For several years our industry has pushed for the shift from ownership of space – as in your own office / workstation or your department’s conference room – to the sharing place.  In large part, this has been driven by the need to reduce the cost of real estate for organizations by trying to increase the utilization of  space used.  However, in my experience, there’s been significant reluctance due to our culture of ownership(especially here in the U.S.) . 
Last May at TEDx Sydney Rachel Botsman presented “The Case for Collaborative Consumption” and how several factors, including the proliferation of sharing websites, are having an impact on shifting our behaviors  from individual ownership to sharing.  She identifies 4 key drivers that are “fusing together and creating the big shift towards collaborative consumption”

A renewed belief in the importance of community
A torrent of peer-to-peer social networks and real-time technologies
Pressing unresolved environmental concerns
A global recession that has fundamentally shocked consumer behaviors

She also attributes the increase in this phenomenon to the “digital natives or Gen Y” and the ease of mobile collaboration – “they are growing up sharing…it’s second nature to them…moving us from a culture of me to a culture of we”. 

Her talk makes a strong case (using several internet examples like Zipcar, Swaptree and Landshare) that our consumer behaviors are changing due to the 4 points listed above that are being enabled by technology, mobility and a younger generation where sharing is second nature.
I believe Rachel’s presentation provides our industry with a few related examples, benefits and ideas for future opportunities around the idea sharing in an effort to reduce real estate, space and resource consumption faced by many [...]

 
Imagine many years ago you started your own business and with hard work created a successful enterprise.  Suddenly you are forced to leave your city because your livelihood and, more importantly, your life, are threatened.  For many in Mexico, this has become a reality due to the warring drug cartels seeking to dominate and control the highly lucrative drug, gun, and human trafficking business. 
For this story I won’t go into all the details but what’s relevant is that many people are extorted and kidnapped by the cartels to raise money for weapons and resources to fuel their operations.  This happens to the small “mom and pop” businesses as well as larger organizations with many employees. 
It’s the latter that this post focuses on because the smaller businesses typically don’t have the means to relocate – they either succumb to the extortion or go out of business altogether.  Many of the more affluent and higher profile business owners have chosen to relocate across the border or somewhere else in Mexico that’s potentially safer and where they can maintain greater anonymity.
Since my wife is from Mexico and her family has two primary businesses, I am observing the reaction to this crisis firsthand.  My wife’s family owns and operates an educational institution and a construction firm.  The challenge for them, which is the focus of this article, is how to effectively run and manage your business remotely with little planning or expertise. 
This week we are visiting my wife’s family for the first time since they have [...]

A few years ago when things were hopping and there was intense competition for talent a lot of recommendations were made to improve the workplace that bordered on silly.  For example, how many of you remember the push to incorporate table games, soft seating and BEAN BAGS?  Well, thanks to BT Business we can remind ourselves how well some of these ideas worked…

What crazy ideas do you remember?

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As workplace specialists, our team gets to see quite a variety of office work environments for a wide range of clients.  Some of these places make you wonder how in the world people drag themselves out of bed in the morning and look forward to a productive day.  Frequently, the people we are helping tell us that they are doing great work in spite of their facilities because they are committed to the organization and love their work.  Usually they’re quite proud and will gladly show you how they have overcome their human bento box and the innovative alterations they’ve completed to make their space more habitable.

For some it’s a matter of personalization so everyone knows what a hardcore NASCAR fan they are or what their religious preference is by erecting a beanie baby shrine in their cubicle.   For others, it’s a reflection of their hoarding instincts – just imagine if this person had an obsession with felines.

There are those who are concerned with organizational effectiveness and make gestures to enhance collaboration through vain attempts of using underutilized space to encourage interaction – even if it requires bringing your own chair.

On the other hand, there are individuals whose work is extremely confidential and as a result have devised unique solutions to make sure no one accesses classified information or raids their M&M jar.   In this instance, a potted plant has been firmly planted to conceal the cubicle entry and subliminally but effectively state “keep out”.   However, its effectiveness is curtailed by the fact that [...]