Designs for Working | Malcolm Gladwell

The parallels between neighborhoods and offices are stiking. There was a time, for instance, when companies put their most valued employees in palatial offices, with potted plants in the corner and secretaries out front, guarding access. Those offices were suburbs – gated communities, in fact – and many companies came to realize that if their best employees were isolated in suburbs they would be deprived of public acquaintanceship, the foundations of public trust, and cross connections with the necessary people.

I just stumbled upon this fantastic New Yorker article by Malcolm Gladwell from 2000: Why your bosses want to turn your new office into Greenwich Village (PDF)

2 Comments leave a comment below

  1. Thanks for sharing this Tina. I am a Gladwell fan and hadn’t read this article.

  2. Ditto on Craig’s comment – Malcolm is a brilliant thinker and his ideas are worth knowing about. Thanks for sharing this. I did read it and it was great (a bit belated since I’m working solo since January!)