Formality is like a virus that infects the productive tissue of an organization. The symptoms are stiffness, stuffiness, and inflexibility – its origin never with those who do but with those that don’t.
When did you last hear a programmer or designer clamor to wear a suit to work? The order always come from the executives (followed shortly by a request for those TPS reports!)
Formality is more than a dress code, of course. It infects how people talk, write, and interact. It eats through all the edges and the individuality, leaving only the square behind. In other words, it’s all about posture, not productivity.
And once you place being proper above getting great work done, it’s unlikely that you’ll attract the best and most creative minds to work for you. (Though you’ll surely have no trouble filling the ranks with folks who can fit the existing molds.)
Formality is so ingrained in much of our working culture that even though people intuitively understand its harm, as in the colloquial “it’s just a formality, but we have to…”, it lives on.
Thankfully, there seems to be a cure: Companies started and run by doers. People close enough to the work to see the damage of formality and who’ll have none of it.
In technology, the best and brightest have long belonged to this class. Their images are iconic: Bezos in his jeans and sports coat, Jobs in his turtleneck and New Balance shoes, Zuckerberg in his hoodie.
Contrast this to the suits running RIM or Nokia or IBM. They’re either in literal decline and despair or they’ve found a second life of relevance in the tombs of The Enterprise.
We’re breaking down the stranglehold of formality everywhere. No more personal secretaries, memos on official letterhead, meetings that must happen in person. There’s never been less mental mask switching between work and play. We wear the same clothes, use the same technology. It’s a liberation of the mind and it’s the new world order.
Lee
on 31 Jul 12For some reason I read the first sentence as Agent Smith would have. Nice post!
Jeremy Weilnad
on 31 Jul 12Aren’t standards (such as those in OSS) and conventions (such as the “-over-configuration” variety) a type of formality?
Aaron Kulbe
on 31 Jul 12DHH – I wish what you said were true. Formality, and the bullshit that is known by the name of “political correctness” have made us a society of pansies.
Instead of calling a spade a spade… we have to say things in just the right way, for fear someone might get their feeling hurt.
In my opinion, “formality” comes into play where legal issues are concerned. And because we (the US) have become such a litigious society… there are a million agreements that have to be signed and in place before any business can be transacted.
I don’t know any way around it, other than to go back to the days where a handshake was all it takes. How do we go back to that?
Anonymous Coward
on 31 Jul 12The world is full of successful companies run by people who wear suits and plenty of companies with no dress codes have failed.
Wearing Jeans doesn’t make you a “doer” nor does wearing a suit excluded you from being one.
Andion
on 31 Jul 12Loved the post! I don’t think this will keep spreading into bigger, more traditional companies, but I hope so.
Steve
on 31 Jul 12Also, just to be clear Bezos and Zuckerberg, two of the names you mention, also run companies that you crucify for being just bubble fad companies.
Is this all because a restaurant wanted you to wear a jacket last week?
Jon Sterling
on 31 Jul 12Thanks, Anonymous Coward, for dropping a few true facts. Doers wear whatever they find makes them happy (within reason). If plaid and jeans make you happy, go for it! But don’t pretend that wearing a suit somehow prevents you from making things, or infects those around you with enterprise-y inertia.
I’ll suggest that if you hate wearing suits, you either live in a very hot climate, or you have never worn a good one. But that’s beside the point.
Christian Huund
on 31 Jul 12I assume you cringe when you hear people boast about their lack of math skills like it is an accomplishment. They cringe when people think dressing poorly is an accomplishment. Just sayin’.
Stuff
on 31 Jul 12Dressing really an issue? Formality has more to it than the dressing code. I think you (David) are attracting some negative comments because you chose to highlight formality in dressing. But I think the tentacles of formality reaches farther.
Formality has grown branches :)
Aliotsy
on 31 Jul 12While I agree with your sentiments, the image of a “suit” being merelyconformist is rapidly becoming dated. For Steve Jobs’ generation, jeans and casual dress in the office were a symbol of non-conformity in a world of formal dress codes—an outward expression of freedom of choice.
In today’s world, informal dress has extended from the tech world to mainstream corporate America. At a time when “casual Friday” has become “casual everyday”, I’m starting to see the opposite: particularly among creatives, people choosing to dress “well”-ties, sport coats, and yes, suits—not as an act of compliance, conformity, and formality, but rather as an exercise of choice in a landscape of oversized khakis and polos. Different clothes, but in the same spirit of Steve’s turtleneck and New Balances.
PJB
on 31 Jul 12David (call him Dave) is just annoyed because a restaurant wanted him to wear attire that they defined, not what he wanted to wear.
