The Case for Positive Deviance: Uncover the Hidden Innovation Buried in Your Workplace!

"Corporate culture transformation is achieved through the effective permeation of the principles and vision set forth by management."

That's the standard wisdom in internal communications.
But must the starting point for change always be the management side? What if, by fixating on "the view management wants to see," we overlook the "grassroots change" happening on the front lines?

This series on "Internal Communication," which is gaining renewed attention as the end of the COVID-19 pandemic remains unclear and organizations face major transformations, kicks off 2021 with an applied theme: "Change that Starts at the Frontlines."

The "Positive Deviance" Approach

• Analyzing the gap between goals and current reality, then addressing the shortfall to find solutions
• Reference best practices from successful companies and organizations to implement within your own company
• Driving change top-down

Typically, the above approaches are commonly used to tackle transformation.

However, from the perspective of frontline employees, this approach can implicitly convey the message that "current performance is inadequate" and "we should change by learning from external success stories." This can foster a sense of being forced to comply and, in some cases, contribute to psychological resistance to change.

In contrast, the approach known as "Positive Deviance" focuses on the "hidden champions" already existing within the organization.

This method identifies "individuals who face similar challenges as others, yet without abundant resources, solve problems through unusual behaviors (PD behaviors)"

This approach aims to drive change by identifying these individuals and spreading their methods.

Positive Deviance is gaining attention as an approach that can provide new perspectives on problems unsolved by conventional methods, delivering significant effects quickly and at low cost.

The "Positive Deviance" That Saved 50,000 Malnourished Children

A successful case that brought positive deviance into the spotlight was the child nutrition improvement program in Vietnam, promoted by the US branch of the NGO Save the Children (SC) starting in 1990.

At that time, Vietnam faced catastrophic typhoon damage to its grain crops, leaving approximately 65% of children under five suffering from severe malnutrition. However, the Vietnamese government's request to SC, which had offered assistance, was extremely challenging: "Solve the problem within six months without using the budget."

Yet, within this challenging environment, project leaders Mr. and Mrs. Starin found a breakthrough by posing the following question:

"Despite being extremely poor households, are there any children who are exceptionally well-nourished?"

Guided by this question, their investigation led to the discovery of a small number of such children. Observing what behaviors distinguished these children from others, they identified several PD behaviors within the households. For example:

• Feeding small shrimp and crabs from the rice paddies as meals, which were not typically consumed
• While two meals a day (morning and evening) was the common practice, they fed the children 4 to 5 times a day.
• They had established the habit of washing hands before meals

By raising awareness among rural communities about these behaviors and promoting their adoption, we achieved significant results within the short six-month period mandated by the Vietnamese government. Furthermore, by expanding this initiative nationwide, we ultimately improved the severe malnutrition of approximately 50,000 children over seven years.

Simply supplying food through external experts had limited potential for sustainable improvement. By providing a space for rural communities to recognize and spread actions they could adopt without strain, substantial results were achieved at low cost and with minimal effort.

Positive Deviance is now being adopted not only to support solving social issues in developing countries, but also in areas such as public health, corporate organizational culture transformation, and sales reform.

Three Key Points for Promoting "Positive Deviance"

To accurately identify PD behaviors and effectively disseminate them, the following three points must be considered:

① PD behaviors are unique to each organization
A PD action that functions effectively in one organization may not be applicable elsewhere. PD actions are always discovered within the unique context of that community. Accurate data collection and meticulous behavioral observation are essential.

② PD actions are discovered by the people within the organization
Whether a particular action constitutes a "positive deviation" within an organization's habits and culture can only be understood by those within it. Rather than external experts "imposing" actions to be disseminated, the process of "self-discovery" fosters active dissemination and increases motivation.

③ PD actions are disseminated by the individuals themselves
Even if transformative behaviors are identified, consolidating them at the top and issuing top-down directives to the entire organization cannot effectively drive behavioral change. It is essential to explore methods for "spreading horizontally" through peer-to-peer communication and dialogue among the individuals involved and those on the "front lines."

Challenges where "positive deviance" functions effectively

So, in what situations does positive deviance prove particularly effective?

Ronald Heifetz, a leading authority on leadership at Harvard University, categorizes organizational challenges into two types: "technical problems" and "adaptive challenges."

Figure: "Technical Problems" and "Adaptive Challenges"

Positive deviance is particularly effective for addressing "adaptive challenges." It serves as a valuable approach when solving a problem requires more than just technological innovation—specifically, when changing behaviors rooted in the organization's unique habits and values is necessary.

Japanese companies urgently need to advance digital transformation (DX). While the introduction of new technologies and tools often draws attention, we frequently hear about challenges where desired effects fail to materialize due to conflicts with organizational culture or interdepartmental relations.

Uncover "innovation buried in the field." Expand beyond star employees or resource-rich departments to spread "small ingenious ideas from ordinary people" originating at the grassroots level. "Success stories in the corners" surely exist within your organization too.

References:
・Richard Pascale, Jerry Sternin, Monique Sternin, "The Power of Positive Deviance: How Unlikely Innovators Solve the World's Toughest Problems," Harvard Business Review Press, 2010
・Illustrated Toolbox for Facilitators to Transform Organizations, edited by Tokihiko Mori, written by Tamotsu Ito and Mitsunori Matsuda (Diamond Inc.)