Leading adaptive change by harnessing the power of positive deviance

Purpose – This is another in a series of Strategy & Leadership “Masterclass” papers that aims at bringing senior managers up to speed on an emerging topic – in this case, leading adaptive change by harnessing the power of new tools such as positive deviance. Design/methodology/approach – Noted strategic management observer Brian Leavy analyzes new tools and concepts for adaptive change offered by strategists Richard Pascale, Michael Beer and others. Findings – The paper leads executives through the formidable challenge of uncovering positive deviant behaviors –that is, individual learning breakthroughs–and translating them into “collective learning.” Practical implications – The positive deviance approach has shown itself to be effective in a wide variety of seemingly intractable challenges including elimination of MRSA in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Pittsburgh and the reversal of chronic sales underperformance at Merck, Mexico. Originality/value – Senior executives seeking to manage adaptive change will welcome this thoughtful guide to newly available tools.