The Power of Positive Deviance

FIVE

Early Wins, Squandered Gains

Pioneering the PD Process at Merck

Pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck provided the first full-fledged opportunity to apply the positive deviance process in a company. One of the most successful pharmaceutical companies in the world, Merck products are sold in more than 140 countries and the company employs a worldwide workforce of nearly sixty thousand people. The firm is an oft-cited exemplar of a well-managed global enterprise. ¹ Richard traces the achievements of the pilot effort in Mexico and its surprising aftermath.

IN THE SUMMER OF 2005, MERCK, long a darling of Wall Street, was feeling the heat. Its decades-long track record of introducing new blockbuster drugs had hit a five-year dry spell. One ...