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Via Brand Autopsy, this book, and the theory behind it caught my interest this morning for several reasons. First off, I have loved the broken window’s theory ever since first learning about it (like many others likely did) in Malcom Gladwell’s Tipping Point, and was actually JUST discussing this theory with someone over the weekend. I know the Broken Window’s Theory gets some eye rolls from people now and again, but I think it makes a lot of sense…and I REALLY think it makes a lot of sense when applied to the business world, which is just what Michael Levine is doing in his new book (very cleverly titled Broken Windows, Broken Business). Second, I am looking for a new book to read, having just plowed through Freakonomics, Wrecking Crew, and Now I Can Die in Peace, and I think this might be the one. Lastly, I made an observation and comment this weekend, which I think applies here in a round about way. While visiting a Boston Dunkin Donuts this past Sunday morning, I immediately noticed that it was un-surprisingly dingy, that the counter help spoke very little English, and that they were anything but helpful. I commented to the person I was with that:

“One thing you can count on no matter where you go…that Dunkin Donuts service will almost always be consistently terrible.”

It’s sadly true. As much as I loathe that 17 year old, shaggy haired kid at Starbucks cheerfully calling me “Boss” when I get a $19 coffee at 8am, I CAN appreciate the efforts that they go to in order to make everything perfect. The music is always playing at just the right volume, the stores are always clean and bustling, the help is always…er…helpful, and the experience is always pretty damn good. It almost makes the irony of paying the GNP of Ecuador for a cup of Ecuadorian coffee, a little less noticeable. I think that almost subconsciously because of this, I have made a slight shift toward Starbucks this past several months for these very reasons.

The simple theory behind Broken Windows, Broken Business . is as follows:

… that small things make a huge difference in business. The messy condiment area at a fast food restaurant may lead consumers to believe the company as a whole doesn’t care about cleanliness, and therefore the food itself might be in question. Indifferent help at the counter in an upscale clothing store-even if just one clerk- can signal to the consumer that perhaps standards here aren’t as high as they might be (or used to be). An employee at the gas station who wears a T-shirt with an offensive slogan can certainly cause some customers to switch brands of gasoline and lose an enormous company those customers for life.

Overly simple, I know…but sometimes overly simple is the way that people, and especially businesses, need to think.