Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell sends us on the miraculous journey of change in “Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference”. 

The Law of the Few

Connectors. In six degrees of separation, there is a connector. You can interchange any of the other five or six, but if you take out the connector, the connection fails altogether. Most carriers of disease only pass the disease on to a few individuals, but connectors can pass it to many. Gladwell sites some of the first big AIDS spreaders who slept with dozens, even hundreds, of people and infected a good many of them.

Take advantage of the “connector” by acknowledging that the difference that you make in the world is not limited to your money or even your actions. It can be your social network that facilitates change. And Gladwell points out that it isn't the close friends who occupy roughly the same world you do that make up your network, rather it is the weak ties of acquaintances that coalesce into your social power. The strength of weak ties, a phrase coined by the sociologist Mark Granovetter, sums it up nicely.

Mavens, the next critical role in the Law of the Few, collect a vast store of knowledge, integrate it, and make it available to you. “The word Maven comes from the Yiddish and it means one who accumulates knowledge,” explains Gladwell. They don't collect all that knowledge just for themselves. They do it for the benefit of anyone who will listen. You may not be willing to spend the time grooming through months and months worth of magazines, newspapers, and books to find the knowledge you need. And why should you. A maven has done it for you. A maven's opinion is independent, resourceful, and reliable.

Salepeople. Good ones. Gladwell calls them “Persuaders.” They draw us in no matter what field they work in. Gladwell explains, “Part of what it means to have a powerful or persuasive personality, then, is that you can draw others into your own rhythms and dictate the terms of the interaction.”

Stickiness Factor

Even with Connectors, Mavens, and Persuaders involved, an epidemic may not start if it is not sticky. It has to have some type of glue to it that helps it stay front and center for people. This sticky factor doesn't have to be big. In one example, merely adding a map was enough. The map didn't provide new information, but it was enough. Somehow this little bit of information is enough to forge a connection that encourages action. It helps the epidemic stick in people's minds.  (Look for a summary of Made to Stick coming soon!)

The Power of Context

Consciously or unconsciously, people sense innumerable details about their environment. The right people and the right idea put in the wrong place won't work. Context is critical. One surprising example: broken windows. If broken windows and graffiti increase in a neighborhood, crime increases with it. Clean up the windows and graffiti, crime goes down. Visible leadership in a community positively affects teenage pregnancy rates. These connections are not obvious, but they make sense. People sense their environment and behave accordingly. This is one of the most amazing insights about change!

The Power of Context implies more complex cause and effect relationships than we have presumed up until now. It opens up opportunities.

Want to make a difference? Observe more than the challenge itself. What is the context of the challenge?