Most organizations operate within familiar patterns: standard practices, accepted trade-offs, and common explanations for success and failure. Yet, in nearly every business ecosystem, a small number of actors consistently achieve better outcomes — not by having more resources, but by working differently.

Positive deviance refers to these uncommon practices that emerge under the same constraints as everyone else. In my research, I examine how certain SME businesses deviate from dominant agreement patterns in ways that build regenerative capacity: stronger relationships, clearer decisions, and healthier long-term outcomes for both the firm and its ecosystem.

Rather than asking what should be done, positive deviance asks a more precise question:
Which practices already work — and why do they remain the exception?

You’ll see early concepts, field observations, and evolving interpretations behind this line of inquiry.