| The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference | 
 enlarge | Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Publisher: Abacus
Category: Book
List Price: £7.99
Buy New: £5.99
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  58 reviews
Sales Rank: 290
Media: Paperback
Edition: New edition
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.6 x 5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0349113467
EAN: 9780349113463
ASIN: 0349113467
Publication Date: February 14, 2002
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Does not disappoint. October 8, 2008
24 out of 24 found this review helpful
The book is about the "tipping point", that is, that moment when an idea or social behaviour has reached a level where it "tips" and spreads like crazy.
The book makes sense about how these things happen by using three rules- The Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. Taking three rules, then, the book uses them to explain seemingly puzzling epidemic situations in society such as teen smoking or bestsellers.
Fun and interesting, if this kind of topic appeals to you, you'll like the book- its well written and an easy read. Other books that might appeal to general interest readers include The Sixty-Second Motivator.
A brilliant read October 2, 2008
A short review this, but an intelligently written book, and a book that can appeal to most people; whether they want to know how trends start, through to a business which is trying to go to the next level, but is not succeeding because they have not found the little thing that will make the big difference.
A truly engaging page-turner and solely recommended
Infectious and Infatuating August 27, 2008
Malcolm Gladwell is a true storyteller. Whether its recounting the American Revolution or dipping into the craze of teenage smoking, Gladwell tells a good tale. Well researched and well thought through, this book will be of use to business and creative types alike. Whether you are looking to change your focus or change the world, the key may be within this text.
Gladwell starts by exploring the concept of infectious illnesses and factors affecting their transmission. He continues onto explain in terms of key players in the spreading of new ideas. Are you a Salesperson, Maven or a Connector? As you meet the most important people who influence the book, Gladwell shows you how to use his findings to achieve your goals.
I read this after Blink, his second offering, and was equally impressed with how he manages to round up such diverse content to demonstrate his points. Whether you're a sceptic or a believer you will learn a lot from this well researched book.
 human behaviour August 17, 2008
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? July 24, 2008
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
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