The Tipping Point in India and Globally

Contrary to some Behavioural Scientists, I've always quite liked the PopEconomics and PopPsychology of the wider reading and learning material within our field.

For sure, many pieces don't have a p-value but unlike some academic papers ... they are often wonderfully written!

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell was such a book for me. For years working in persuasion and influence, WOM or word of mouth, was a mystery too many. That was until Gladwell started to deconstruct and codify how people phenomena has the power to create social epidemics within our cultures.

I was struck by one particular chapter of the book in my time in India recently as I attended the Businesses that Behave Summit in Bangalore. The Summit brought together in one room, all of the kind folks in India that could make the world's largest population and country - the number one market for behavioural science.

In Chapter Two of The Tipping Point, The Law of the Few, Gladwell observes that for any social epidemic there are three types of actors - The Connectors, The Mavens and The Salesmen.

The Connectors

To bring together such an experienced, passionate, diverse group of people takes real determination and skill. Gladwell writes "Sprinkled among every walk of life, in other words, are a handful of people with a truly extraordinary knack of making friends and acquaintances. They are Connectors."

Globally and in India, this is Prakash Sharma, Co-Founder of 1001 Stories.

The Mavens

We were blessed in the room that day, as we had two of the most revered behavioural scientists from India, who have double handedly led the field within the country and now lead globally. Bringing together both academic and applied knowledge is essential for our field to grow and these two leaders, and maybe as a result of once working together earlier in their careers, they do so with authority and grace.

Gladwell elegantly wrote "To be a Maven is to be a teacher. But it is also, even more emphatically, to be a student. Mavens are really information brokers, sharing and trading what they know."

Globally and in India, Dilip Soman, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics at Rotman School of Management, Toronto and Biju Dominic, Chief Evangelist, Fractal Analytics & Chairman, FinalMile Consulting are our go-to Mavens.

The Salesmen

Think of these people less about closing a deal, and more about creating Emotional Contagion around an idea.

Everything is new when you first hear it.

But underneath it often looks like something you've heard or seen before.

We learnt that Design Thinking preceded Behaviour Science and is now an embedded part of innovation thinking. Our field is not entirely unique in its path to scaling.

New things often follow the Diffusion of Innovation Curve. And beware.

We also learnt, that not all innovation can make the leap from Early Adopters to Early Majority market segments.

Be wary of the 'Chasm' that exists between these two stages of market growth and development and good luck to all that can cross it.

Globally and in India, this is Parameswaran Venkataraman, Head - Experience Innovation Lab at Tata Digital, a pioneer in Design Thinking across his career.

As Gladwell intuitively observes "He seems to have some kind of indefinable trait, something powerful and contagious and irresistible that goes beyond what comes out of his mouth, that makes people who meet him want to agree with him. It's energy. It's enthusiasm. It's charm. It's likability." This is Param.

And this is where I think my passion for the next decade of growth for Applied Behavioural Science lies. I thrive in an environment where I can can create Emotional Contagion around our field, effectively Crossing the Chasm to bigger markets, opportunities and flipping The Tipping Point globally.

Summary

Mavens are the data banks : they provide the message.

Connectors are social glue: they spread it.

Salesmen persuade us : they create emotional contagion.