What do the researchers find about messy desks?

Managers might be keen on a clean desk, but it seems that in terms of productivity, they could have it all wrong. (15) Researchers from Germany recently found that a messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking. People actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos. Famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl have been notorious for their untidy desks. Messy desks may not be as damaging as they appear to be. The problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can boost work efficiency or enhance employees’ creativity in problem solving. Business and government managers often promote "clean desk" policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks. This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can complicate one’s judgments. (16) However, not all evidence supports this conventional link between a messy environment and a messy mind. The scientists tested people’s response in various "messy" environments, such as a messy shop front or a disorganized desk. Finally, researchers found that people in messy environments usually categorized products in a simpler manner. (17) They were willing to pay more for a T-shirt that depicts a simple-looking picture, and sought less variety in their choices.