Think out of the box, color outside the lines, off the beaten track, be creative, divergent thinking, free thinking, be unconventional, and many more terms describe people who pursue untested options. A colleague, mentor and friend introduced me to the term, positive deviant, which describes much I have done. Thanks Milan Heninger.
A positive deviant sees an opportunity for improvement (OFI) and tries it out. The OFI might be as simple as extra housekeeping because you have time, or more complicated such as rethinking an entire process to increase production or output. Because it is a deviation from the norm, there probably will be push back, attempting to keep everyone normalized.
Management often judges positive deviants equal to negative deviants, both are radicals acting outside the prescribed parameters. Negative deviants are a drag the on team, slowing progress. Positive deviants continue to seek OFI and prove successes. Others join and the entire team moves up a notch. Negative deviants will join the progress or leave the team.
This improves the product and the team. More positive deviants will emerge and drive continuous improvement. Positive deviants are leaders and should be sought for management positions.
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Larry James
Manager: Knowledge and Training
Enel Green Power North America
Reno NV
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