Corpra

REAL ESTATE - Never just a lump of concrete and glass

The single most powerful symbolic manifestation any organisation has is corporate real estate. It has the power to have both positive and negative effects on customers, employees and stakeholder behaviour. Therefore, real estate must be aligned to support business strategy.

Real estate is frequently an organisation's single largest tangible asset, and typically the second largest annual cost after wages. Therefore, its strategic value must be optimised.

Corporate real estate is inflexible and illiquid, and can be slow to respond to market conditions. Therefore, risk needs managing, so that real estate does not become an inhibitor to change.

Corporate real estate can be used as a technology to facilitate competitiveness.

From research we know that there are four key issues facing organisations today.

1. Reduction in the cost base

2. Improvement of revenue streams

3. Expansion into new markets

4. Recruitment and retention of staff

A properly designed and implemented real estate strategy will help achieve these objectives, whilst providing a motor for change.

PROCESSES

Processes is the glue that makes people effective in organisations and optimise the Adam Smith principles of Division of Labour. Poor processes can have the exact opposite impact, adversely impacting the way employees behave and customer experience.

Process mapping and alignment to organisational purpose is as much an art as a science. The scientific element is relatively easy to understand - the core value chain of an organisation. You can draw it and see it. The impact on behaviour of people working at different stages of the value chain is much harder to predict, understand, manage and especially change. The same process in different cultures can produce different results. So what does motivate people and aligning performance and success criteria are critical.

GOVERNANCE AND RISK

A comprehensive risk mitigation approach must identify and evaluate potential risks to the business, determine how to mitigate exposure, and manage those risks in the most efficient and effective way possible. Integrated business solutions that combine governance, risk, and compliance provide your business with a strategic weapon to protect your brand and reputation, control uncertainty, optimize opportunity, and free resources for innovation and growth.