Gerald
on 31 Jul 12Very nice post. I have felt this way for a long time but it is hard to get others on board with the idea.
Junior
on 31 Jul 12This post makes me sad. So much veiled hatred to people David doesn’t understand. Very shallow, and honestly not productive
Martin
on 31 Jul 12Be careful not to confuse “formality” with “manners” on the one hand (which are good and necessary in a civilised society) and with “bureaucracy” on the other hand (which is lethal for creative minds).
Kevin
on 31 Jul 12I think some people are missing the point – It shouldn’t matter what you wear, it should matter what you do and sometimes organizations get too caught up in “the way things are done” to question if its the best way to do.
I agree with David in that I should be able to wear pretty much whatever I want to work, so long as I am productive.
gdj
on 31 Jul 12Live and let live dude. When 37signals people all got their productivity jeans and hoodies on it’s not a dress code? I’d say if someone actually showed up in a suit that would be a sign of integrity at your company.
Yikes
on 31 Jul 12Determining another person’s productivity or value based on their clothing is a pretty childish thing to concern oneself with.
Jeff Putz
on 31 Jul 12There are some poor generalizations being made in both directions, obviously, but I think the spirit of the post is more about the businesses who waste time on things that don’t matter. We’ve all worked in places like that.
Libo
on 31 Jul 12I hope that the doorman who bounced you at that restaurant last weekend will read this! So he can learn it!!
Matt
on 31 Jul 12I love the signal v noise blog because it’s usually so grounded, but this post sounds like it’s written by a vapid “brogrammer” that thinks the coolest thing about startups is wearing T shirts to work and the wacky posters on the wall.
employees should dress differently when the represent their company than they do on their most casual gatherings, it doesn’t have to be suits and ties, but it’s no more uncomfortable to wear a pressed collared shirt than it is to wear a crew shirt with an ironic print on it
mts
on 31 Jul 12“Formality is more than a dress code, of course.” Agree, it’s really just a symptom… for most companies.
It’s the formal, top-down bureaucracy which kills innovation and passion. I worked for Ross Perot’s EDS for 6 years (suits required) and then government for 10 years: Following the chain of command; doing only what your “pay-grade” allowed; filling out endless paperwork to get approvals to do the simplest thing was such a soul-sucking drain on the actual work you wanted to accomplish. I’m back working for an “informal” company and couldn’t be happier!
Matt T.
on 31 Jul 12Eschewing formality so you can act like a petulant asshole doesn’t make you a doer.
Ari
on 31 Jul 12I think formality might be the wrong word here. There is a place for some formality in the work place. Maybe standards would be the better word. I think what you are addressing here would fall under something along the lines of “Industry best practices” and the other types of process oriented development usually pushed by consulting organizations. Another way to look at it might be one of accountability. What you are describing (outside of dress code) would be processes/politeness/formality as a way to get out of being held accountable.
bill
on 31 Jul 12Good message. Poor analogy.
Nanne
on 31 Jul 12In my view “formality” is stability. You know what to expect from the company. If you expect your employees to be well dressed you can set up rules about what is acceptable but suites are always acceptable.
If I make your banking software or other critical software. You expect it to be stable and not flexible.
On the one hand you have formality, stability and slow but reliable processes. At the other hand you have informality, fast and flexible but also less safe. Of course you can be somewhere in the middle, but you have to make choices. Both sides are acceptable in my view.
NT
on 31 Jul 12Formality for formality’s sake is a waste of time.
But some formality is about respect: respect for others’ time, attention, skills, process. And that’s good stuff.
Matthew Heusser
on 31 Jul 12I’m a long-time 37Signals fan, reader of your inc. columns, etc.
In practice, I agree with most of what you are saying here. It does make me wonder though, if there is some sort of cargo-culting going on – if formality had /some/ purpose that has been lost. Like the indigenous people in the South Sea islands with the fake radar station and fake runway, they use all the props of formality, yet have lost the benefits those once conveyed. I think Steve McConnell first applied this idea to software (ref: http://www.stevemcconnell.com/ieeesoftware/eic10.htm ) what you are writing about above sounds a lot like process-imposter-ness to me.
Or, as NT put above: “some formality is about respect: respect for others’ time, attention, skills, process. And that’s good stuff.”
Also, the bit about a new world order at the bottom bugged me, mostly because of the history of the rhetoric. The term has meaning, and on multiple levels. Using it as a throw-away term is a bit like saying we are “entering a brave new world” and not understanding the Huxley or Shakespeare that the term came from, ya know?
