Broken Window Theory

Have you ever resolved a minor issue and then enjoyed major positive results?

New York City did, when they became strict about keeping the subways clean. This seemingly minor implementation ultimately led to a dramatic decrease in violent felonies in New York City. They achieved that result by applying the Broken Window Theory. 

It is a criminology theory which claims that visible signs of crime and civil disorder create an environment that encourages further crime and disorder. 

This tells us that once disorder is sparked, it causes a snowball effect that leads to disorderly results.  How can the broken window theory be translated to culture? 

If we wanted to apply this theory to the average work culture, we would look for unaddressed problems that seem minor, but could have a major positive impact if corrected. 

Here are a few examples: 

Transparency— does leadership keep the team in the loop? If that’s not always the case, having an open door policy will foster communication and ultimately lead to transparency and better cooperation. 

Diversity in the workplace— does your team enjoy challenging perspectives from different walks of life? If not, adding diverse voices to your organization can be the key to casting a wider net to your audience and attracting more opportunity. 

One of the greatest things you can do as a leader, is identify areas of weakness, and then make minor adjustments which will lead to extraordinary results.

Author: Coach Gigi