“This initiative is an example of ‘positive deviance,’ an approach to behavioral and social change. Instead of imposing solutions from without, the method identifies outliers in a community who, despite having no special advantages, are doing exceptionally well. By respecting local ingenuity, proponents say, the approach galvanizes community members and is often more effective and sustainable than imported blueprints.

“Unlike a lab experiment or ‘best practices’ transferred from elsewhere, the strategies have already been shown to work in context. As it takes root, positive deviance could instill a new way of looking at hard problems.

“Often, the positive deviants are unaware of the benefits of their habits, and are, in fact, ashamed of them because they violate cultural norms. The approach also works best, ironically, with the most formidable problems, perhaps after other solutions have failed, because the community must be highly motivated to solve the problem.

“In places known for their rigid pecking orders, these interventions often disrupt long-established dynamics. The efficacy of positive deviance…is ‘related to the issue of ownership. The solutions tend to last longer because it’s just human nature that we don’t turn our backs on what we create.’

“At bottom, positive deviance amounts to simple common sense. But that may be what’s most revelatory about it. Instead of throwing money at a problem or devising grand solutions, it urges us to look a little more closely at what’s already happening.” – from “The Power of Positive Deviants,” by Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow, Boston.com, November 29, 2009