New York’s Mayor Giuliani along with Police Commissioner Bill Bratton adopted James Q. Wilson‘s broken windows theory in the early 1990′s in an effort to quell the city’s growing crime problem. The idea is that if your neighborhood looks like a seedy place that you will likely behave accordingly and if you clean up and fix the “broken windows” that behavior will shift proportionately.
“Thanks for the history lesson on New York social policy,” right? Well the question is, how does this theory stack up in a business environment? If you spruce up your office will your employees respond accordingly? And if the place is a dump are people less likely to give top effort? Or better yet, is the condition of the office more a reflection on the attitudes and behaviors of the employees rather than vice versa?
First let me say I don’t have the answer, but Paul Graham‘s essay What Business Can Learn from Open Source suggests that corporate environments are actually stifling creativity and productivity. So although the more “traditional” office space dogma may in fact be poorly affecting the behavior of the people, the environment is affecting behavior nonetheless. (Not that he suggested otherwise.)
However, even some of the most open and creative environments can yield less than desirable results. Cleanliness, order, and presentation are not guarantees of success, and I would argue not even very good success indicators. However, they are, to some extent, a reflection of attitude and motivation.
What? You think this sounds crazy coming from a lazy pig that can work in a pile of papers and empty soda cans for weeks without noticing? You have to consider context. Context has become my new favorite word. When I have a task to accomplish whether it be a website design, rewiring the server cabinet, or product development, I am a perfectionist about that task or tasks if I am excited about and believe in the value of it.
If people are inspired, they will take care of the details. If they aren’t, empty boxes will pile up by the back door.
