Positive Deviant Organisations

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, organisations can benefit from continuously innovating and adapting to stay competitive. Gary Hamel, a renowned management thinker, believes that to discover radically better ways of operating, organisations might choose to look beyond tghe same-same of conventional best practices and examine “positive deviants” – the outliers who succeed against the odds.

As Hamel states, “How do you discover radically better ways of leading, organizing and managing? The short answer: You look far beyond the boundaries of today’s “best practice.” You look someplace weird, someplace unexpected. To glimpse the future of organisations, search out the “positive deviants,” organizations and social systems that defy the norms of conventional practice.”

Positive deviant organisations thrive by bucking industry trends and norms. And by founding their principles and practices in radically different collectiove assumptions and beliefs They develop unique practices, processes and cultures that allow them to achieve exceptional results. Studying how these maverick organisations operate can provide valuable insights for leaders looking to foster innovation.

A great dissection of positive deviant organisations is detailed in my book “Quintessence: An Acme for Highly Effective Organisations“. The book examines innovative companies like MorningStar, which has developed a radically transparent and idea-meritocratic culture. MorningStar’s unique principles and practices have allowed it to consistently outperform the market.

As “Quintessence” demonstrates, positive deviant organisations like MorningStar offer a window into the future of management. By analysing how these outliers succeed, organisations can get inspiration for how to better lead, organise and manage their own teams and organisations. The lessons from positive deviants can spark new ideas and changes in foundational assumptions and beliefs, tailored to an organisation’s specific context and goals.

In today’s accelerated business landscape, the best practices of the past will no longer be sufficient. To build great organisations of the future, leaders might choose to seek wisdom from the positive deviants – the pioneers charting new paths beyond the status quo. Studying these radical outliers can unlock innovative strategies for how to structure, manage and lead in radically better ways.

Further Reading

Pascale, R. T., Sternin, J., & Sternin, M. (2010). The power of positive deviance: How unlikely innovators solve the world’s toughest problems. Harvard Business Press.