Peter Cooper
on 31 Jul 12David in a suit on the cover of a magazine with the caption ‘Chicago’s Coolest Biz Guys Suit Up’. I’m not saying anything, just being facetious ;-) Keep up the good work, suited or not!
David Higgins
on 31 Jul 12Well it’s safe to say teenagers these days, and even 20-somethings don’t aspire to formality anymore. They aspire to startup culture, and making a new “Killer App”.
I’ve spoken to startup founders who have ‘made it’ / broken into niche markets with their product, and they all agree young people today see wearing a suit as the last thing on their to-do list.
The Brogrammer Meme was not invented. It was some-one addressing a very real phenomenon where frat-types don’t dick around with guitars with their mates anymore, they show off their collection of Meme pictures, and the App they built on top of Twitter’s API / Facebook’s API.
Michael
on 31 Jul 12David, what you mean to say is that badass people who ship can wear what they want (true.) That means they can wear a suit in Silicon Valley if they feel like it.
It’s about killing off pretenses, not dressing casually.
Osandi
on 31 Jul 12Formality came about out of fear of people being different.
It happened with those who were enslaved, slaughtered and oppressed. Reduced to beast-like personas and forced to being ridiculed and banned from the same drinking fountain, it’s not surprising the the majority of businesses, led by mostly white men, have instituted mental shackles that everyone has had to wear at some point.
This disease isn’t of the skin, hair, or gender, though. It’s of a mentality that doesn’t really understand that by embracing the very thing you’re afraid of gives everyone equal strength.
Strength lies in the ability to bend, flex and be vulnerable. Not the posture of power, which suits condone.
P.S. Suits are a metaphor, people. A metaphor for what has been traditionally powerful white men.
Mark
on 31 Jul 12Like most others here, I think your thinking is a little misguided. Style may be changing once again, but formality and fitting in with the brand hasn’t gone anywhere.
Jeans and having the right car parked in the hot tech company parking lot are just as much of a distracting formality as khakis and blue oxford shirts.
And sure, suits are a metaphor—a metaphor for power. Something which also, may change how it portrays itself outwardly, but also is not going anywhere, in terms of the quest for it.
Brian Septon
on 31 Jul 12@Peter Cooper I believe that magazine cover was photoshopped. @DHH mentioned this once in a tweet.
Peter Cooper
on 01 Aug 12@Brian Septon: Aw! :( Now my poster print doesn’t seem quite so special. OK, $5 to the first person to trick DHH into a suit! :)
JohnK
on 01 Aug 12remember seeing an article after the first dot com crash about how NASA required their guys to wear ties….wonder if they still do….also wonder if they can create a project management site like basecamp or are they not creative enough?
Bill McNeely
on 01 Aug 12Coming back from the Middle East where dressing well and possessing proper manners are the norm I am saddened that common courtesy has died here in America.
mr. negative
on 01 Aug 12Bullshit.
You write with formality. You construct proper sentences with subjects and actions. You structure your development process, you formalize roles & responsibilities, you plan and structure your marketing campaigns around releases.
You just choose what formal structures are convenient for you.
bgetting
on 01 Aug 12Hahaha. I agree with everything you say here, but I’m still thinking that restaurant must have been REALLY nice…
Ape
on 01 Aug 12@mr. negative
I think you bring up a good point. Formalities are really just a tool to get the job done. It is when they are applied blindly that they cause problems.
The formal work attire seems to have no point other than tradition these days, and the only practical aspect involves what I would attribute to cargo-cult thinking: "The successful people wear them, so if we wear them, we are going get success ourselves." "Why wouldn't you surround yourself with successful people?"Of course all non-successful people are slackers, and they wear slacks.
When your formalities start to look like cargo-cults, its not necessarily the formality that is the problem.
Jake Bryant
on 01 Aug 12@ Aaron Kulbe
There’s nothing wrong with “political correctness” if the intent is to create a nice and supportive environment for those face systematic discrimination.
It seems like some people will purposely go out of their way to say mean things, and then justify it by saying they’re tired of being politically correct.
ultranaut
on 01 Aug 12Um, I guess you totally, like, stuck it to the Man. w00t.
machbio
on 01 Aug 12you have pointed out the companies that are on decline… an important take away should.. by making the people be formal in everything from dress to the attitude.. you are basically not allowing them to go out of the age-old process of ideating..
with giving people the freedom.. you are allowing them to let go of the normal age-old thing.. and letting them to explore solutions for the company..
Joshua Chikudo
on 01 Aug 12The problem with dress codes, is that you cannot really make blanket statements.
On the one hand, productivity should always trump appearance.
