism.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 08/06/2025
A big thank you to the organizers of the Babson Entrepreneurship Conference for an inspiring few days! Beyond learning from so many great conversations, I was grateful for the chance to talk about the 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐉𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 special issue on chance, luck & serendipity: bit.ly/smjserendipity
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
How we talk about luck—and serendipity—shapes how we experience it. In this conversation with Shushan Karapetian, we explore how language, culture, and mindset influence our ability to spot and act on the unexpected. 👉 Watch here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzPU... #SerendipityMindset #Leadership
youtube.com
The Language of Luck: Cultivating Serendipity with Christian Busch
YouTube video by USC Institute of Armenian Studies
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
How can we create "active luck" for impact and innovation? Looking forward to this upcoming NGO Academy talk on The Serendipity Mindset (virtual/open to all). Join us? 🗓️ 21 May 2025 | 🕕 6:00–7:30pm CEST | 💻 Online 🔗 bit.ly/ngoserendipity
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
The updated Serendipity Mindset homepage now includes links to all international editions and translations of 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙈𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙨𝙚𝙩: theserendipitymindset.com/books/
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
“Compound serendipity works like compound interest.” As Gita Wirjawan-Indonesia’s former Minister of Trade and a remarkable lateral thinker- reflected, serendipity often isn’t just about isolated chance moments. It’s about creating systems where opportunity keeps building on itself.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀: 𝗔𝗼𝗠 𝗣𝗗𝗪 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗸 & 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗽𝗶𝘁𝘆 Does your research explore themes of luck, serendipity, or chance? We invite you to join our Academy of Management PDW at the 2025 Annual Meeting–and receive constructive feedback on your work! 📩 Submit here: bit.ly/aom2025pdw
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 23/04/2025
Shoutout to Nele Terveen—first author on our new paper on the “serendipity paradox” (with Cheryl Wakslak and myself), which won a Best Paper Award at this year’s Academy of Management annual meeting!
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
Does your research explore themes of luck, serendipity, or chance? We invite you to join our Academy of Management PDW on 'Luck, Chance, and Serendipity' at the 2025 Annual Meeting – and receive constructive feedback on your work! 📩 Submit here: bit.ly/aom2025pdw
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
If you're curious about our upcoming 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙘 𝙈𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙅𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙡 (𝙎𝙈𝙅) special issue on chance, luck, and serendipity, here’s the recording of our recent info session: bit.ly/smjspecialis...
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
Are you interested in exploring the role of chance, luck, and serendipity in strategy and management? Join us for the 𝑺𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝑴𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍 special issue virtual information session next week! bit.ly/SMJchanceluc... 📝 Call for papers: bit.ly/SMJCallforPa...
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Registration for Virtual Information Session: SMJ Special Issue on 'Chance, Luck, and Serendipity in Management and Strategy'
The Call for Papers can be found here: bit.ly/smjserendipity
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
1/x Great new format by the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal (SEJ), featuring our (with ROBERT MUDIDA) paper on how entrepreneurs in Kenya navigate ethnically diverse networks: Introducing SEJ Soundbite 🎙️
youtube.com
Kenyan Entrepreneurship Navigating Ethnicity and Social Ties in Sub Saharan Africa
YouTube video by SEJ Media
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
(1/x) "If you always play to what’s expected, you don’t encourage serendipity." At our @aomconnect.bsky.social panel, @mintzberg.bsky.social shared insights on serendipity: 🔹 We often over-organize for the expected. A packed schedule can block chance encounters that spark career-defining moments.
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 20/02/2025
(1/5): After a few turbulent weeks, it was a breath of fresh air to be part of the Organization Science Winter Conference. On our serendipity panel, we explored how chance encounters and unexpected moments shape organizations. Some key takeaways:
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Christian Busch @chrisserendip.bsky.social · 03/02/2025
How do surprises—both good and bad—shape our lives in profound ways? And how can we respond? Inspiring discussion with Reinhard Schneider, CEO of Werner & Mertz GmbH (home to iconic brands like Frosch): www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxIT.... (In German, but YouTube’s translation feature works well!)
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