The Power of Positive Deviance

EIGHT

Nature’s Way

Invisible in Plain Sight

THIS BOOK MAKES NO CLAIM that the positive deviance process is the only, or indeed the best, approach for addressing intractable problems. To the contrary, our initial expectations following Vietnam were that its relevance was restricted and applications localized. Observing its ascendancy over two decades has left us a bit in awe. Popularization of the idea has been almost exclusively through word of mouth (save occasional mention in the media). There has been no marketing campaign, investment in branding, or orchestrated publicity. Launching a Web site and establishing the Positive Deviance Initiative at Tufts University, in Boston, was largely a defensive maneuver to cope with a growing flood of ...