ABSTRACT
This chapter argues the importance of innovation sourced from internal instances of positive deviance – particularly those serendipitous moments that bring joy, generate delight, and exceed expectation; that is, moments of brilliance. This follows a need to redress the seeming preoccupation with innovation sourced from elsewhere – be it a different organisation, a different sector, or a different department within the same organisation. Innovation sourced from elsewhere is often born from a disconnected and disciplined domain; furthermore, reliance on such innovation can suggest there is little to learn from serendipitous experiences within an organisation that occur in an unmanaged or undisciplined way. This can have several implications. As such, this chapter makes a case for internally conceived, undisciplined innovation – specifically, positive deviance. By drawing on exemplars, this case is grounded in healthcare. This is because: first, this sector is relevant to us all, as (potential) patients or carers; and second, understanding how to promote and sustain innovation in this complex and contested sector is likely to have relevance to other sectors. This chapter has important implications for scholars, managers, and their personnel, as well as consumers. For scholars, there is considerable opportunity to clarify the relationship between positive deviance and innovation – conceptually, theoretically, methodologically, and empirically. For managers and their personnel, this chapter provokes questions about how to involve colleagues and consumers in positive deviance and relatedly, innovation; furthermore, the chapter points to the potential value of an authorising environment, leaderfulness, as well as ‘discipline of noticing’. Finally, this chapter invites consumers to ask how they too can demonstrate their leaderful and positively deviant capacities. Consumers are encouraged to connect with organisations, problematise the oft-cited calls for consumer engagement and consumer participation, and raise the profile of the moments they deem to be brilliant.
