As the profession faces a coming talent shortage, some firms are attracting new employees with happy hours and Flamenco. Can a friendlier culture help the bottom line?A few years ago, a now-defunct blog called Intern Architects in Hell inspired a small but dedicated following. The site posted cartoons depicting the frequently baffling, often amusing exchanges between an overworked, underpaid intern and his bosses. In one cartoon, a principal holding designs that he drafted himself chastises a young intern, saying, "If you had drawn those, I would have fired you." The series encapsulated the strenuous, hierarchical environment that is prevalent at many practices-the kind of environment where you say goodbye to a personal life, keep your mouth shut, and toil away for years in the hopes of advancing up the food chain.
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