Why real change always begins with a small, committed group?
One of my MBA students, a CEO of a mid-sized company, recently shared a challenge many leaders would find familiar.
Over the past decade, his company had achieved remarkable growth by serving a neglected market segment. By offering products and services at affordable prices to low- and middle-income consumers, his firm disrupted a space long dominated by premium brands. The model worked. Customers responded. The company grew.
But recently, competitors have begun copying the same approach. Differentiation is fading. Margins are shrinking. The market is saturated. The once-disruptive model now looks conventional. He knows the company must pivot. The next phase of growth will depend on innovation. The company needs fresh ideas, bold thinking, new value creation.
So, he started pushing his team to innovate. But he soon found himself alone in that push.
“Not everyone shares the same sense of urgency,” he admitted during one of our class discussions. “Many are comfortable doing what worked in the past. Some don’t see the need to change at all.”
This is not an uncommon leadership dilemma. It’s also a human one.
Understanding Change Through the Lens of Diffusion
To help him navigate this, we explored the Diffusion of Innovation theory by Everett Rogers, a model that explains how new ideas and behaviours spread through any population.
Rogers categorised people into five adopter categories:
1. Innovators (2.5%): Risk-takers who embrace new ideas first.
2. Early Adopters (13.5%): Visionaries and influencers who see potential early.
3. Early Majority (34%): Cautious but open to change once results are evident.
4. Late Majority (34%): Sceptics who only follow after the majority has moved.
5. Laggards (16%): Traditionalists who resist change until it’s inevitable.
So, what’s the key insight? Only 16% (innovators + early adopters) are naturally inclined to embrace change at the outset. The rest come later, often only when they see proof or feel pressured by norms.
This insight reframed my student’s challenge. His staff weren’t necessarily unmotivated or incapable. They were just at different points along the adoption curve. He didn’t need everyone to leap immediately. He just needed to identify, empower, and support the first 16%.
Margaret Mead and the Spirit of Change
This is where Margaret Mead, the American cultural anthropologist, offers a reminder. She once said:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”
Mead’s quote isn’t mere inspiration. It’s a sociological truth, rooted in how real change unfolds. Whether in communities, organisations, or societies, it’s always a small group that begins the work of transformation. These are the people who see before others see, act before others act, and persist while others wait.
Her words reinforce Rogers’ model. That initial 16% is Mead’s “small group of thoughtful, committed citizens.” They’re the spark that ignites a movement.
In my own leadership journey in universities, research centres, and national initiatives, I’ve seen this truth again and again. Transformative efforts have always started with a few committed individuals who dared to try something new when most were still sceptical.
From Ideas to Action: The Tipping Point
This early group does more than initiate change. They help it cross the threshold. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book The Tipping Point, expands on this idea by explaining how trends, behaviours, and innovations reach a critical mass, the point where they suddenly tip from fringe to mainstream.
Gladwell outlines three types of people who often catalyse this shift:
a. Connectors: Those who bring people together.
b. Mavens: Those who have deep knowledge and share it widely.
c. Salesmen: Those who persuade others through passion and credibility.
These people are typically found among innovators and early adopters. They are essential not just for starting change, but for scaling it. Without them, ideas may remain confined. With them, momentum builds.
But even so, it always starts small, and often lonely.
Leadership in the Early Days of Change
If you’re trying to lead change and feel alone in the effort, you’re likely not failing. You’re just early. The challenge is to recognise that the early phase of change is not a popularity contest. It’s a test of belief and endurance.
Your task is not to convince everyone immediately. It’s to find your early adopters, the ones who intuitively understand the need for change. Support them. Listen to them. Co-create with them. Their early wins will create the signals that the cautious majority is waiting for.
This was the advice I gave my student. Focus on those who are willing to try. Celebrate even small progress. And above all, be patient because the diffusion of innovation, by nature, takes time.
Real-World Parallels
History supports Mead’s insight. The civil rights movement didn’t begin with a mass protest. It began with a few brave individuals like Martin Luther King Jr. The personal computing revolution didn’t start with global tech firms. It began in a garage with Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Even in higher education, shifts from traditional teaching to outcome-based education began with small groups of dedicated educators testing new models.
None of them waited for permission. They started. Others followed.
Final Thoughts
Margaret Mead’s famous quote, Everett Rogers’ innovation curve, and Malcolm Gladwell’s tipping point theory all point to a single truth: the power to change the world doesn’t lie in the crowd. It lies in the hands of the committed few.
As leaders, we must stop waiting for unanimous approval. We must begin with those who are ready, however few they may be. Because the success of any transformation is not measured by how many agree at the start, but by who is willing to lead early, believe deeply, and act consistently.
The rest will come when they see results.
But for now, change still depends on the few.
Prof. Azizi is a senior academic at Malaysian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and Business (MGSEB), UMK (https://mgseb.umk.edu.my) and former university leader with experience in research policy, academic governance, and innovation strategy. He currently teaches and consults on higher education and entrepreneurship, and can be contacted at [email protected].
