Can NLP help or harm your business?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify what neurolinguistic programming (NLP) is, how it might be useful for individuals and organizations, and to explore the question whether NLP can help or harm a business. The paper also aims to give a balanced view of NLP, outlining how it can benefit organizations but also how it is most useful when it becomes part of everyday life and work and not just a set of tools to use when deemed necessary. Design/methodology/approach – The author draws on his own opinions and experiences from working as a Master Practitioner of NLP for many years and his involvement with setting up and running “The Business Group”, which promotes uses of NLP in organizations. Four key aspects are covered: why knowing more about NLP and its uses might be useful for you and others in your organization; what NLP is and some of the key principles; how it has been used in some organizations; and what you might be able to do with it in the future. Focuses on the main areas where NLP can help an organization: Management and leadership, sales and negotiation, and customer service. Findings – NLP can both help and harm a business. This article only scratches the surface of where NLP can help in the business world. However, there are also ways NLP can harm businesses too, as just being familiar with one or two concepts can do more harm than good. Originality/value – The article aims to help business people become better informed about NLP, its applications both individually and in the workplace and also to dispel some myths about NLP and connotations people may already have with the term.