Reconsidering Positive Deviance: The Overlooked Challenge for Military Veterans

This article was submitted by SIOP Military and Veterans Inclusion Committee member,  Jason Hamill

For some, any type of deviance is just wrong, even if the nonconformity has desirable results, like with positive deviance. Positive deviance is viewed as behaviors that intentionally violate organizational norms but produce positive outcomes without creating discord within the workplace. Depending on our own sociocultural norms, and those norms established within the microcultures of the workplace, there are proper ways and improper ways of conducting oneself within the workforce. This dichotomy between proper and improper becomes especially complex for military veterans, whose survival literally depended on following orders without question.

Transitioning from the military into civilian employment and norms comes with challenges. Both active duty and reserve members take an oath to obey orders. While reserve members may face additional challenges when returning to civilian duties after training or deployment. Imagine returning to work after living in an entirely different organizational culture and facing questions from co-workers like, “Why couldn’t you just think for yourself?” or “Why didn’t you suggest a better way?” Such questions may lead to service members becoming victims of workplace misunderstanding or harassment. Service members are conditioned to follow orders without question because lives could depend on immediate execution and often remain in that mindset even when the work is no longer life threatening.

Inclusion and diversity ideals may overlook veterans conditioned toward specific behaviors. For many veterans, the goal is always focused on “task complete,” with the highest level of performance; there is no true option to say “no” or question a direct order as being counterproductive. This military conditioning creates a fundamental tension when veterans enter civilian workplaces that may prioritize individualization and novel thinking.

The behaviors that ensured survival within the military (immediate compliance, respect for authority, execution without debate) may now be viewed as lack of initiative or creative thinking. Furthermore, military veterans in leadership positions may be viewed as ineffective due to their delegation mechanisms being less open to input than non-veteran leaders, where positive deviance is viewed as workplace deviance instead of a possibility for improving organizational productivity and inclusion.

As I-O psychologists and professionals, we must critically examine whether “positive” deviance is truly advantageous for all populations. Research shows positive deviance in veterans emerges only through post-service adaptation and identity reconstruction, which often takes time, clear expectations, and mentoring. Expecting immediate positive deviance from newly transitioned veterans may create unnecessary barriers to workplace integration.

We advocate for inclusion and diversity, yet by universally promoting rule-breaking as innovative and compliance as problematic, we may be systematically excluding an entire population whose service requires different behavioral norms. Only by questioning our assumptions can we create truly inclusive workplaces that value the diverse approaches all employees bring, including those who serve.

Get involved or learn more here.

• See the MVI article in TIP (632, Autumn 2025) introducing the committee and its efforts Fostering Engagement, Service, and Integration of the Military and Veteran Community Across SIOP and Beyond.
• Edit your My Account – Profile on SIOP.org to include Additional Information on your interests and to identify your Veteran Status* to receive distributions from SIOP on military, veterans, and the MVI.
• *The SIOP team will create MIL/VET and MVI distributions from members who have selected veteran, actively serving, or neither actively serving nor a veteran from the veteran status drop-down options (fifth input in the last tile). “Neither” would include all supporters of the military community, including spouse, dependants, DoD, and beyond.
• Contact MVI directly to submit a request for engagement or further collaboration.