Coming November 17, 2026

The FunctionalWorkplace

How Great Leaders Make Work Actually Work

Burnout. Disengagement. Empty desks. Meeting overload. The Functional Workplace helps you look beyond the symptoms and change the conditions that shape how people work.

Pre-order on Amazon Kindle

Kindle edition available November 17, 2026

The Functional Workplace by John Kline book cover — By John Kline

Inside the book

You cannot fix a systemic problem with a surface solution.

Presence gets mistaken for productivity. Comfort for commitment. Rules for behavior change. This book connects what people need with what you can change, before you reach for another policy, perk, or floor plan.

If a leader cannot use the tool Monday morning, the tool is too complicated.

Five human needs

Energy, autonomy, belonging, purpose, and clarity. A starting point for understanding what helps people work and what wears them down.

Seven workplace elements

Intent, choice, movement, connection, focus, environment, and adaptability. The parts you can align around the work.

One operating rhythm

Align. Analyze. Activate. See what is happening, make one useful move, and learn before scaling.

For leaders, HR, corporate real estate, and design teams shaping how people work.

The practice

Start with one small move.

One friction point. One useful question. One thing you can make better.

Align

Know what you’re trying to support

Analyze

See what’s actually happening

Activate

Make one thing better

About the author

John Kline

John Kline leads Strategic Solutions at CBI Workplace Solutions, helping organizations align space, behavior, and business goals. He wrote The Functional Workplace to give leaders practical tools for understanding what gets in the way of work and deciding what to change first.

Pre-order on Amazon Kindle

Kindle edition available November 17, 2026