Too few organizations communicate who they are and what they stand for—much less cultivate an environment of vibrant productivity and creativity. It’s the stuff of Dilbert cartoons—and it’s all-too-often the stuff of everyday working life. That’s why, when you walk into an organization that is alive, vital, and exudes a unique personality, you get an immediate, visceral hit. That’s what Kursty Grove has managed to reproduce in what may be the first of its kind: a business coffee table book. Called I Wish I Worked There: A look inside the most creative spaces in business (John Wiley), the just-published book offers up a kind of workplace porn with lush photography and short features on “spaces that stimulate,” allow for reflection, and cultivate collaboration. Cubicle dwellers can feed their fantasies with glimpses of LEGO’s “Idea House,” Google’s “water lounge,” P&G’s “nap pods, and Sony Design’s “sake box.”

Rather than a Robin Leach-like celebration of slick palaces for the people, the book drives home a crucial lesson: organizations that aspire to create a singular identity in the marketplace have to design a signature approach to the workplace. It’s not about piling on the perks, it’s about communicating a unique set of values and embodying them in every nut and bolt. The real perk? That level of fidelity between who you say you are and how you actually behave exerts a magnetic appeal for customers and employees alike. The question the book raises is a great one for any leader: are you building the kind of organization where people walk in and ask, “Why can’t my company work this way?”