Positive Deviance (PD) is based on the observation that in every community there are certain individuals or groups whose uncommon behaviors and strategies enable them to find better solutions to problems than their peers, while having access to the same resources and facing similar or worse challenges.
The Positive Deviance approach is an asset-based, problem-solving, and community-driven approach that enables the community to discover these successful behaviors and strategies and develop a plan of action to promote their adoption by all concerned. Learn more →
Promoting social change from the inside out, leveraging local wisdom for global impact
The Positive Deviance Collaborative seeks to provide resources for those seeking to use the PD approach for both programmatic and research purposes, with access to PD practitioners, and periodic update on PD materials and guides, current projects, and publications. We seek to create a forum for PD practitioners of all levels (beginners to seasoned pros) to exchange ideas, experiences, and resources and deepen the sense of community and dedication among the expanding PD community of practitioners, students, researchers, critics and interested members of the public. See the PD approach in action →
30
years
65
countries
30,820,000
lives impacted
The successful application of the PD approach has been documented in more than 41 countries in nutrition and a variety of other sectors from public health to education to business. If you would like to use the PD approach in your community or organization, please see the resources in How to Get Started →
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