Book 22: The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

                            The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a nonfiction business read that explores how and why some ideas take root and spread like epidemics. According to the author definition, the tipping point “is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire”. Gladwell’s book offers thought-provoking insight into what causes an idea to spread, because change has occurred in one or more of three areas he identifies as the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context.

               The Law of the Few suggests that an idea (or behavior) spreads due to the influence of specific personalities championing them, whether intentionally or unintentionally. These are social, networked people who hold influence, those respected people containing a wealth of knowledge, and the champions of ideas or products (salesmen, whether in personality or by trade).

               The Stickiness Factor is the thing that makes certain ideas make it through the message overload. Gladwell examines the efforts of children’s TV shows ‘Sesame Street’ and ‘Blue’s Clues’, among other examples, to show how sometimes it is simply finding a way to make your idea relevant and discernible through the noise (for example, highlighting the location of the infirmary to encourage Yale students to get their shots).

               The Power of Context implies that by altering the context, one can alter the result. A prime example is that decline of crime in New York after officials attempted the broken-windows theory, where they cleaned the subways of graffiti and shattered glass, which decreased the law-breakers in the subway. The simple alteration of the environment encouraged a new standard. The same happened when a police chief increased security in the tunnels, thus cutting down on fare-beating. Gladwell suggests that in order to create large fads, we must first create a series of smaller ones.

               Gladwell further introduces and familiarizes readers with the personalities that contribute to and spread new ideas, and offers relevant examples by discussing how both good and bad ideas spread, from fashion to suicide to (in the afterword) school shooting.

               There are so many interesting stories, examples, and insights in this book it is hard to summarize. Suffice to say, The Tipping Point served to successfully alter how I think about “selling” ideas or products. A well-written, enlightening read for anyone seeking to inspire change, encourage sales, or influence others. A little bit of information overload, but no time wasted.