On the other hand though, particularly in client facing roles, appearance is a not insignificant factor in how you are perceived, which in turn can affect how productive you are with that particular client.
Ian
on 01 Aug 122nd useless post in last few days. Boys at 37s are really bored.
DS
on 01 Aug 12Atlas Shrugged?
Ayn Rand would appreciate this piece although she was a believer in sharp formal dressers actually and no facial hair (seriously).
Liz
on 01 Aug 12I’m seeing a lot of point-missing in these comments. The point isn’t that you wear jeans and a hoodie, it’s that you eschew signaling based on things that no longer indicate competence. If you were a salesman, being a sharp dresser (even if it’s just nice clothes, not a suit) would say something about what you know is important. But it’s signaling. Similarly, a developer signals their skills at innovation by doing something outside of what’s normal. Like wearing tennis shoes, or what have you. Nowadays, that’s a cliche, it’s no longer outside of bounds far enough to signal innovation – but what they’re saying is it’s outside the bounds of most companies’ expectations for other areas of the company. Essentially, shuck convention if it’s nonfunctional, and opt for spending time worrying about things that matter rather than signals of a bygone era.
dave r
on 01 Aug 12David,
You’re a more thoughtful guy than this post suggests.
Formality has to do with form, with ritual, with following established processes and conventions where needed.
One example of formality is being sure to run unit tests on your software before you release it.
Certain kinds of formality can unleash creativity in other areas, because you have the formal structures to back it up.
It’s funny that you point to apple, because they’re on of the most formal companies I can think of—from their design process, to the behavior of employees at the genius bar. You know what to expect from an apple product because it’s very formal.
The key, obviously, is to know where formality sets you free, and where it holds you back. That’s for each culture to decide.
Gaurav Sharma
on 02 Aug 12Often it’s the sign of a good design when something changes very little over a long time (like the iPhone, Beetle, or the general template for a suit, for instance).
Clean Laptop Keyboard
on 02 Aug 12I enjoy what you guys are usually up too. This kind of clever work and reporting!
Keep up the excellent works guys I’ve added you guys to my blogroll.
Dave H
on 02 Aug 12I choose to wear a tie at work because I don’t want to look like a “schlub.” It’s self centered to think that your appearance at work is only about you. When I go to work I’m not only representing myself, I’m representing my team and my company. It’s important to me that anyone I’m in contact with knows, just by looking at me, that I’m someone who takes my job seriously and that what I say is worthy of serious consideration. My appearance alone shouldn’t dictate this, but first impressions definitely count. Would you trust a financial advisor that dressed like (s)he was homeless?
I prefer not to work with people who can’t be bothered to put some small effort into their appearance. My experiences have been that their attitude towards a professional appearance is often indicative of their work product. It’s certainly not the rule, but it often seems that the same informal attitude dictating their appearance spills over into many other things including the quality of their work.
Aside from appearances, informality (in regards to organizational structure) can often lead to ambiguity. Would you have any appreciation for a hospital where the duties surrounding the care of your loved one were informal? How would our military serve us if they lacked a formal system of leadership?
Admittedly, formality can be abused and overused just like anything else can. However, it’s incredibly arrogant of you to state that all formality is bad, as though you’re so knowledgeable and experienced in all facets of business. You’re certainly more successful than I am, but from what I can tell you don’t have the aptitude to run a large-scale business. Scalability can’t exist without some level of formality, and you’ve clearly never had to scale. While that must be fantastic for you to manage as well as profit from, most conventional businesses don’t work that way. Not everyone can make software while getting hand-jobs from business magazine publishers. Cheers!
Tommyo
on 02 Aug 12I wear jeans, flip flops, and a hoodie (or t-shirt depending on season) to work every day. I am the COO of a very successful interactive development organization targeting over $40MM in revenue this year. Not huge by any means but not a small business either. I work very hard.
While I agree with the basic pragmatic sentiment of “form follows function” I disagree with your message. I believe formality is about respect. It is about humility and being considerate of your peers. You point out the colloquial often used around formality. I argue that many of these have been developed to inform consistency and effectiveness. My team has very high expectations of me as a leader. In turn, I have very high expectations of them. Do I expect them to wear a f’ing suit to work? Hell no. But I do expect them to know, understand, and perform to the expectations of their coworkers and our clients. Without formal process, procedure, and communication of these expectations it is very difficult to do this. In smaller organizations (we were once smaller) it is not as difficult.
If you are talking about suits and ties, I will withdraw my statement. (even though I do feel it is respectful to dress up now and then for customers, partners, and potential new employees)
If you are talking about process, procedure, and the formalities of business I firmly disagree.
