Positive DevianceActing our Way to a New Way of Thinking

Erika Lee Bailey and Associates for Dwd, Nov 2010

Liberating Structures1. Appreciative Interviews2. Agreement/ Uncertainty Matrix3. TRIZ4. Wicked Questions5. Min Specs6. Chunking/ Rapid Prototyping7. Improv8. 15% Solutions9. Open Space Technology10. Ecocycle Sifting and Gathering11. Panarchy: Cross-Scale Change12. Conversation Café Dialogue13. Discovery and Action Dialogue14. Wise Crowds Group

Consultation

15. Smart Network Map16. Generative Relationships17. Purpose-to-practice Design18. Scenario Planning Critical

Uncertainties19. Impromptu Speed Networking20. 1-2-4- Whole Group21. Troika Consulting22. Fishbowl Sessions: “What I need

from you”23. Celebrity Interview24. 5 Whys and 10 Hows25. Storyboarding Agendas26. Positive Deviance

“positive deviance”

What is PD?

• Bottom-up change process for large, complex systems

• Process to overcome an important, measurable, intractable, and complex problem

• Assumes that in any community there are always positive deviants

Keep your eye on 3 things:

• Positively Deviant people/ behaviours

• Innovations that enable and encourage new behaviours or overcome barriers

• The Problem (this is what inspires people to action)

Guiding Principles• People who “touch” a problem/topic have the

wisdom to solve it, or affect it.•Best results happen when we let the group dictate where/ when it will “go”.•The methods/tools are not their to control, but to liberate thought, connection, and action.•People participate on their own terms, when and how much they want to. •Nothing about me without me.•Go slow to go fast. Patience serves the process.

Typical PD Stages Disseminate: get it out! Develop: new practices Discover: Where are they? What are

they doing?

Determine: Are there PD’s?

Define: what’s the problem? What’s the desired outcome?

Jay and Monique Sternin are the “grandparents” of PD,

BUT

PD is moved by the people. We as practitioners guard, guide, and “nudge”

The 1st PD Project-Vietnam

Problem:65% malnutrition rate in children

under 5

Important: Too many children dying each day from malnutrition.

Measurable: Agencies were already in place measuring the relevantdata (malnutrition/ infant Mortality etc.)

Complex: Project spanned fourcommunities separated bydistance. Involved complex group processes and needs.

Intractable: Previous efforts had made only short-term non-sustainable gains.

Now what?

PDs:Include shrimp and Crab/ feed 4 times/

Parental feeding

Great, but…

Knowledge doesn’t change behaviour.

What activity would enable others to adopt the critical PD behaviours?

Vietnam Discoveries

Non PDs:Kids suffering.

Feeding 1-2 times.Children self-feed

PDs:Include shrimp and Crab/ feed 4 times/

Parental feeding

Vietnam Results

Problem:65% malnutrition rate in children

under 5

Malnutrition #s80% reduction

Affected 2.2 million

Cultural ChangePeople have a new way of talking and

sharing info

Other Global Applications• Child Soldiers in Uganda• FGM in Egypt• Public Extortion in Argentina• Smoking Cessation in Wales • Hospital-born superbug infections in Canada/ US/ Columbia• Infant mortality in Egypt, Guinea,

Discovery and Action Dialogue (DAD)

1. How do you know the problem is present?2. What do you do to prevent the problem?3. What stops you from doing those things 100% of

the time?4. Who do you know who is able to get over those

barriers given the same resources? Can we talk to them? How are they doing it? Can you show us?

5. Any ideas what we can do now?6. Any volunteers?

Wise Crowds

• 1 min: Person A presents their challenge.• 2 min: Clarifying questions (not solving!)• 5 min: Person A turns, and silently takes

notes while group discusses challenge.• 2 min: Person A returns to group and tells

them what was particularly useful, and what insights they gained.

IMPROVISATION…ACTING YOUR WAY INTO A NEW WAY OF THINKING…

TRIZ

• Let’s design a system where if one of you had the flu, all of the rest of you would become infected with the flu by the time you left here tonight.

PD Coaching Role• Be the “guardian of the process”• Leave the doing to the people • Nudge here and there to get people back to the

process• Encourage them to celebrate successes (small and

big wins)

PD Coaching Qualities

• Patience• True curiosity• Firm grounding in the process • Flexibility (PD is not fixed. It evolves)• Willingness to ask for help• Comfort with ambiguity or willingness to develop a

comfort with ambiguity

For more information

www.positivedeviance.orgwww.positivedeviance.cawww.plexusinstitute.orgwww.stopsuperbugs.comwww.socialinvention.net

Or follow Dr. Michael Gardam on Twitter:drmichaelgardam

Thoughts/ Insights?