The Blog - Where Business Collides with Human Nature

What Type of Office Space Is Most Productive?

Most employees prefer private offices to open-office layouts, according to a recent survey by Clutch. Not all businesses can afford private offices for all employees, though, so they must find ways to adjust their office layouts for optimal productivity.

In this article, we explain how small businesses can create office layouts that increase, instead of hinder, productivity. Use the information to understand how you can tailor your office for increased productivity.

Topics: Productivity Business Culture Teamwork

5 Surprising Ways Managers Can Reduce Corporate Food Waste

Imagine the United States' food production in one year is a giant pizza. Now, imagine one-third of that pizza gets tossed in the trash. That's exactly how much food the United States wastes each year, according to the United Nations.

Meanwhile, one out of every seven children in the United States may not know where their next meal is coming from. Tackling world hunger is intertwined with fostering respect for food — and your corporation can play a role in that effort.

While your company may not have the bandwidth to repurpose oyster shells into clothing like the outdoor company Mountain Designs, there’s still a lot you can do.

With dedicated efforts, making a difference is possible. For example, The World Resources Institute was able to reduce waste by 75 percent in one year.

This article goes beyond the basics to refresh your office with food waste reduction techniques you might not have heard of.

Topics: Business Culture Waste

Playground Lessons Not to Follow in Business Negotiations

We were all taught basic playground etiquette growing up. These life-lessons aimed to keep us out of trouble and provided us with some basic rules about respect and how to resolve conflict.

However, when it comes to achieving business success, playground lessons don’t always apply. Negotiation skills, such as those taught in the best negotiation skills training, must now replace the old playground tactics. While you can still maintain friends in business, as you could at school, it is smart to prioritize the best negotiation strategy while considering consequences and foreseeing outcomes.

Here are five playground lessons that do not apply when negotiating -- and the new counter-lessons you can use to ensure negotiation success.

Topics: Sales Business Culture Negotiation

Achieving an Excellent Culture or a World Class Product - Which Comes First?

An excellent culture might be perceived as a form of "perfection".  At what point does one draw the line, point and say: "Now we have achieved an excellent culture." Once the line is drawn, the excellence achieved, a few will be looking over their shoulder more worried about the achievement of culture vs. the people, purpose and profit of the organization.

Do you look around an organization you lead, are a member of or work for and ask yourself "how long will I put up with this?"  If so, you will not find the answers internally. The answers are external and yes, you can have an impact on the culture at almost any level.

Defined: Organizational culture is the behavior of humans within an organization and the meaning that people attach to those behaviors.

Topics: Recommended Books Leadership Entrepreneurship Business Culture

The Top Contributors to Creating an Excellent Culture [infographic]

Not every leader is capable of leading their team and creating an excellent culture. This infographic points out the important traits necessary to develop an excellent culture:

Topics: Leadership Business Culture

Excellent Cultures are Essential for Innovation in Business

Evaluate the culture of your organization.  It may be time for change but will there be resistance? What are the best steps for improving the business?  Instead of making an educated guess (aka use professional judgment), consider the questions found in a Business Culture MRI:

Topics: Leadership Business Culture