Discussion post due 6/3/18 by 6 pm
yjwest1224
TippingPoint.pdf
3/19/15
1
T H E T I P P I N G P O I N T : H O W L I T T L E T H I N G S C A N M A K E A B I G D I F F E R E N C E
B Y M A L C O L M G L A D W E L L
M I M I J E N K O , D N P , R N , C H P N , P H M C N S - B C
The Tipping Point
MALCOLM GLADWELL
The Tipping Point
Emergence of fashion trends Ebb and flow of crime waves Rise of teenage smoking Transformation of unknown books into bestsellers
EPIDEMICS IN ACTION
3/19/15
2
Basic underlying pattern
Clear examples of contagious behavior Little changes have big effects (incremental changes) Change happens in one dramatic moment
The name given to the one dramatic moment in an epidemic when everything can change all at one is the Tipping Point
Personal Phone Calls
Personal Phone Calls
3/19/15
3
The Tipping Point
The moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point
The world of the Tipping Point is a place where:
¡ The unexpected becomes the expected ¡ Radical change is more than a possibility
Three Rules of Epidemics
The Law of the Few
The Stickiness Factor
The Power of Context
The Law of the Few
A social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts:
Connectors Mavens Salesmen
3/19/15
4
The Law of the Few
A social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts
Connectors
¡ People with a special gift for bringing the world together ¡ People who have an instinctive and natural gift for making
social connections (friends and acquaintances) ¡ People who provide access to opportunities and worlds to
which we do not belong
The Law of the Few
The Law of the Few
3/19/15
5
The Law of the Few
A social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts
Mavens (a Yiddish term)
¡ People who actively accumulate knowledge and share information with others
¡ People who know things others do not (read more newpapers, listen to the news on the radio/TV, read journals, attend conferences)
¡ People who are teachers, who educate and help others
The Law of the Few
A social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts
Salesmen
¡ People who have the skills to convince when we are unconvinced
¡ People who are filled with energy, enthusiasm, charm, and likability
¡ People who use subtle and nonverbal cues (how things are said, which may matter more than what is said)
The Law of the Few
A social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts
The Nature of the Messenger
3/19/15
6
Three Rules of Epidemics
The Law of the Few
The Stickiness Factor
The Power of Context
The Stickiness Factor
Find a simple way to package information
Under the right circumstance- it becomes irresistible
Joan Ganz Cooney- late 1960s ¡ Wanted to created a TV program for preschool children ¡ Wanted to start a learning epidemic to counter poverty and
illiteracy ¡ Engaged the creative minds of the time: educators, child
psychologists, creators of TV commercials ¡ Unable to make the show memorable – no ‘stickiness’
The Stickiness Factor
3/19/15
7
The Stickiness Factor: 1984 Wendy’s ad
Three Rules of Epidemics
The Law of the Few
The Stickiness Factor
The Power of Context
The Power of Context
Epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur
Epidemics can be reversed or tipped by tinkering
with the smallest details of the immediate environment
3/19/15
8
The Power of Context: actions are guided by the immediate context
The Power of Context: groups play a critical role in social epidemics
The Power of Context: groups play a critical role in social epidemics
To fundamentally change people’s belief and behavior: ¡ Create a community around them
¡ A place where new beliefs can be practices, expressed, nurtured
book club, journal club, study group,
self-help group, advocacy group
3/19/15
9
The Power of Context: groups play a critical role in social epidemics
The Tipping Point
The Tipping Point- Closing Thoughts
Starting social epidemics requires concentrating resources in a few key areas.
Law of the Few: use Connectors, Mavens, and
Salesmen The Stickiness Factor: Believe that change is
possible; test intuitions to find what sticks The Power of Context: Acknowledge human
behavior- we are powerfully influenced by our surroundings, our immediate context, and the personalities around us
3/19/15
10
The Tipping Point
“Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not. With the slightest push- in just the right place- it can be tipped” (Gladwell, 2002, p. 259).