Thanks for reading :)
Tom
on 02 Aug 12I read this blog post in my feed reader, and immediately knew I had to read the comments — there would be a flame war.
Good discussion, though. What’s the take away for us doers?
Mark
on 02 Aug 12Interestingly what is arguably the most innovative, creative and productive period in American history (1940s – 60s) also coincided with what was its most formal.
Ian
on 02 Aug 12I wonder how many people who applaud a post like DHH’s one, are also Mac using, Mokeskine scribbling, wearers of a uniform of a different kind.
The “posturing” that DHH refers to also extends WELL into the so-called alternative worlds.
Anonymous Coward
on 02 Aug 12While I appreciate that not everyone HAS to wear a uniform or other external formalities driven by ‘corporate’, I disagree that formality isn’t needed. I think it’s easy for designers, programmers and others who don’t see clients to say it’s just about the work. But really, the successful are always consider of more then just themselves.
The way you dress, the environment you’re in, how you manage up and over, the rigidity of certain standards drives a distinct culture. It is about the work – whether you’re in a factory, a resort, or in a start-up each organization has formality.
I don’t want my surgeon walking in a t-shirt and jeans to consult me prior to surgery. I don’t care how good he or she is at surgery. In the same way I expect the staff at a 5 start hotel to act and look a certain way, the autoworker in a factory would look out of place and unfunctional in a suit. The formality of appearance or processes is part of what I’m buying. More then anything being adaptable to your environment creates influence so that you can do your best work.
Mark
on 03 Aug 12Banishing suits is just another type of formality. One I prefer – but still…
Mike D
on 03 Aug 12Adaptability and respect is key. Many successful companies dress for their client, i.e. wear what is appropriate for the people that they are seeing on any given occasion. To rail (pun intended) against formality is all very cute if you wish to be seen as a rebel, but in the big bad world it often just comes off as juvenile, and for those who do NOT share those opinions (government depts, for example) – it comes off as almost comical or disrespectful depending on who is looking on.
Or is “respect” unfashionable now too? ;)
One thing in favor of formality and “suits” – you can’t really go wrong with it – imagine meeting a client who favors more formal dress, and you turn up in sneakers and a Skrillex t-shirt because you’re “edgy”. Clang.
mr. negative
on 03 Aug 12Re. Formal work attire:
A well tailored suit is to a woman what lingerie is to a man.
Carles
on 03 Aug 12Most of the comments I am reading here are not addressed to DHH but to themselves. People lie to themselves pretending they don’t understand David’s message, which is quite clear.
Do you really think David means that those who wear a suit can’t be creative? Of course not. And you are not very intelligent if your post was based in such premise. Go read the post again and try harder this time!
Most of the people who argue in favour of such conventions are the kind of people who feel important just because they work for company X (which, hey, is a really BIG company).
I don’t mind my surgeon walking in a t-shirt if he/she is really good at his job. And NO, he/she is not God and he/she is not more successful than me, even if he/she wears a suit, because my measure of success is the only one that matters (to me).
Dr Zen
on 03 Aug 12I’m with Charles on this. It seems like there are a lot of strawman arguments and hairsplitting of terms here, but I think the point is being overlooked.
Creative work is unlike being a soldier in the military. Formality is friction and formality is inflexibility. It is adhered to because in certain types of work the benefits of cohesion, order, and structure outweigh those of innovation, but in sw development it is death.
The proof is in the pudding. I’ve tried both both the formal, rigid, hierarical approach and the flexible, self-managing approach and the latter has by far been more profitable and pleasurable (YMMV).
It seems that those that only know the formal environment are the ones most dismissive of other ways of working and organization. I guess they’re trying to rationalize their situation.
تعارف
on 04 Aug 12حب ما تعمل حتا تعمل ما تحب٠١١٤٥٤٥٧٧١٠
Tim
on 05 Aug 12This is all great in theory but there is just a wall of resistance at the corporate level.
And hey, we can’t all be programmers (I can’t, don’t have the brain) and work for companies like 37S.
It’s far, far, far from being the NWO.
I live in a country that is rolling out a national broadband network (taxpayer funded) and the company itself doesn’t readily support telecommuting.
Worked for a telco saving the company millions (for 5 years) and they wouldn’t support informality in practise (like telecommuting, dressing down for people who didn’t deal with customers, working from home was like pushing sh%t uphill….Oh, hi Uecomm!).
David
on 07 Aug 12Interesting, but maybe too broad.
Formality is still very important in many things. Just two examples are manners when it comes to personal interactions, and law when it comes to how we organize our lives together.
This discussion is closed.