Provoke

CHAPTER 9 Activate: Harnessing Your Ecosystem

Although ridiculous both as an example and as a fad, the “Wave” in sports stadiums pretty well encapsulates the idea of how to spur collective action – the idea at the heart of the activate provocation. For any reader not familiar with this curious social trend, it entails one person – or a small group of people – spontaneously standing up in the middle of a huge audience, throwing their hands in the air and yodel-shouting some sort of noise. If it goes well, their neighbors catch on and do the same, with a knock-on effect to other neighbors down the line until the controller of the jumbotron sees what’s happening and trains the camera on the activity. At this point the movement can take on a life of its own, gradually enveloping the entire stadium audience in a rolling “wave” that circles in an accelerating style until it collapses under its own weight.

That's when it goes well.

When it goes badly, the aspiring provocateur is left standing with his arms in the air as he turns beet red and whimpers out a few feeble “Who's with me’s” before sitting down in shame to drown his sorrows.

Thankfully whether we are talking about Activating social movements or spurring economic growth, it rarely requires exposing yourself to the boos and laughs of tens of thousands of spectators.

The Activate provocation involves working with and through an ecosystem to get things done. It's unique from the others, however, because while the provocateur ...