The Leader - September/October 2008 - (Page 62) lea DIN G IN ch a lleN GIN G tIme s : aDDI NG aG I lI tY, BuI lDI NG G lo Bal co mp e tI tI v e Ne s s initiatives like work force so that we’re prepared for the next cycle. You need investors in the community with that long-term view to partner with. leaDer/cpN: at the table. There’s always a focus on cost, but the discussion is changing. We’ve seen more focus on subjects like employee productivity and how we can really support mobile knowledge workers, not just on cost. ellzeY: dous partnership for Workplace Resources at Sun. Understanding the carbon footprint of facilities is a natural leadership opportunity for CRE. tamBurro: Are you getting more of a seat at the table because of the economy? harrIs: At Sun Microsystems, we’ve been fortunate. We’ve had a seat at the table for quite a number of years. But I think every year we have to re-up it. We’ve been able to do it, yet one thing you learn is that regardless of cycles, as long as you’re responding to the needs of the company, you’re going to keep a seat at the table. zamora: We’ve had a seat at the table for a long time. We’ve been working a bottom-up and top-down model. Our interaction is at two levels, the Senior Leadership Level of SVPs and the EVPs as our global business heads and the Local/Country Level. This enables us to work both from the bottom and top ends of the corporation. This approach has enabled our Workplace Resources group to become the glue holding it together because we have touch points across the whole enterprise. BertasI: The key to getting a seat at the table is having a clear message about the priorities and contributions of the real estate function, and its ability to make meaningful contributions to the corporation’s goals. Given current conditions, we are certainly seeing opportunities for our clients to do just that. Whether invited to the table or not, it’s always smart for real estate organizations to have their “executive message” ready. Times like these provide the perfect opportunity to deliver them proactively without waiting to be asked. olhasso: Sustainability runs through our DNA, through every job and work stream at Nokia. We’re part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, so we’re very much committed. BertasI: We’re also listed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and we’re - surprising to some - a Fortune 50 company. We’re actually a diversified company with manufacturing in industries like automotive. We have this enormous footprint and tool kit of hardware and services that we can deliver to help our CRE clients with sustainable practices. zamora: One way we’re addressing this shift in the economic development context is building a complete community. As we updated our growth strategy with end users, they told us they came because there’s a complete community where people can start a career, raise a family and eventually retire all in the same area. We have to keep up our education and training to compete globally and provide talent to the employers. leaDer/cpN: At Cisco, 81 percent of the employees say it’s exceptionally or very important. But sustainability is also about social responsibility, and there is distinct financial benefit to practicing it, just like Nokia and others have seen. ellzeY: It’s interesting for us at Johnson Controls, we don’t see a better or more frequent seat at the table because of the economy. The reality is, there are defined processes and systems for how to take cost out and how to grow. What actually has changed the seat at the table are sustainability and mobility. They are highly relevant to the labor strategy and bring lots of added value. tamBurro: How big an impact is the sustainability wave having on CRE? harrIs: For some time now, we’ve had a seat We’ve seeing a massive push for green. The company hired a VP of EcoResponsibility three or so years ago to influence our product development to gain energy, space and cost savings in the datacenter. It’s turned out to be a tremen- It’s certainly a huge focus for us. We have publicly committed to be carbon neutral by 2010 and are very focused on that. We’re embedding sustainability into the delivery of service lines and mainstreaming green practices. We also see a lot of interest in sustainability among the Generation Y demographic, which is shaping both our client’s thinking about workplace strategy, as well as our own. leaDer/cpN: One last question: What is the core value proposition for CRE today and tomorrow? 2 0 0 8 th e le aDe r 62 septemBer / octoBer
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