Serendipity—the unexpected discovery of valuable insights—plays a major role in shaping individual and organizational trajectories. Prior research attributes serendipitous outcomes to between-person differences and contextual factors such as organizational culture. Challenging this restrictive view, we propose that intra-personal variations, specifically circadian rhythms, can have important effects on serendipity. Drawing from circadian theory, we propose that an individual's biological cycles affect their ability to notice and match potential problems and solutions, thus impacting their likelihood of experiencing serendipity. We identify a key tension: aligning work schedules with one's circadian peaks enhances short-term serendipity by optimizing cognitive functions, but may limit exposure to diverse stimuli, potentially reducing long-term serendipitous opportunities. Conversely, varying work schedules increases exposure to varied stimuli but may impair cognitive abilities during circadian lows, hindering immediate serendipitous insights. We explore moderators related to vicarious exposure and the characteristics of stimuli—accessibility, saliency, and vividness—that can mitigate these trade-offs. This circadian perspective offers a temporal lens for organizations to manage and enhance serendipity, balancing stability with dynamism in work schedules to foster innovation and learning.
