Product Description

'The tipping point' is that magic moment when an idea, trend or social phenomenon crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a sick individual in a crowded shop can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend or a new restaurant to take off overnight - or a dramatic reduction in crime, as happened in New York after graffiti was removed from subway trains.

Malcolm Gladwell brilliantly shows how easy it is to cause group behaviour to tip by making small changes in our immediate environment - a profoundly hopeful idea that demonstrates how one imaginative person, applying a well-placed lever, can move the world. This is a book which should be read by everyone in business, politics, marketing, advertising and anyone interested in trends, fashion, fads and human behaviour. That is, all of us.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86426 in Books
• Published on: 2002-01-07
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
"The best way to understand the dramatic transformation of unknown books into bestsellers, or the rise of teenage smoking, or the phenomena of word of mouth or any number of the other mysterious changes that mark everyday life," writes Malcolm Gladwell, "is to think of them as epidemics. Ideas and products and messages and behaviours spread just like viruses do." Although anyone familiar with the theory of mimetics will recognise this concept, Gladwell's The Tipping Point has quite a few interesting twists on the subject.

For example, Paul Revere was able to galvanise the forces of resistance so effectively in part because he was what Gladwell calls a "Connector": he knew just about everybody, particularly the revolutionary leaders in each of the towns that he rode through. But Revere "wasn't just the man with the biggest Rolodex in colonial Boston", he was also a "Maven" who gathered extensive information about the British. He knew what was going on and he knew exactly whom to tell. The phenomenon continues to this day--think of how often you've received information in an e-mail message that had been forwarded at least half a dozen times before reaching you.

Gladwell develops these and other concepts (such as the "stickiness" of ideas or the effect of population size on information dispersal) through simple, clear explanations and entertainingly illustrative anecdotes, such as comparing the pedagogical methods of Sesame Street and Blue's Clues, or explaining why it would be even easier to play Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon with the actor Rod Steiger. Although some readers may find the transitional passages between chapters hold their hands a little too tightly, and Gladwell's closing invocation of the possibilities of social engineering sketchy, even chilling, The Tipping Point is one of the most effective books on science for a general audience in ages. It seems inevitable that "tipping point", like "future shock" or "chaos theory," will soon become one of those ideas that everybody knows--or at least knows by name. --Ron Hogan

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS
'Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power.'

From the Publisher
CRITICS AGREE "THE TIPPING POINT" SHOULD TIP!
'The point of this book is to try to analyse the seemingly magical processes by which some products, ideas and ways of behaving cross a threshold or "tip" and take off -- and, conversely, why so many more fail. The subject should be of interest to most of us -- we all have products, messages or causes, after all, that we want to see advanced. But it is here much enlivened by the sort of easy, vivid illustrations which are fast making Malcolm Gladwell something of a journalistic star ... THE TIPPING POINT provides some profoundly suggestive arguments and insights. Its account of the pivotal role that identifiable individuals play in the spread of ideas, information and trends is, in particular, fascinating. It is also heartening: individual men and women can, it turns out, really make a difference' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

'Hip and hopeful, THE TIPPING POINT is like the idea it describes: concise, elegant but packed with social power. A book for anyone who cares about how society works and how we can make it better' GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS

'You might be forgiven for supposing that the processes involved [in tipping points] are so complex as to defy analysis. Yet by applying a few simple principles, Gladwell seems able to dismantle them. What's even more impressive is the way this staff writer for the NEW YORKER then lays out the parts and labels them in a language that is entirely accessible to the ordinary reader' TIMES EDUCATIONAL SUPPLEMENT

'Gladwell soon fascinates the reader ... THE TIPPING POINT is full of interesting stuff ... Gladwell is intelligent, articulate, well-informed and thought-provoking' OBSERVER

'Genuinely fascinating and frequently startling ... It is a widely researched, closely argued investigation of how ideas, trends and social behaviour spread through populations, specifically of those cases where the spread takes on wildfire proportions ... Likening the spread of social behaviours to an epidemic of contagious disease, Gladwell's project is to identify the factors that converge in the "tipping point", when such an epidemic crosses a threshold, or achieves some critical mass, and its expansion goes into near-exponential overdrive ... The way in which the material is arranged -- peppered with surprising statistics, telling anecdotes and human colour -- makes it chattily readable without being frivolous or condescending. It's the kind of book from which you'll be regaling your friends with intriguing snippets for weeks to come, in addition to being, potentially, a powerful, practical tool for anyone with an idea to peddle or a campaign to promote' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

'THE TIPPING POINT is one of those rare books that changes the way you think about, well, everything. A combination of lucid explanation with vivid (and often funny) real-world examples, the book sets out to explain nothing less than why human beings behave the way they do' JEFFREY TOOBIN, author of A VAST CONSPIRACY

'Want to change the world? Find out how in Malcolm Gladwell's THE TIPPING POINT. He has "the rules" for engineering social epidemics. You'll see how to turn an idea, product or practice into a virulent mind virus that will sweep through society to become the latest craze, fad or fashion ... Gladwell's engaging style brings to life aspects of social contagion research by weaving together some of its more colourful case studies and insights with his own anecdotes. As such, it is an excellent source of brain candy ... THE TIPPING POINT contains enough to entertain your mind and the minds with whom you share your dinner for several weeks ... By showing us the strings by which we are so often moved, Gladwell takes us a step towards our own liberation' NEW SCIENTIST

