Positive Deviance Approach for Behavior and Social Change From the Inside Out

1. Positive Deviance Approach for Behavior and Social Change From the Inside Out Tufts University, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation

3. The Powerof Positive Deviance Solutions before our very eyes • In every community or organization there are certain individuals or groups whose uncommon practices/behaviors enable them to find better solutions to problems than their neighbors or colleagues who have access to the same resources

4. Positive Deviance (PD) Approach • The very people “whose behavior needs to change to solve the problem”identify existing solutions from within • Thereby suppressing the “immune rejection response”

6. PD for advocacy against FGM-Female Circumcision-Egypt

7. Define Define the Problem Define desired outcome (described as a behavioral or status outcome)

8. Determine If there are any individuals or entities in the community who ALREADY exhibit desired behavior or status (PD identification)

9. Discover (through a PD Inquiry) Uncommon behaviors or strategies enabling the PDs to outperform/find better solutions to the problem than others in their “community”

10. Develop & Implement local initiatives and opportunities for others in the “community” to PRACTICE new behaviors and CREATE new solutions

11. Positive Deviance Inquiry • Enables community to discover successful uncommonbehaviors/ strategies practiced by the Positive Deviants

12. Focus on PD Behavior We can’t (yet) clone people Photo Source: Sternin J and Choo R. The Power of Positive Deviance. Harvard Business Review, January-February 2000: 14-15

13. But we canadopt their successful behaviors/strategies Photo Source: Sternin J and Choo R. The Power of Positive Deviance. Harvard Business Review, January-February 2000: 14-15

14. Analyzing PD Findings PDI findings are passed through a conceptual “accessibility sieve” • Only those behaviors/strategies accessible to all are kept • The rest are “TBU,” True but Useless (i.e. not accessible to all) and are discarded

15. PD Focus onPractice Rather than Knowledge • “It’s easier to ACT your way into a new way of THINKING, than to THINK your way into a new way of ACTING”

16. When to use the PD approach • Problem requires behavioral or/and social change (adaptive challenges versus technical challenges) • Seemingly “intractable” problem – compelling enough to require a new approach • Presence of Positive Deviants (individuals/ groups exhibiting desired outcome) • Leadership commitment to address issue : “PD champions” • Skilled facilitation

17. MRSA Prevention & Eradication

18. PD ~ a Network Phenomenon 2005 2007 VA Pittsburgh

19. SPECIAL FEATURES Source: http://www.funnyhub.com/pictures/pages/portable-outhouse.html

20. LATENT POSITIVE DEVIANCE PD PROCESS UNCOVERS EXISTING PD PRACTICES & CREATES CLIMATE WHERE NEW SOLUTIONS EMERGE

21. PD Enables us to Act TODAY The presence of Positive Deviants demonstrates that it is possible to find successful solutions TODAY before all the underlying causes are addressed

22. Actual Problem Parameters Actual Problem Parameters Expanded Solution Space Expanded Solution Space Actual Problem Parameters Traditional vs PD Problem Solving Approach PD Flows from identification and analysis of successful solution to solving the problem Traditional Flows from problem analysis towards solution Fixed Solution Space Perceived Problem Parameters Perceived Problem Parameters Perceived Problem Parameters

23. PD - Complex Adaptive System Through addressing a discrete part of a complex problem (.. a fractal of the whole) … we impact all the underlying structural issues.

24. Self Discovery Social Proof Practice Bridging the “Knowing / Doing” Gap DOING KNOWING

25. Current Applications of Positive Deviance

26. Thanks! Questions?