David Peat

From Clockwork to Chaos 145something left over from an earlier period of the organization’s historythat no one has taken the trouble to change. But in all cases, physicalsurroundings have a subtle effect on those who work in the building.For example, what role is played by that oil painting behind the vastmahogany desk? Is it there to impress clients? or to bolster the ego ofthe director? Mussolini positioned his desk at the end of an extremelylong room so that each person summoned by the dictator became diminishedas he or she was forced to walk that long distance under thescrutiny of Il Duce’s eyes. By contrast the highly respected Canadianpolitician Mitchell Sharp, when he was minister of External Affairs,chose to queue up and eat in the staff cafeteria along with everyoneelse. He not only represented a democracy but practiced the spirit ofthis democracy in his daily lifeAnd how is creativity encouraged and used within an organization?How rich are the lines of communication and feedback betweenindividuals and the various sections of the organization? What level ofinitiative do people have? Are the rooms and open-plan offices anonymous?or do they express the personality of each occupant? Do theemployees feel that they are only carrying out the tasks that have beenassigned to them? or are they contributing something essential ofthemselves? Are they bringing their own particular skills and life experienceto the organization? Are they being respected both as personsand as skilled workers? In short, are they engaged creatively so thatthey feel a deep satisfaction by the end of each week’s work?I was once walking around a research organization with a scientistfrom the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). One of the researchersat the bench asked why his own organization had not producedscientific work of comparable status to that of the Boston researchinstitute. The MIT scientist replied, “That’s easy to understand.I drove past your labs at seven o’clock last night and all the lights wereout. At MIT the lights are still blazing after ten o’clock!” One organizationwas offering challenges and personal engagement; the other waspresenting routine. 66Of course a very different interpretation is possible for the same phenomenon:that one organization was full of ambitious workaholics and the other staffed withindividuals who cared about their families and treasured their leisure time.