Stanford University, 1971. From a group of volunteers, half were to play prisoners, half wardens, placed in a makeshift jail. Stanford prison experiment, aimed to study psychological effects of being/treated as a prisoner/warden, lasted six instead of planned fourteen days.

It became a classic demonstration of the power of situations and how good intentions of participants were overwhelmed by transformation of ordinary/normal young men into sadistic guards or prisoners with emotional breakdowns.

Conclusions? Managers, treat employees with humour/equality/consideration, but fertilize confusion as it is at the roots of creativity and innovation.

Confused things kindle minds for great inventions – da Vinci.