November 10th, 2011
Posted by:
Ed Noha
Corporate Solutions
With the Summit behind us, we’re all refocusing on our clients and trying to implement the kinds of ideas and innovations we heard about and shared in Atlanta. I was pleased at the warm response to our newly launched IntelliCommand remote facility monitoring and control system—we’re glad that our clients find it as innovative as we think it is. As I wrap up our CoreNet blog until the Singapore Summit next March, I’m glad to have met some new people, gained some fresh insights, and most important, strengthened some long-term relationships, reinforcing CoreNet’s theme of social dynamics and connectivity.
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November 9th, 2011
Posted by:
Jim Dobleske
Corporate Solutions
Kate Vitasek has been at the forefront of supply-chain and outsourcing trends for many years, culminating in her development of the “vested outsourcing” concept. Vested outsourcing is the next generation of outsourcing, designed to create a true win-win relationship for clients and suppliers. Naturally, her CoreNet Global session was well-attended.
To a large degree, the strategic alliance model we use at Jones Lang LaSalle incorporates many vested outsourcing principles. Our business is based on long-term relationships and contracts that may be rebid, renewed without a rebid process, or terminated at any time at the client’s discretion.
Every relationship starts with the formation of key performance indicators, with financial and non-financial measures, to ensure that we win only when the client wins. If the KPIs turn out to be unfair to the client, we want to fix that as quickly as possible. If a contract were set up so that we lose money, many of our clients, I believe, would work with us to find an equitable solution. Most people seem to recognize that partnerships don’t work when one side gains at the expense of the other.
Questions from the audience in Atlanta focused on how to make these principles work. No one questions the value of vested outsourcing, but some CRE organizations are better positioned than others to implement practices that will lead to superior results. It’s not easy. But we are making it work with many of our clients, and it’s clearly the direction our industry is headed.
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November 8th, 2011
Posted by:
Blake Layda
Corporate Solutions
CoreNet Global’s Corporate Real Estate 2020 project has major significance to our industry today. Look back at the similar 2010 project a decade ago, and you’ll see the beginnings of trends that today shape our industry–such as the impact of mobile technology on the workplace and the increasing alignment of CRE strategies with corporate financial goals.
CRE 2020 is another attempt to see the future of corporate real estate. What form will sustainability initiatives take 10 years from now? Will facilities and real estate outsourcing become a form of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) led by procurement teams rather than CRE directors? If mobile devices and cloud computing become business standards, what will be the effect on the workplace?
The Corporate Real Estate 2020 team doesn’t have the answers—yet. But some of the brightest and most forward-thinking minds in our industry are working together on a multi-project to get answers. A workshop to discuss key trends is taking place on both days of the Atlanta Summit.
At Tuesday’s event, I’ll be moderating a discussion on service delivery and outsourcing, to consider ways that CRE and service providers will seek to operate seamlessly across multiple shared services and in global markets. Three other discussions on equally compelling topics will take place simultaneously. So if one conversation doesn’t intrigue you, chances are another one will.
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November 7th, 2011
Posted by:
Steve Jones
Project and Development Services
When you’ve been leading national multi-site project management teams as long as I have, you get used to handling a wide range of assignments. From simultaneous renovation of dozens of retail outlets to equipment installation at tens of thousands of sites, we’ve handled it all.
Sometimes speed is the key factor, such as the time we changed signage at thousands of retail locations literally overnight following a merger of two national chains. Sometimes the challenge lies in managing complexity, like the time we surveyed thousands of uniquely designed food-service outlets for ways to install ovens in each one, with real-time status reports from each location to ensure new menu items coincided with a media blitz in each city.
This year, a major focus has been on portfolio audits to ensure compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as new ADA rules take effect in 2012. And another assignment under way involves building out 2,000 store locations in five Latin American countries as part of our turnkey brand management practice.
The sites may range from retail locations to cell towers to bank branches, but whatever form they take, they help clients overcome portfolio-sized challenges with leading-edge technology and a distributed network of project managers to handle dispersed projects with a high degree of consistency, efficiency and transparency.
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November 7th, 2011
Posted by:
Sahel Pramendra
Regional Managing Director
Delhi, India
The only thing constant is change itself. In times of incredible change and volatility, there is a need to build resilience into one’s organization. Companies that innovate successfully have two common traits: accountability at all levels of the organization, and willingness to raise their game with a lot of singles and doubles rather than focusing on home runs.
As worldwide population crosses 7 billion and shows no sign of slowing down, we’re seeing new trends that will shape our world, such as the growth of new megacities and the population migration in human history from rural to urban areas. The population increase is fueled by huge growth rates in places such as Africa, which is expected to double in population, compared to shrinking population in Japan and some other First World countries.
Another reason population is rising is that people are living longer. This impact is being felt on the labor front, where veteran workers are continuing to work beyond traditional retirement age. The labor pool is also becoming more diverse by age, race and gender, creating new social dynamics in the workplace.
Innovation, particularly driven by the Internet and worker mobility, is opening up markets in areas South and East of traditional European business centers. Today one can get healthcare, automobiles and technology in India at a fraction of the cost of European and American markets. As more people in India and other rising markets gain access to technology, the world could see innovation flowing from those countries back to countries that have been at the forefront of discovery for centuries.
Wherever innovation starts, it’s important that we leverage social and business networks efficiently to help it grow. Business leaders should focus on the quality of information exchange rather than the quantity. And it’s not all about mobile communication – a well-designed workplace continues to be a tremendous way to enable collaboration and productivity.
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