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Faster, Higher, Stronger

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

Lee ElliottLee Elliott
Corporate Research
Jones Lang LaSalle EMEA Research

So the CoreNet Summit rolls into the majestic Olympic City once more.  There will be energy.  There will be debate.  There will be … let’s just say the bars will be well stocked in anticipation of arrivals.  And, to be fair, the challenges facing CRE professionals right now are enough to turn anyone to drink. 

Persistent uncertainty in the operating environment has placed an even stronger set of demands on CRE teams.  The need for survival strategies may have receded to an extent, but greater engagement between the C-suite and the CRE function has meant that demands have had to be met with speedier and stronger responses.

But while the pressure is clearly mounting, opportunity is growing too. If previous summits are anything to go by, a key theme this week will be how to elevate the status and impact of CRE within organisations.  I’m sure there will be many suggestions. What is transparent though is that, in order to rise to a higher level, CRE teams will need to be more than just smart and speedy operators within the real estate markets.  They will also need to grapple with the bigger issues that will really shape the future resilience and productivity of their businesses.  In short, they will need to tackle the workplace – but it is an issue that needs to be addressed from a much different starting point than most of current practice.

Our white paper, being launching at the Summit, will provide some strong pointers to the behavioural traits required to have heightened impact.  More on that from me and others soon; but for now, I’m off to the bar!

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Smarter space won’t be more productive if the workers aren’t on board.

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

Jan C. LaufsJan C. Laufs
Management Board Germany

This is my first CoreNet event and I’m looking forward to meeting a wide spectrum of people from across the industry and having insightful discussions. The summit program certainly seems to strike a chord with topical issues that I’m close to in Germany, in particular workplace productivity.

I only know a few people who wouldn’t agree that the workplace is an essential component for cost efficiency, enhanced productivity and the satisfaction of the most valuable resource – people.  However, the assumption should not be made that what the ‘C suite’, CRE professionals and advisers think ‘ticks all the boxes’. In Germany, the works’ councils within companies are fierce protectors of employee working conditions and rights, and so are also a key ‘sign off’ to workplace changes – getting them ‘on board’ is a major consideration in implementing a successful workplace strategy. Creating the right product, ‘selling’ the benefits (and even downsides) transparently and delivering it effectively are all part of winning employee ‘hearts and minds’ and, ultimately, improving their productivity and satisfaction.

I’m keen to find out from others at the summit if and how this challenge is being faced elsewhere within EMEA and across the globe, and to also share my insights.

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‘Transformation’ and ‘Extreme Makeovers’ are in the air.

Tuesday, September 18th, 2012

Tom CarrollTom Carroll
Corporate Research
Jones Lang LaSalle EMEA Research

This being my first CoreNet summit, I did wonder what the atmosphere would be like. Would it be conservative and preoccupied with ongoing economic anxieties and operating challenges? Or would it be excited and energized, and eager for a new phase of change and transformation in corporate real estate.

The programme certainly seems to focus on sharing solutions to the many challenges that have been thrown at the CRE executive in recent years. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing how one of the sectors most impacted by operating turbulence and change – Financial Services – has adapted, at two great-looking sessions. One of them being the ‘Extreme Makeover’ on Tuesday!

I’m expecting the workplace to be a huge theme. With many firms having ‘dug deep’ and extracted a lot of the obvious cost from portfolios, more significant moves will be needed to drive productivity and performance – not only from real estate – but people too. Our latest Research report assesses some of the behavioural changes CRE leaders will need to embrace as part of this shift, and I’m keen to hear the views of the wider industry on how this debate is moving.

I look forward to reporting back on the overall mood tomorrow – not to mention the results of my ‘Extreme Makeover’.

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Congratulations to our Xbox winner!

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

A big CONGRATULATIONS to Elliot Lewis from General Electric in the UAE for winning an Xbox 360 console with Kinect. Elliot was the winner of our lucky draw, having completed the Jones Lang LaSalle productivity survey.

You can still participate in the survey online at www.formstack.com/forms/joneslanglasalle-corenet_productivity_survey_2012

We look forward to sharing the results with you soon!

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Keeping our heads above water?

Thursday, March 29th, 2012

Posted by:  Tim Venable, V.P. Knowledge Services, CoreNet Global

Keynote speaker Jonathan Pain outlined the “great divide” in today’s world: emerging markets and submerging markets. What will it take to get the US and other developed economies back to the surface, with their heads above water?

Tim

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