Book Review The Tipping

Point by Malcolm Gladwell

By
Arka Chatterjee
Pratik Banerjea
Ritwik Ray
Riddhi Kundu
Divya Gorantla
Agenda
Introduction
Objectives of study
Method of study
Summary of the chapters
Theoretical Framework
Learning and Conclusion
Introduction
Tipping point - the one dramatic moment in an epidemic
when everything can change all at once.
The moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling
point
Characteristics: Contagiousness, the fact that little
causes can have big effects and change happens not
gradually but at one dramatic moment.
Examples: Rise in the sales of Hush Puppies and fall in
the rate of crime in New York
Objectives of Study
To understand the phenomenon of a tipping point as
theory
Relate the different aspects of the theory to the concepts
being studied in the course Individual Dynamics and
Leadership
To understand the practical applications of the theory
and what we can do as business managers to spread
positive epidemics

Method of Study
Read and critically analyzed the different
theories of the book
Related the concepts of the book with
concepts studied in IDL
Related the theories to practical aspects of
human behavior

Chapter 1: The Three Rules of Epidemics
Three rules
The law of the few
The stickiness factor
The Power of the context
Explained with the analysis of
the research on spreading of
syphilis in Baltimore in Mid
1990s
Chapter 2: The Law Of The Few
A very select group of people is responsible for the
tipping of almost all social epidemics
Economists call this the
80/20 Principle

Three unique groups of
people are special -
Connectors, Mavens,
and Salesmen
Chapter 2 Cont : Connector, Maven,
Salesman
Chapter 3 The Stickiness Factor
Stickiness factor: The minds of the public
and influence on their future behavior
Example Evolution of how children
watch television: Popularity of the show
Sesame Street
Chapter 4: The Power of Context
The way a person behaves depends on the
circumstances

The small details of the surroundings can be the tipping
point for the epidemic to happen The Broken Window
Theory
Example - Bernie Goetz and
the rise and fall of New York
city crime
Chapter 5: Power of Context continued: The
Magic Number of One Hundred and Fifty
Group influence, the effectiveness of groups with
150 people in them and the concept of
transactive memory.
Concept of Social Channel Capacity
Example - Case of how a book which had a
relatively moderate response at the outset
became a cult all of a sudden
Chapter 6: Case Study - Rumors, Sneakers, And
The Power Of Translation
A study on Airwalk shoes to show how innovators
creates sales tipping points for products
Lambesis, an ad agency hired by Airwalk, played a
crucial role in increasing revenue from 16 million(1993)
to 250 million(1995)
Reference to the diffusion model which studied the
spread of hybrid corn seeds introduced in 1928
The innovation itself should be maintained so that the
innovator and early adopter market always has
something to diffuse to the mainstream market.

Chapter 7:case Study- Suicide, Smoking, And The
Search For Unsticky Cigarette
A study on the high rate of suicides in the
islands of Micronesia in 1980s

Study on the teenage smocking pattern in US.

Relating the law of the few and the stickiness
factor to the analysis of these epidemics.
Theories Framework
Hofstedes Framework to describe the society
In the context of the case of rising rate of
syphilis. The society was not restrained and had
low uncertainty avoidance

The Three component model of creativity
Expertise, Creative Thinking, Intrinsic task
motivation in the context of the popularity of the
TV shows.

Theories Framework cont.
Personality traits and behavior patterns of the Connectors, Mavens
and salesman
Connectors
High emotional intelligence
High on extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional
stability and openness to experience in the big five model
Positive self evaluation
Self monitoring and proactive
On Hollands Typology of Personality and Congruent Occupations,
Connectors would be more suited to occupations involving enterprising
skills followed by social skills
Theories Framework cont.
Mavens -
High on extraversion, agreeableness,
conscientiousness and emotional stability
Proactive personality
Mavens are more suited to occupations that
require investigative skills followed by social skills
Theories Framework cont.
Salesmen
Ability to persuade
High emotional intelligence
Self monitoring and proactive
Positive core self evaluation
A Salesman would be most suited to occupations
which would require high enterprising skills followed
by social skills
Theories Framework cont.
Attribution Theory
The law of power of context can explain
fundamental attribution error while judging
others
More emphasis on internal factors than external
factors while judging others behaviors
Theories Framework cont.
The Social Identity Theory
Perspective that considers when and why individuals
consider themselves members of groups
The book YaYa Sisterhood turned into an epidemic
in San Fransisco. This can be explained by the social
identity theory
Evidence indicates that smaller groups are faster at
completing tasks than larger ones
This leads to the rule of 150 and theory of transactive
memory
Theories Framework cont.
The relevance of shortcut to perceptions and
judgment errors in the advertising of Airwalk shoes and
the case of teen suicides and smoking
Halo Effect
Stereotyping
Selective Perception
Overconfidence bias
Confirmation bias

Learning from the Book
Small things make a big difference:
The world does not always follow or take the path
according to our own intuitions.
Epidemics happen because people have faith in
their beliefs. Though we are influenced by our
surroundings, people, context and personalities
around us, but in the end just a slight push in the
right place at the right time, the world can be tipped.

Questions??