Gladwell - Revenge of the Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell set out to reprieve the first of his several books when a "refresh" clearly became a much bigger task and possibility. The result is Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering (2024), written 25 years after the original Tipping Point. The first Tipping Point explored how the Law of the Few, the Power of Context, and the Stickiness Factor created social contagion. The new tipping point looks at social epidemics and the role of people who know where, when, and how to exert power to create the change they want. While I am most interested in how positive trends can be fostered, understanding how some of the negative trends of the past and present were possible is also important.

The first assertion of the revenge of the tipping point is that social epidemics are fired by a sometimes very small number of people who have very significant power and influence. Analyses of the COVID-19 pandemic focused on "index" cases, which are the people who got the virus started. Of course, there were multiple theories as COVID began to spread - where did it come from and by what means did it spread? Gladwell's analyses indicated that, regardless if you believe the virus came from a lab in China or elsewhere, it clearly spread from aspiration. The degree to which one individual infects others is based on how much their breath spreads the tiny particles that carry the virus. High saturation of the virus is prevalent in thick saliva, which is common among those who are dehydrated. Where is dehydration most common - among those who are overweight and older. These individuals were found to be the most likely superspreaders of the COVID-19 pandemic and they had the worst consequences when they got it. Social epidemics do not require dense aspiration particles but rely on superspreaders with oversized impact on public perception and opinion.

Gladwell's second assertion is derived from research conducted by Rosabeth Moss Kanter on workplace "belonging." She found that boundary breakers by race, sex, and other differences aren't given space to be themselves until there is a critical mass of their same identity. The changeover from hostile to welcoming environment occurs when the "magic third" is achieved, which is also a point at which the majority begins to notice their presence. The "revenge of the turning point" is that moment when the possibility or actuality of who is present is recognized.

Noticing the possibility of African Americans moving into the neighborhood during mid-20th century was what drove suburban "white flight." The emergence of the magic third threshold can be the result of accident or intention and realtors sought to make sure neither was possible. Recognizing the possibility that African Americans were coming to the suburbs, realtors and loan officers conspired through red-lining to protect white households from shifting proportions on their blocks. Prevention of white flight through red-lining was a form of social engineering to avoid a potential tipping point. The Harvard affirmative action case challenged its social engineering of enrollment. The case revealed that sports-inclined privileged white students, as well as alumni legacies, were favored over Asian students who would otherwise have out-qualified them. If the enrollment tipped, Asian students might have achieved the magic third feared by administrators.

The third assertion of Revenge of the Tipping Point is about the stories we hear and tell. Gladwell refers to Zeitgeist, a perception of current circumstances that can be rewritten or reimagined, in ways that change the way people behave. The first example Gladwell used to demonstrate this point is the introduction in the 1950s of the term Holocaust as the term for Nazi genocide and the second is the role the TV hit "Will and Grace" played in normalizing gay relationships. In both of these examples, the public consciousness and beliefs changed as a result of restorying. The public tipped with "The Holocaust" becoming the common term and laws recognizing gay marriage embraced.

As Gladwell says, "Overstories matter. You can create them. They can spread. They are powerful. And they can endure for decades" (p. 282). An integrative and sad example Gladwell used to combine the importance of superspreaders, group proportions, and overstories was the OxyContin epidemic. What was initially perceived to be an almost magical remedy to pain turned into over prescriptions by complicit physicians, perverse marketing strategies recommended by McKinsey consulting, and a strategy to restory OxyContin's risks. Gladwell said, "The opioid crisis unfolded in three acts" (p. 294) - the manufacturer avoided states that had tracking mechanisms, a diabolic scheme for marketing focused on physicians who were prone to abuse, and the public stumbled ahead in its pursuit of pain relief that ended in addiction for many.

Superspreaders, proportionality, and restorying can be employed for both negative and positive purposes. Knowing the potential power of the three ideas can help to protect against abuses as well as provide useful concepts for those striving to exercise leadership to bring about positive change.

Activism and leadership

Activism is rising and how to get involved is an individual choice, particularly since there are so many ways to express your views and stand up for what you believe in. I joined 100+ residents of the Chicago North Shore who were part of the U.S. Tesla Takedown demonstrations that took place across the country at Tesla dealerships. I learned about the protests through Indivisible Chicago, one of many local groups organizing protests, boycotts, and other initiatives to push back on Trump's chaos. So there is no question, violence and property destruction were not advocated to the slightest degree and I would not have considered participation if any was implied.

I wanted to do something but didn't know where to start and how to get connected. What I learned was that it was easy, networks exist for those who are concerned about where the U.S. is headed, and it feels great to find other people who are concerned as well. Flatly stated - it restored hope that the Trump Project 2025 implementation is not unstoppable. Trump will become unstoppable only if citizens don't step up.

