The Power of Positive Deviance introduces a fresh, counterintuitive way to tackle difficult social and organizational challenges. Instead of importing outside experts or top-down fixes, the authors show how to uncover solutions that already exist within a community or workplace.
Drawing on vivid case studies—from reducing childhood malnutrition in Vietnam to cutting dangerous staph infections in hospitals—the book explains how a small minority of "positive deviants" quietly achieve better outcomes under the same constraints as everyone else. Their unusual but successful behaviours become the basis for scalable, sustainable change.
The authors outline key practices for applying positive deviance in any setting: mobilizing people to surface "invisible" local solutions, using action-focused experimentation to change behaviour, and navigating the organizational forces that resist change.
This book is especially useful for leaders, managers, consultants, nonprofit workers, and community organizers who need practical ways to address complex, entrenched problems without large budgets or long timelines.
Key features
- Real-world examples from health, development, and organizational life
- Step-by-step guidance for designing positive deviance initiatives
- Focus on locally owned, sustainable solutions to tough issues
