The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Rating:
Summary: Insightful and informative
Review: Very interesting read. I am surprised that although I have seen the book quoted umpteen times, I have not seen its findings touted as much (max 150 number people circle, etc). I think its concenpts could be great for marketing people who could depend on 'connectors', 'mavens' and 'salesperson' concepts to extend the reach of their marketing arm with minimal effort/cost. However, the book introduces a significant knowing-doing gap for the average reader. The reader is left amazed by the insightful knowledge but is also left frustrated not knowing how exactly to apply it.

Rating:
Summary: Gladwell is onto something important...
Review: This is an original and absorbing social thesis. Gladwell has taken a fresh perspective on those elements in society that determine radical change. Why do certain trends like fashion or political opinion, explode in popularity, while others never get off the ground? He proposes that certain ideas or trends act similarly to epidemics, spreading at a fantastic rate, spreading across populations like the bubonic plague or the Aids virus. From Gladwell's analysis, he has pin-pointed three distinct causes for what he has called "The Tipping Point" - three agents of influence, acting individually or collectively, which "tip the scales", so to speak, in the direction of profound change.

These three agents of change include: The Law of the Few - individuals of charm and influence, called Connectors, Mavens and Salesman, who are responsible for that essential ingredient of change, word-of mouth. The second agent is The Stickiness Factor - that one seemingly insignificant point that ensures the idea or trend is memorable, the message sticks in the mind. The third agent of change is The Power of Context - this factor focuses on the importance of environment, how context influences our various behaviours in significant ways.

The compelling example Gladwell uses to illustrate the power of context was the crime rate in New York City during the late eighties and early nineties. Crime was out of control, murders and muggings were reaching all time highs. Then, over a short period of time, the crime rate plummeted radically. Gladwell speculates that the cause for this extreme decline in crime was due to a massive environmental clean up across the city. The New York Transit Authority, for example, embarked on a massive assault on graffiti and fare evasion, and once the trains were graffiti free and fare protocols were put in place, crime in the subways dropped. He attributes this to "the broken window effect", a theory that speculates that environment plays a significant influence on the behaviours of criminals. In other words, the criminal is more inclined to commit crime in a debilitated environment than one that is clean, graffiti free with no broken windows. This may sound a little hard to believe, however, the strategy worked and the crime rate tumbled to all time lows.

The book is strewn with examples and studies supporting his view that the three factors mentioned above, are the catalyst for radical social movement and trends across society.

Gladwell also writes persuasively as his arguments are well researched and suggestive of great insight into the behaviours of society and the specific dynamics that underpin these behaviours. He gives the impression that he's on to something important, that if constructively harnessed, could well provide us with the means to change the negative aspects of our world for the better.






Rating:
Summary: Disappointed. All that hype!
Review: Malcolm Gladwell is a genius... in getting publicity for himself. As a writer for the New Yorker, he must have a lot of pull in the publishing and P.R. circles... in the publishing and P.R. capital of New York. I kind of like that wild hair, but I also see it as part of his publicity schtick. Definitely "brand recognition," there.

After about 75 pages I became bored with his long, long-winded storytelling. And I'm a fan of storytelling, but this was just over the top. A couple of his anecdotes I found interesting, but this is a classic example of a concept that could be expressed in 40 pages and he chose to make it book length.

I found Emanuel Rosenberg's "The Anatomy of Buzz" much more insightful... AND it gave you LOTS of recipes for HOW TO CREATE BUZZ. Gladwell's Tipping Point only told stories, with little translation in to WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU, the reader.

I was disppointed after all that hype. I won't be buying his new book, "Blink," that's for sure. If a friend wants to lend me a copy, I'll leaf through it, but I can't justify the expense... monetary or time.

Rating:
Summary: Highly stimulating read
Review: Malcolm Gladwell investigates the patterns of human behavior and shows how the word-of-mouth works. The introduced term "tipping point" makes this book a precious read for every one trying to understand human behavior, whose basics run as deep as the discovered workings of the universe shown in Eugene Savov's book Theory of Interaction. Little things can trigger chain reactions of self-organization that are indispensable for success.