People and Teams

People and Teams

People and Teams Stories
Acknowledging Work Effort Can Increase Productivity and MotivationSteve Berczuk writes on the importance of acknowledgement in making people feel good about work. Simply acknowledging someone’s effort can lead to increased engagement and motivation—and result in more productivity.
IBM Supercomputer Watson Now a Customer Service AgentWatson, IBM’s supercomputer that was introduced to the world on Jeopardy!, is trying out a new gig as a customer service agent. The artificial intelligence system will use its capacity to respond to natural language by answering call center customer service requests from everyday people.
How to Fire an Employee RespectfullyIf you’ve ever been laid off, downsized, dismissed, let go, or any of the other fifty or more euphemisms for “fired,” you know how gut-wrenching it can be. And doing the firing is not without its own trauma. Naomi Karten gives some advice on how to fire an employee as respectfully as possible.
Earth's Startling Changes Shown via Timelapse by GoogleGoogle worked with the US Geological Survey, NASA, and TIME magazine to compile and release more than thirty years’ worth of images of Earth taken from space—using Google Earth Engine technology—into an interactive time-lapse experience.
The Office: Recipe for Crafting a Creative Culture

Not every office is going to be the perfect environment for everyone, but there are certain factors that encourage people to feel inspired and respected. Are you creating a healthy environment for your teams? It's really not as difficult as you might think.

Using Social Media to Stay Connected and Engaged with End-UsersIn the days before social networking was widely used, connecting with end-users wasn’t a very feasible and easy process. Rajini Padmanaban looks at what it means to be connected and engaged with end-users given the prevalence of social media.
Create a Vendor Contract While Keeping AgileWorking with vendors can pose challenges to an agile team, especially when it comes to contracting practices. How do you deal with contract relationships when trying to follow a philosophy that values collaboration over negotiation? Kent McDonald gives some suggestions for creating agile contracts.
Help New Employees Get Off to a Good StartWhen there’s no formal plan for helping new employees get started, those first few days can be mighty awkward. And no one wants mind-numbing orientation presentations. Naomi Karten provides some ideas you can implement to make new hires feel welcome, even before their first day at your workplace.