The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
Brent Jones
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell: The subtitle is really what the book is about.
Most events start with little things, and then, a step at a time, a point is reached when an enormous consequence follows. All the little things over time caused the tipping end, and the change was significant and even a surprise. When the change comes, it is referred to as the moment of critical mass, the threshold, and the boiling point.
The question is how to identify when that point will be reached? Gladwell says that the three components of the Tipping Point, or three agents of change, are “The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and The Power of Context.”
"The Law of the Few" is the 80/20 principle where 20% of the people involved in a project will bring about 80% of the results. Gladwell says that the key is in understanding the skill sets of the 20% and if enough individuals with the needed skill set are working on the project.
“The Stickiness Factor” has to do with the project’s message. What is it about a message that will make it memorable? Sesame Street and Blue’s Clues use repetition in their characters, resulting in an enhancement of retention.
“The Power of Context,” Gladwell says, has to do with influences on human behavior and the changes as one moves from birth through adulthood. Age, genetics, thoughts, and feelings reveal attitudes and values.
The Tipping Point looks for those times when an idea, trend, or social behavior spreads like wildfire. It is the boiling point when ideas take off. Gladwell takes this phenomenon and shows how he thinks it changes people’s feelings about change.
Is Covid 19 and the Pandemic a Tipping Point? Time will tell, but some examples are already evident. Small businesses are predicted to see at least a 20% reduction as many go broke. In the restraint category, some have expected that 85% of the independent restaurants will go broke, and some but not all of that business may move to the chains.
In many trade categories, it seems clear that the survivors will be the financially strong businesses; some are just anticipating their competitors to fold and to be able to assume their market share. This may push prices up. Debt for all business sectors will be dramatically increased, and the previously expected expansion of automation may be severely slowed down.
Malcolm Gladwell of COVID-19: If I had to identify the best thing that could come out of this, it would be a resurgence in the profile and importance of the public health community.*
“There is a simple way to package information that can make it irresistible under the right circumstances. All you have to do is find it.”
“Look at the world around you. It may seem like an immovable, implacable place. It is not; it can be tipped with the slightest push — in just the right place .”
“The idea that epidemics can rise or fall in one dramatic moment — is the most important because it is the principle that… permits the greatest insight into why modern change happens the way it does.”
“When it comes to epidemics, though, this dis proportionality becomes even more extreme; a tiny percentage of people do the majority of the work.”
“To create one contagious movement, you often have to create many small movements first.”