The Leader - May/June 2008 - (Page 25)

W o r k WitH ou t B ou n Da r ies: Fl e xi Ble W o rkp lace s o FFe r s trate G i c Bus i ne s s aDv anta G e s it is worth their time. Similarly, people who work remotely may experience fewer distractions – fewer people stopping by their desks to chat or have informal discussions, for example. Another advantage to a decentralized approach to real estate is the ability for a company to be in the right place at the right time. In Polycom’s case, that means getting closer to customers. Using pre-equipped business centers, Polycom can place its sales teams strategically – in first-class office space downtown or near major freeways and airports – at a fraction of the cost to establish a traditional lease in the same location. And being nearby when customers need help can make any sales office more productive. tHe cHallenGe aHeaD To overcome these challenges, employers and employees alike must adopt a new mindset regarding remote working. a tWo-pronGeD approacH gic business model that today’s talented workers prize, and tomorrow’s successful companies undoubtedly will pursue. aBout tHe autHors While the benefits – and the growing business imperative – of providing a more flexible work environment are becoming apparent, managing this kind of change presents several major challenges. To begin, many organizations lack the necessary experience to manage a distributed work force. For decades, most companies have built and expanded working practices around a business assumption that the bulk of their employees will be in one place at the same time. There are also challenges from the employee perspective. Many remote workers feel isolated, cut off from the rest of the company, and lacking the support and professional resources their office-based counterparts enjoy. While their output may increase, they may long for the social interaction and team collaboration that face-to-face environments create. A true mobile work philosophy goes far beyond allowing employees to log on from home or some remote outpost. Creating an efficient, innovative, and high-performing distributed work force requires two core capabilities: n Advanced technology and communications infrastructure to keep workers connected – not just to the Internet, but to the pulse and nerve center of the organization. n Access to office resources regardless of location, accommodating homebased workers, satellite offices, and frequent travelers with the same tools and services. Most companies aren’t meeting both of these needs on their own. And when they are, most aren’t doing it cost-effectively. This is where workplace service providers come in. Like the Polycom examples mentioned earlier, companies are increasingly turning to outsourced solutions that allow their employees to work wherever, whenever, and however they choose. Networks of business lounges, drop-in offices and meeting rooms, videoconferencing, virtual offices, and other workplace options enable mobile workers to stay connected, collaborate and innovate in unique ways that work best for them. Whether it’s a start-up firm or a multinational corporation, thinking past the outdated notion of the “central office” and embracing the inevitability of a mobile work force is what it truly means to work without boundaries. It’s a strate- Mark Dixon is Chief Executive Officer of The Regus Group, Plc, the world’s largest provider of workplace solutions. Regus operates a global network of more than 950 business centers in 400 cities and 70 countries. Garth Hobden is Vice President and Treasurer of Polycom, Inc., the worldwide leader in unified collaborative communications (UCC) that maximize the efficiency and productivity of people and organizations. For more information on this topic, go to CoreNet Global’s Knowledge Center Online. Hewlett Packard’s Move to Mobility: TopDown Workplace Transformation Integral to Enterprise Strategy http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/ kcoAsset?assetInode=3326031 Leveraging Technology to Increase Corporate Real Estate’s Value Proposition to the Enterprise http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/ kcoAsset?assetInode=1993581 tHe le aDe r 25 MaY / j u n e 2008 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=3326031 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=3326031 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=1993581 http://www2.corenetglobal.org/dotCM5/kcoAsset?assetInode=1993581

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - May/June 2008

The Leader - May/June 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Green Real Estate Work Without Boundries Building Flexibility Into the Business Strategy Multi-Generational Work-Force Design Work Force Longevity Analysis Wells Fargo's David Nelson Pennsylvania's Michael Rossman Globalization 2.0 Site Selection Consultant Directory The New York Report: A Core of Traditional and State-of-the-Art Opportunities Discovery Forum Findings Industry Tracker Young Leader Career Development Effective Leadership Economic Development in the News A Look Ahead In Our Next Issue Calendar of Seminars Index of Advertisers Executive Development Spotlight

The Leader - May/June 2008

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