How might we inspire behavioral change through local inspiration?
Inspired by the excerpts appearing in ‘Switch: How to change things when change is hard’ by Chip Heath and Dan Heath.
In 1990, Jerry Sternin was sent to fight malnutrition. The country had partnered with Save the Children to address the problem. But when he arrived, the welcome was rather cold and he was given only “six months to make a difference”.
From his readings, Sternin had gathered that malnutrition was a result of intertwined problems (sanitation, poverty, and accessibility of resources). What could he do with little time in hand and no monetary support? Sternin needed inspiration and he decided to turn toward village communities for it. He traveled to meet groups of local mothers. They weighed the children in different villages and analyzed the results.
Sternin asked them, “Did you find very, very poor kids who are bigger and healthier than the typical child?” The answer was astonishing, “Yes”. He then decided to visit these families to understand what they were doing right. If some kids were healthy despite their conditions, that meant malnourishment was not inevitable. These children were the bright spots of the community- successful efforts worth emulating.
The method Sternin adopted is called ‘Positive Deviance’. It explains that in every community there are some members following unconventional but successful strategies that better address the problems than their peers, even though the conditions are the same for all. So Sternin visited regular homes and identified the norms. He then visited the homes of the bright-spot kids and observed them. These children were eating four meals a day in comparison to two meals. They were also hand-fed by their parents contrary to eating from communal bowls. Moreover, the bright-spot mothers were adding shrimps, crabs, and sweet potato greens to their children’s rice which added protein to their diet. From his experience, Sternin concluded that “Knowledge does not change behavior”. A new way of thinking has to be propagated and the change has to be their change; local wisdom.
Why was local inspiration Sternin’s best bet?
Collective Intelligence:
A community knows it’s resources best and it is difficult for an alien to understand the law of the land as well as they do. The solutions are thought by the people, for the people. It comes from them, for them.
Inspired Confidence:
Since the solution was native and came from the community members, it fostered a shared meaning and confidence. A community was now certain of feeding their children right and saving future generations from malnourishment.
Ensured Longevity:
The changes made in the diet were local in nature as opposed to being exotic. The shrimps and crabs were found in their rice paddies and all they did was mix it in their children’s diet. No additional effort went into procurement and it solves the problem of “not invented here”. This meant that the process was sustainable and could be maintained for a long period of time.
Sternin along with a small team of believers worked round the clock for six months. And that is all he had to make a change. That, and deep faith in the power of bright spots!
