Inspiring Change and Saving Lives: The Positive Deviance Way

At Billings Clinic in Billings Montana, healthcare associated infections plunged when all members of the organization - nurses, physicians, housekeepers, food servers, therapists, and executives - joined a collaborative effort that allowed each person to contribute to the cause of saving lives and preventing suffering. The initiative was based on Positive Deviance, the organizational and behavioral change strategy that enables communities to discover and amplify the things that are already working and devise new solutions tailored to their own specific work environments. In the process, they improved patient safety, developed healthy human networks that increased cooperation, enhanced harmonious workplace relationships and inspired continual commitment to a culture of high quality care.