Environmental psychologists are the design mavens of the scientific world. We’re the folks who concentrate our attention on how sensory experiences, psychosocial factors such as needing a territory, and basic psychological drives like having control over our physical environment, interact with personality and national culture to influence how attitudes and actions are affected by being in one space or another. Several dozen of us, working around the world, are moving what scientists have learned about how humans experience space from the dark corners of academia into the light of design practice, where it can make people’s lives better.

The best leaders understand that the current success of their business, and any future innovation, depends upon the “deep smarts” of their employees — the business-critical, experience-based knowledge that employees carry with them. Leaders with a passion for developing employees’ skills, and those who understand the need to transfer knowledge among generations of workers, know how important it is to link in-house education to strategic planning.

Managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement scores across business units, Gallup estimates. This variation is in turn responsible for severely low worldwide employee engagement. Gallup reported in two large-scale studies in 2012 that only 30% of U.S. employees are engaged at work, and a staggeringly low 13% worldwide are engaged. Worse, over the past 12 years these low numbers have barely budged, meaning that the vast majority of employees worldwide are failing to develop and contribute at work.