BY MICHAEL CHASEN @MICHAELCHASEN

One of business's greatest practices--brainstorming--and one of life's greatest pleasures--eating--commonly happen around a table. It is only natural that the two should meet.

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From King Arthur's Knights of the Round Table to Dorothy Parker's Algonquin Round Table, some historic gatherings have happened at, obviously, tables. While most tables aren't, of course, as famous as those, most tables--in offices, anyway-- have been the site of conversations that are important in their own right.

One of business's greatest practices--brainstorming--and one of life's greatest pleasures--eating--commonly happen around a table. It is only natural that the two should meet. At SocialRadar, they regularly do--by design.

As CEO of my previous company, Blackboard, I had an office to myself. To speak with me, an employee would have to make an appointment. I understand the reasoning, but I discovered deficits, too.

In planning the office layout for SocialRadar, my primary goal was to create a space that would stimulate collaboration. No cubicles, no offices with doors, no blocked-off areas. I feel that with such barriers gone, productivity increases.

Employees sit in table formations of eight, all in the same large space--me included. Now I don't interact with employees only when they make an appointment with a concern but on an everyday basis. I'm part of their discussions and they're part of mine. As anyone in business knows, sometimes the most exciting ideas ignite not during meetings but on the fly. We wanted our entire office to be "on the fly." Many forward-thinking suggestions are made not in meetings but casually, around our workstations.

Just as many ideas arise in our dining room. We might as well call it the "mining room," because it's where we naturally mine our minds for ways to improve our product, our marketing, our company as a whole. Free associating goes down easier when sushi, pizza, or Mexican is going down with it.

Mondays and Thursdays are SocialRadar "work late nights," when everyone is expected to stay till 8:30 p.m. and we order in dinner for the company. By formalizing when people should stay late, it helps employees better plan their calendars...but more importantly, it shows them that the company values a life/work balance. ("Life" is first on purpose.) It's common knowledge and perfectly defensible that people typically put in long hours at startups, and we certainly welcome that commitment, but we know overworked people are not in our best interest.

Consistent with the floor plan of our workstation area, our eating area is not a series of small unconnected tables but rather one large, long table. Whether two or twelve people are eating, they're eating together. And away from workstations, subconsciously or psychologically, they might be less hesitant with their thinking. Our group dinners may seem nonchalant, but we're simultaneously nourishing ourselves, our social relationships, and the health of the company.

What do you think? Is this something you can benefit from or do you have a few tricks up your sleeve that are just as powerful? Make your voice heard by leaving a comment below. Don’t forget to hit the share button if you know others who will find this post useful.

I.C. Collins ~ Author, Educator, Trainer and President: Has One Simple Goal: Improve a Million Automotive Sales Consultants Lives with our ebook "How to Succeed in the Automotive Sales Industry"

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