Can you persuade people in an organization to change if they don’t want to be persuaded? Not easily! Organizations create many barriers to change such as rigid compensation structures and job descriptions. In order to be effective at transforming an organization, a persuasive technology must create sufficient motivation to overcome these barriers. The positive deviant’s powerful image of the desired outcome is a good first step toward driving motivation, but it is not sufficient to create change.
Two other areas of research help solve the motivation problem: the theory of fair process and recent advances in the neuroscience of positive visualization and affirmation. The theory of fair process [2] suggests that persuasive experiences that treat people fairly and even enhance their sense of honor and dignity tend to be more effective then those that diminish people. For example, persuasive experiences consistent with ethical uses of persuasion are more effective than those that derive from unethical approaches [1]. By presenting the positive deviant images in screen formats that create engagement with the positive deviant passion and encourage active participation in applying these images to their own situation, users come to feel honored by the opportunity to learn and grow.
The interaction with positive deviant content guided by the technology motivates users. Furthermore, in this persuasive technology, users are guided by screen prompts to read out loud. Reading the positive deviant content out loud causes them to visualize themselves as having the same passion and commitment as the positive deviants. This stimulates neurological responses similar to those reported during positive visualization [5]. People see themselves as very successful, and, apparently, neurotransmitters are released reinforcing that feeling, so they become highly motivated to absorb the positive deviant content. Interactions with the positive deviant content through carefully designed screens [8], can initiate a powerful, persuasive transformational experience.