What did it feel like to go to a random spot where I might not know anyone else or not know how to plug in? I arrived a few minutes early and saw individuals and small groups milling around the Tesla dealership, sizing things up for what was to come. The police showed up a few minutes before the start time and simply sat in their cars, awaiting what would come. People then started converging from everywhere, some carrying signs, others just showing up. We assembled on the public property in front of the dealership and the police came around to tell us where we needed to stay to not violation private property rights of the Tesla dealership. Protestors with signs lined up on both sides of the roadway, striking a chord with a cheer every few minutes. I started asking questions of people around me and got into numerous informative conversations as I became more comfortable sharing my concerns. Although I was there to protest an unelected billionaire's takeover of the U.S. government, I am deeply concerned about attacks on higher education and I am concerned about the peoples of Ukraine and Gaza having a chance to live as I do - secure safe, and prosperous.

I met a number of really fun and interesting people, two of them I knew from previous events. We introduced each other to continue expanding our networks and we talked about the things that concern us most. The encouragement of passersby who honked their horns in approval bolstered the positive feeling of being there for everyone. When I left, I made sure to thank the policeman as I walked by - expressing appreciation for their protection of our civil rights. There is no doubt that I will continue to watch for opportunities to speak up and I hope many more will join in the days to come.

Perez - Dear White Leader

A great new friend and colleague, Luis, recommended I read Dr. Joel Perez' Dear White Leader: How to Achieve Organizational Excellence through Cultural Humility (2024). I was immediately attracted to Perez' book when he recounted being drawn into consulting from experiences he had as an undergraduate student leader.

Dear White Leader... is very straight-forward, including examples, stories, and "taking action" recommendations at the end of each chapter. The primary assertions of the book are that two attitudes are essential for exceptional leadership to unfold - humility and curiosity.

Perez clearly defines his terms and elements related to them throughout the book. He starts by identifying three components of humility: 1) a commitment to self-awareness and self-critique; 2) redressing power imbalances; and 3) changing the systems of organizations and communities to be more inclusive. These three are then incorporated into the internal, external, and systemic work required for exceptional leadership (Figure 1, p. 15). One of the keys to cultural humility is suspending judgement or checking oneself from jumping to conclusions about others. Cultural humility includes affirming one's one values and beliefs while at the same time remaining open to those of others, thus not suggesting that either change the core of who they are. This attitude is essentially curiosity - openness to explore without judgement.

Cultural competence is defined as "the acquisition and maintenance of culture-specific skills" (p. 38) which is acquired through the four attributes of self-awareness, attitude, knowledge, and cross-cultural skills. Humility in these four attributes is reflected in adopting a growth mindset, curiosity, and listening deeply. And this kind of cultural competence, especially for cultures that are new or very different from one's own, is significantly improved by finding a cultural coach or mentor to help navigate the differences we encounter.

Beginning with the attributes of self-awareness and self-critique, Perez explained different types of bias that can get in the way of cultural understanding. They included unconscious or implicit bias, confirmation bias, and affinity bias, which progressively diminish in the developmental sequence of denial, polarization, minimization, acceptance, and adaptation. Privilege, or lack thereof, can impact an individuals' journey toward cultural understanding because those with privilege are often unaware of, or do not recognize, the power they hold versus those who have little power and are all too painfully aware of how they are discredited and disregarded. Perez recommends that becoming comfortable with uncertainty of cultural difference involves cultivating the eight practices of noticing, breathing, moving, sleeping, laughing, wondering, experimenting, and loving.

Ultimately, diverse cultural environments require the awareness of, and willingness to address, power imbalances among the individuals and within the groups where exceptional leadership is desired. Power differences are reflected in who is heard, valued, and matters and the question is if equality or equity is the objective."Equality is when a person or group of people are provided with the same resources or opportunities that everyone has. Equity is recognition that each person has different circumstances and is given specific resources and opportunities to get to an equal outcome" (p. 92).

Perez identified four dimensions of diversity that foster organizational inclusion and belonging. They are "organizational vitality and viability, recruitment and engagement, training and development, and organization climate and intergroup relations" (p. 105). To improve these conditions, exceptional leaders will be most effective when they concentrate on the middle 2/3rds of their members who comprise the middle to late adopters. The early adopters are already on board and the laggards will seldom, if ever, join in. Those in the middle can be encouraged to come along by applying what all musicians in an ensemble inherently understand - outstanding performance comes from working with and nurturing each other and striving to be better TOGETHER.