The Leader - January/February 2012 - (Page 16)
reaL estate ManageM ent Making Mobility Stick: Seven Insights for Increasing Adoption of Your Workplace Mobility Program By Francisco J. acoBa, Mcr and sLcr; JaMes M. Baker, Mcr; HeatHer McnaMara; and kennetH Meyer M any organizations are adopting and implementing different kinds of workplace mobility programs, ranging from work-from-home arrangements targeted at certain populations to enterprise-wide alternative workplace strategies that embrace various degrees of mobility and flexibility. To align business unit leaders and build support, a critical early step is a well-socialized business case that articulates what the program is (and isn’t) and how to measure effectiveness. Answering the question, “Why are we doing this?” in a way that is persuasive and tied to the business is critical. Regardless of the scale or flavor of your workplace mobility program, managing change is a consistent and predictable challenge for its adoption. Because of the complexity of the potential change and the cross-functional nature of managing these programs, leaders should build an integrated and broad change management plan to accelerate both the adoption of new work practices and the realization of expected benefits. This article addresses seven critical insights for developing an effective workplace mobility change management program. cross-functional strategic goals to enlist broader support. Insight #2: Walk the Talk When executives demonstrate new virtual work behaviors, it reinforces a strong message that it is truly about the results you produce and less about where you go each day. It also sends the message that even senior leaders are willing to change their work style for the benefit of the organization and their own productivity. Moreover, it minimizes a common misperception of employees that by working virtually, they are somehow less relevant and thus more likely to be let go when times get tough. Leaders “walking the talk” is about deliberately finding ways to demonstrate executive buy-in. Insight #1: Build a Coalition of Support Leaders should not undertake this journey alone. Regardless of which area of the organization is leading the workplace mobility program, it is critical to form a coalition of support consisting of corporate real estate (CRE), human resources, IT and finance leaders, as workplace mobility substantially impacts each of these areas. Decisions about HR policies, space use, workplace design components, chargebacks, tax implications, technology infrastructure and considerations for worker stipends need to be thought through in detail for the workplace mobility program to be effective. It is imperative that CRE executives consider looking for ways that these programs align with Insight #3: Support Middle Management Middle management is often one of the toughest groups to convince that there are benefits to workplace mobility pro- 2 0 1 2 tH e Lea der 16 January / FeBruary
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.