Outliers and MisfitsValuing Positive Deviance in Your Organization

See slide notes for details and resources.

A few positive deviants

Sakharov

Gandhi

Lady GagaMandela Adams (Hull

House)

Earhart

Jobs

Positive deviants are sometimes overlooked and shunted because….

Let me tell you the story of two

outliers...

They stick out.They disagree with leadership.They do things differently or go against the grain.

They stick outThey disagree with leadership

They do things differently or go against the grain

What do these two men have in common?They are outliers.Both are smart, creative and tops at their jobs.At sometime in their career they were banished to the ‘company basement.’Both are ‘positive deviants.’

Johnny Ive (Lead Designer at Apple Whose Ideas Led to the

iPhone)

There’s no learning without trying lots of ideas and failing lots of times.

Lester Freamon (Homicide Detective from “The Wire”)

Freamon is often the strategic brains that makes the major breakthroughs that lead to solving crimes and catching the big criminals

in his department

How did they succeed?

They had two leaders who saw their potential… and engaged them!

Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple

Lieutenant Lance Reddick from the “Major Crimes Division” (The Wire)

We count on managers and leaders to identify people who will truly contribute to their organizations….

They had leaders who were fortunate enough to see their talent and potential and harness it.

Positive Deviants find better solutions to a problem than their peers, despite facing similar challenges and having no extra

resources or knowledge than their peers

What is Positive Deviance?

http://www.positive-deviant.com/

Open

Curious

Willing to try new ideas

Adventurous

Receptive to Feedback

Quick & Agile Minds

Passionate& Energetic

Intrinsically motivated to do extrinsic “value

to society” activities

High Morals

& Ethics

Highly Creativ

e

Tinkerers

Why do workplaces need positive deviants?

Workplace of the Past Workplace of the Present & Future

Demands:● Creativity & innovative thinking● Cooperation & Teamwork● Communication between

management & staff● Fast but critical thinkers & doers

who can help company react with agility to a rapidly changing marketplace

Encourages & fosters:● Docile & highly cooperative

employees● People who follow orders &

instructions without question● High need for conformity● Company ‘yes’ men who fall in line

Brainstorming session at IDEO

Positive Deviance isn’t just for PD’s it can be encouraged

Message to Executives: Positive deviants and outliers, when channeled correctly can help you avoid

“Ossification”

Traditional cultures of middle management can kill employee engagement or even creativity

In a way this is a normal part of modern workplace development

Care and feeding of positive deviants and outliers

1. Identify your culture and reinforce your values2. Cultivate a culture of appreciation3. Communicate constantly, walk the talk

More advice for managers…More advice for management…1. But, if you want to see real innovation, often you have to hire defiant rule-breakers who don’t think much of

corporate culture

If you are a positive deviant...

If you are exhibiting signs of Positive Deviancy, turn this into an opportunity…

If you are a positive deviant…Temper your ideas. Find out how to communicate to your audience effectively. Get a translator & champion.

Summary…• Positive Deviants can be an asset• Managers should learn to recognize

& channel their energy for the good of the organization & company

• Cost of ignoring positive deviance can be high

• If you are one, learn to communicate effectively & find a champion

Positive Deviance Initiative:http://www.positivedeviance.org/

Audio interviews on PD: http://www.positivedeviance.org/resources/audio.html

Collaboration & the Value of the Dissenting Voice: http://gwynteatro.wordpress.com/2014/06/15/collaboration-and-the-value-of-the-dissenting-voice-2/

Resources