The Power of Positive Deviance

  • A “positive deviant” is an individual who represents an exception to a social norm

  • A community with a problem must discover it’s own positive deviants — people who have independently avoided the problem and thus hold clues to the solution

  • This strategy works on many levels, situations, and industries

  • Systems pass through four stages on the road to change:

    • prolonged equilibrium – system resists change, though deviants exist

    • invitation stage – chaos engulfs community, opening the door for change

    • self-organization – develops as members look inward for a solution

    • unintended consequences – unexpected solutions and results

– Richard Pascale
via @NickPassig