Critical Analysis

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell positions itself strongly as a book which challenges the
traditional and conventional beliefs of how change occurs in society. A social change is usually
viewed as a gradual shift in the behaviour of people which may take years to solidify. But
Gladwell argues that a change occurs not gradually but at one dramatic moment which he calls as
The Tipping Point. He further explains the necessary ingredients for a change to become an
epidemic by introducing the law of few, the stickiness factor, and the power of context. To
support his claims, the author provides vivid examples and historical anecdotes which are quite
convincing. Furthermore, he incites the reader to think “What can we deliberately do to start and
control positive epidemics of our own?” (Gladwell 2000).

The book provides a compelling case for further research on the behaviour of people in different
situations. So, let us examine the factors elaborated by the author, which create a change that tips
and ultimately become an epidemic.

Firstly, the author defines the law of few where a tiny percentage of people are more important
than the others in making a change. They are Connectors who are the kinds of people who know
everyone, Mavens, the ones who accumulate knowledge and Salesmen who have the skills to
persuade people. As the examples in the book explain, these three types of people are able to do
what they do because they have a genuine concern for others. Humility is the factor which drives
them and encourages them to help others in their own ways. This closely resembles the Level 5
leadership coined by Jim Collins and connectors, mavens and salesmen as described by
Gladwell, surely show a potential of becoming a level 5 leader.

Furthermore, the skills of these three types of people are so specific that an organization can
utilize methods to find these people and better position them in jobs where they fit most
appropriately. Usually, people are hired on the maven characteristics of a person, evaluating how
much knowledge a person has and not based on the potential of a person. If an organization finds
a Gladwell’s salesman and give him a sales job, he can just be the one who sells the mission of
the organization to others most effectively.

The author further proceeds with the notion of stickiness factor where a piece of information
under right circumstances becomes irresistible and provides a channel for the message to become
contagious. This can be correlated to the concept of relinquishing the functional fixedness
included in the HBR article “Find Innovation Where You Least Expect It” by Tony McCafferey
and Jim Pearson. Gladwell provides an example of the advertising slogan of a cigarette company.
A simple message “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should” becomes extremely sticky just
by avoiding the functional grammatical rules (‘as’ replaced by ‘like’) and adhering more to what
is spoken colloquially. Similarly, the children’s show Blue’s Clues becomes incredibly sticky to
the kids because it violates the fundamental understanding of how a television show should be
presented. The show’s repetitive and unbelievably slow format would drive adults crazy, but the
same thing becomes a reason for the kids to stick with the show.

The last ingredient of an epidemic, as explained by the author, is the Power of Context. He
defines it as an environmental argument which says that the behaviour of people is a function of
their immediate social environment. We can observe the Power of Context at play in the
negotiations of NASA and Morton Thiokol just before the launch of the Challenger space
shuttle. NASA was adamant in not further delaying the launch even though Morton Thiokol was
not comfortable with the working of a particular part of the space shuttle. NASA’s insistence and
the power of immediate context forced Morton Thiokol to give a go-ahead for the launch which
eventually led to the infamous accident.

In the famous TED talk “Why we think it’s OK to cheat and steal (sometimes)” Dan Ariely
inexplicitly talks about the power of context. He explains people usually cheat till a point where
the cheating does not distort the impression that they have for themselves. He calls it the
personal fudge factor. He further elaborates that this personal fudge factor changes with the
change in situation where a person cheat. For example, people are observed to speak truth when
they take an oath on a Bible. People are also observed to cheat more in an exam when they know
they can get away without anyone taking a notice. The instances of power of context is all
around us and Gladwell explains them very effectively and pose them as one of the factors which
creates an epidemic.

All in all, The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is extremely encaptivating. The exquisite
story telling technique of the author makes a reader constantly turn the pages of the book.
Moreover, the book has a very structured content which makes it incredibly easy to understand
which sticks in the mind of the reader. The usage of the examples is vivid and perfectly imitate
the concepts included in the book. The book itself is something which it talks about in the
content: An epidemic. No wonder The Guardian included it in the list of 100 Best Books of the
21st Century.

References:
Harvard Business Review: Level 5 Leadership by Jim Collins

Harvard Business Review: Find Innovation Where You Least Expect It by Tony McCaffrey and
Jim Pearson

Harvard Business Review: Group Process in the Challenger Launch Decision (A) by Amy C.
Edmonds

TED talk: Why we think it’s OK to cheat and steal (sometimes) by Dan Ariely

Slides
Critical Analysis

 Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen: Potential for Level 5 Leadership

 Can organizations hire Connectors, Mavens and Salesmen for better positioning of jobs
 Find Innovation where you least expect it: “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should”
and Blue’s Clues
 Failure of Challenger shuttle: The Power of Context
 Change in the personal fudge factor of cheating with the change in the situation
 Book is extremely encaptivating. Exquisite storytelling and usage of vivid examples
 The Tipping Point is exactly what it talks about: An Epidemic