Better Late than Never

By Mario A. Dozal

Remember when as little kids (back before the age of school curriculums being focused solely on teaching to take a standardized test) our classes would have days where we would be given pieces of construction paper, glue, crayons, and all and we were told to make anything we wanted to? We could choose to make something that others would find joy in, such picture frames for our families; or we could choose to make things that would get us into trouble like multi-colored paper airplanes. (I am guilty of both but the latter much more than the former.) However even if it what we made was useless and would get us into trouble, we were never discouraged from doing so. Instead, our teachers would follow up on our interests and use them to continue to teach us something like how the bending the wings of the paper airplane would affect the plane’s flight path and why that occured.

            Welcome to the Spring 2011 Seminar in Positive Deviance Communication course. We’re not making paper airplanes or picture frames (but we might because that’s how unpredictable positive deviants roll) however much like in those days where we were given the materials and told to do what we wanted, we’ve been given the option of choosing what we want to learn about and how much we want to take away from Positive Deviance. We each disclosed our interests in the subject and now the task falls onto all of us to work together to learn from and teach each other those things that we are interested in. For some of us the interest is in integrating positive deviance into our organizations so that group efficiency increases and even the newest member has as strong of a voice as the highest ranking or longest serving member; while others of us want to know how we can use the PD approach in our everyday interactions with family, friends, and coworkers. Ultimately, the keys to the car have been given to us, we’ve got a full tank of gas, and whatever PD tourist destinations we decide to stop at along the way are completely up to us. As Dr. Singhal would say, let’s “get our money’s worth,” and make the most out of this opportunity.