Bahramdipity in Organizations: Structures, Logics, and Mechanisms of Serendipity Suppression

This chapter advances a conceptual basis for understanding bahramdipity in organizational contexts, defined as the intentional suppression of serendipity through hierarchical power. Building on prior theorization of serendipity as the interplay of agency, surprise, and value, the chapter delineates the three necessary and jointly sufficient conditions under which bahramdipity emerges: targeted suppression of emergent ideas, the structural presence of authority hierarchies, and intentionality. By mapping its psychological, relational, and structural drivers, the chapter situates bahramdipity within and beyond adjacent literatures on silence, knowledge hiding, power asymmetries, and managerial control. The analysis reveals how fear, disengagement, emotional depletion, and perceived powerlessness can inhibit upward idea flow; how dyadic relationships shape the micro-politics of voice; and how organizational climates amplify suppressive tendencies. To ground these mechanisms, the chapter examines the case of Xerox PARC as an exemplar of systemic serendipity suppression. This case illustrates how organizations may be capable of inventing the future while structurally impeding its recognition. In response, the chapter proposes a dyadic, interaction-focused approach for minimizing the risk of serendipity suppression, articulated through reflective prompts and conversational cues designed to help leaders and subordinates recognize early-stage fragility in ideas. As a whole, the chapter aims to make bahramdipity more visible in the dynamics of organizational life.