'A fascinating book that makes you see the world in a different way' FORTUNE

'What someone once said about the great Edmund Wilson is as true of Malcolm Gladwell: he gives ideas the quality of action. Here he's written a wonderful page-turner about a fascinating idea that should affect the way every thinking person thinks about the world around him' MICHAEL LEWIS, author of LIAR'S POKER

'A wonderfully offbeat study of that little-understood phenomenon, the social epidemic ... THE TIPPING POINT is a very subtle piece of work, coming out with ideas -- not necessarily his own -- that make conventional solutions to social problems seem criminally naïve ... In America THE TIPPING POINT has already authenticated its own claims about the power of word of mouth. I bought my copy in Seattle. Moving down the coast, I spent the weekend in San Francisco, where my cousin borrowed the book and sat up reading it until the early hours. In Los Angeles, my hosts read the book on alternate nights and peppered their conversations with titbits from it. In Pasadena, I tried to buy an extra copy. "Sorry," said the man in the bookstore. "I bought the last two for my friends"' DAILY TELEGRAPH

Customer Reviews

human behaviour
The book is well researched with an excellent reference section, and has some great insights into human behaviour and communication on both an individual and social level.Malcolm Gladwell tells us that when something major happens it's usually because its been building for a while and that it just needs the addition of a magic 'something' to shift the balance in order for the phenomena to take place. It contains some excellent examples of this `tipping point' being reached, such as the huge drop in serious crimes in New York in the mid 1990s.

How else can we use the Tipping Point to Improve the World?
Malcolm Gladwell explains in his book The Tipping Point that it is possible for ideas, messages and behaviors to spread rapidly. Gladwell argues convincingly that to change an entire population it is not necessary to change everyone, only a small percentage of people.

The book's concept is powerful and explained very well by Gladwell. Only one slight critique. The book could have been much shorter. It provides more examples than necessary to get the point across. Having said that does not take away from the important (and useful) ideas that the book explains!

The point at which the ideas, messages or behaviors of a population changes rapidly is known as the tipping point. Similar to an epidemic, contagious behavior is caused by a small percentage of people.

Changing others by using contagious behavior has significant implications. Much can be accomplished by focusing efforts. Instead of trying to change an entire population, only a small percentage of people need to be convinced to change.

In one story about a tipping point, Malcolm Gladwell discusses how behavior of criminals in New York City was changed. This was done by understanding human behavior and implementing tactics to improve it.

In the 1980s and early 1990's the poor neighborhoods of Brownsville and East New York and their streets had every conceivable violent and dangerous crime. Crime was spreading like a virus. To combat it New York needed a stronger vaccine--in essence, an anti-crime preventative.

A common solution for lowering crime is adding more police and jails. However, this only treats the symptoms of the problem. It does nothing to address the cause of crime nor does it lower it.

To solve its crime situation, New York City implemented what is now known as the Broken Windows theory. It was the brainchild of James Q. Wilson and George Kelling who used their Critical Thinking skills to solve a major problem. Their Broken Windows theory states that if a window is broken and left un-repaired then people walking by will assume no one cares and no one is in charge. Graffiti, public disorder and aggressive panhandling are the equivalents of broken windows. They were evidence of the virus that was inviting more serious crimes in New York City.

In other words, when a place is messy, people add to the messiness. That was the root cause of the crime in New York City. The solution that the Broken Windows theory provided was to clean up the city. Then, people would have an inclination to keep it clean. That in turn would reduce the serious crime. The discovery of this simple solution has some startling implications.

The Broken Windows theory solution was put into effect in all of New York City when Rudolph Giuliani became mayor. He appointed William Bratton as chief of police. Both Giuliani and Bratton believed that by controlling the minor and seemingly insignificant quality-of-life crimes they could create a Tipping Point for dropping the crime rate.

Giuliani and Bratton executed a policy to fix all broken windows, stop panhandlers, and paint over graffiti. They literally had the streets cleaned up.

For example, Bratton's police officers arrested people for not paying their train fairs. Although a small crime, these actions sent a signal to the criminal community that crime (any crime) wouldn't be tolerated by the authorities. The offenders were taken to police stations and checked for other outstanding offenses. Seven out of ten had outstanding offenses against them.

In another example, when gang members painted their graffiti overnight on trains, the authorities had the trains re-painted by the next morning. The gang members saw their hard work created overnight eliminated. This helped break their will to paint graffiti.

The broken windows theory worked. Crime dropped precipitously. People started caring; they felt someone was in charge. They began taking better care of their city.

Overall, a great book with powerful concepts. One Burning Question remains after reading this book:

Where else can we apply The Tipping Point to improve the world?

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide To: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

The Tipping Point
'The Tipping Point' is another entertaining, yet laboured book from Malcolm Gladwell. Like 'Blink' you get an interesting premise, explained very well at the beginning of the book, followed by 150 pages going over the same ground in greater depth. Once you've grasped the initial concept and had it proven with a few examples, you don't really need to go over it much more. Saying that, this book is an entertaining read and has some wonderful examples to illustrate the various points. I particularly enjoyed the chapter exploring the benefits, and tipping point of, sesame street and blues clues. Other chapters though, like the one on suicide and smoking, are pretty aimless and take a long time to make a very minor, insignificant point. This book is worth a read if you liked 'Blink' and it has some interesting ideas explored in it. If you like this I'd recommend 'Predictably irrational' which has similar experiments and is more coherent and focused. In fact, I'd probably recommend that book before this one. This is a good read, but not a great read.