The Leader - July/August 2008 - (Page 21)

o r ga N Iz a tIoNa l desIgN : lea dI Ng practI ce coNsI de ratIoN s fo r co rp o rate re al e s t at e ent ways. Leaner CRE/W organizations tend to embed the CRM function as part of an operational role, with designated CRM responsibilities (survey indicates that only 3 of 26 organizations with 25,000 or less employees have dedicated CRMs). Larger, more complex organizations may have dedicated assigned roles to single or multiple customer groups. Regardless of the structure, it is critically important to define the competencies and skill-sets that the CRM needs to possess and also the processes and activities that would be conducted on a regular basis. In some cases, CRM is structured at the shared-services level, as part of an ongoing effort to streamline administrative tasks for the front-line business groups. In the case of a centralized, shared services level CRM model, the CRE/W function will need to provide subject matter expertise and be brought to the senior management discussions for strategic advice about real estate and workplace levers, opportunities and options. So, how do you know that CRM truly brings benefits to CRE/W management? Based on recent “Voice of the Customer” discussions, we know that customers value, to the extent possible, a single point of accountability. More often than not, the customer perspective has been “If it’s not broken, then I don’t need to deal with it. And if I need to deal with it, don’t ask me to navigate the organization of the CRE/W department. Give me one person to speak with who can answer my questions and get the work done.” strategIc plaNNINg as a dIscIplINe aNd capaBIlIty Definition: Strategic planning is an orga- nization’s process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people (www.Wikipedia.com). CRE/W strategic planning, similar to the above definition, is about an organization’s process of defining the strategy for real estate and workplace decisions and coordinating the allocation of staff and capital resources towards workplace programs, projects, and initiatives. Strategic planning in this context is broader than just a restacking or masterplanning exercise. It is about harnessing all the data points and reviewing competing demands on a portfolio-wide basis, to yield specific programs or projects that will be funded and executed in the coming year(s). The comprehensive data set should include site information, operational information, demand forecasting, portfolio and lease data, master planning information, capital investment constraints, tax assessment data, labor market and demographic information, subsidies and incentives, real estate market data, total cost of ownership/ service, and ROI analysis. Typically, this strategic planning cycle may be a rolling 12-18 month assessment cycle that adjusts for divergent scenarios as business context and conditions change. For some companies, growing out of the ‘bricks and mortar’ real estate, engineering and site services approach, deploying strategic real estate/workplace planning with a comprehensive portfolio-wide or global view is challenging. The latency of the industry in adopting strategic planning has much to do with the maturity of the CRE/W organizations. It is encouraging to see that nearly 50 percent of all survey respondents indicate having a defined, dedicated strategic planning capability for portfolio-wide CRE planning. As organizations move toward greater centralization and step-up the maturity curve to strategic partner and visionary status, a comprehensive assessment becomes increasingly achievable (see Figure 4). In addition to slow evolution, the industry has been data challenged until the last decade or so. In fact, 58 percent of all respondents either have a decentralized approach to managing data and related technologies or have not integrated technologies to enable decision analytics without vast amounts of prep-work. With recent efforts by OSCRE (Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate) and the IWMS (Integrated Workplace Management Solution) proponents, true visibility into the state of enterprise assets is just becoming a reality. Many companies are still on a journey to establishing a sustainable framework for informing proper strategic planning processes and analytics through the use of technology. This journey is well under way, with 42 percent of the survey respondents having fully integrated tools and/or an IWMS in place. About 24 percent of respondents intend to integrate CRE/W technologies in the near future (see Figure 5). Data also indicates a high correlation of companies with a dedicated strategic planning capability being supported by centralized technologies (nearly 80 percent, whether stand-alone or integrated). Conversely, the companies with a decentralized approach to data tracking, using excel spreadsheets, paper and other methods, tend to have a lower level of strategic planning capability (see Figure 6). the le ade r 21 J u ly / a u g u s t http://www.Wikipedia.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The Leader - July/August 2008

The Leader - July/August 2008 Leadership Contents Message from the CEO Real Estate in the News Organizational Design Accommodating Growth Responding to the Challenge EMEA's Building Energy Rating TVA's Shortcut to Success ANZ Banking Group’s Jane Hamilton Tractus Asia’s Dennis Messeroll Arizona’s Greg Weiner Workplace Design Workplace Directory The Texas Report Industry Tracker Discovery Forum Findings Career Development Congratulations to 2008 Corenet Global Award Winners! Young Leader Economic Development in the News Connect with Corenet Global A Look Ahead

The Leader - July/August 2008

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