Maybe there are a few oddballs doing something right. And maybe they can point the way for the rest of us.

In facing a tough social challenge positive deviance tells us to look for any outliers who may be like everyone else but who found a solution through their successful behavior. The Positive Deviance Collaborative defines these positive deviants as “individuals, groups, or entities who are the least likely to prevent or overcome a widely shared problem but are successful despite facing the same or worse challenges and barriers. They have access to the same or fewer resources than other colleagues, peers, or entities.”