Caught up in our own little bubble?
Chris Kane
Author, Advisor, Non Executive Director, Co-Founder Everythingomni. President London Irish Amateur RFC
In a world that is fast becoming increasingly interconnected, I wonder if our fixation on the physical space may be our undoing? Yet we (in the commercial property sector) continue to posit views about making the traditional office more attractive in contemplation of a full return to the office. It seems to me that there are lots of folk who yearn for a return to normal and who expect the pendulum to swing back. After all real estate is cyclical, isn’t it?
?Big shift underway
Introspection is one of the defining characteristics of the commercial real estate sector and it could turn out to be our Achilles heel. The behavioural, business, and societal changes brought about by Covid-19 cannot be ignored. At its core, the long-established relationship between people and the office is undergoing a fundamental change. I describe it as a shift from fixed to fluid.
?Heads in the sand?
Judging from reams of social media commentary along with feedback from the recent CoreNet Global summit, it seems that our fixation with a rapid return to the office lies at the heart of our thinking. We continue to create narratives around the need for collaboration etc and how social experiences can be engineered into offices. Is this still realistic? Can we not see the writing on the wall? We ignore the fact that these edifices are an derived from industrial age production line principles and operated by a mechanical focus rather than one focusing on customer experience. Whilst we have seen loads of experience solutions emerging in recent times, they are but a mere Band-Aid sticking plaster approach to what is a system issue.
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?Building bridges of understanding
Having spent years talking about flexible working now that the reality has arrived it is clear that many practitioners are in a state of panic. Do they fear for their jobs whether within internal CRE teams or in service providers? It appears to me that a real schism is opening in our industry. One which pine for a return to the status quo and one which sees the need for system wide change. Can we span this divergence in our thinking?
Has the time arrived when we need to stand back and take a long hard and honest look at our industry? Given the existential risks that our little bubble may be well and truly disrupted, do we need to think afresh about shifting away from a model driven by servitude to one focused on service?
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Strategic Office Networks, LLC and Advisor to the Autonomy Institute
3 年Good article Chris Kane. I suggest there is the topic of 'work' - the doing and the place(s) of work - the physical supportive infrastructure and that both domains are in transition and/or transformation (fixed to fluid). We have a great deal invested in the infrastructure models of past decades and vested interests would like to maximize their returns. Unfortunately for them, the nature of work for many has changed. Then there is the challenge of expanded geographic growth that exceeds existing transportation capacity. In short, changes in the type of work and the locations or workers have. to a certain extent, outgrown our existing infrastructures. I won't even go to the issues of social inequity or extreme climate events, although they must also be part of the discussion. Thanks for your continued advocacy.
Director & Owner at Global Property Strategic Capital Management
3 年Great comments Chris! This debate is far from over and mutitudinous worms have turned!
Connect, Provoke, Promote & Entertain
3 年Absolutely Chris and yet so many are happy to console themselves with proverbial back slapping within the bubble, whilst they patch up its thin film wall.
Advocate, Author & Blogger on everything AGILE
3 年Totally agree. Great piece Chris Kane. While there are no wrong answers, these are the right questions to ask.
Chairman & Principal at FOX Architects. Developing innovative ideas for companies that aspire to be great places to work
3 年Chris Kane Great Question! We have gone through big changes. The shifts are occurring and there is a natural bias for CRE professionals to think office - it is the bubble in which we live. Due to the Pandemic, those who work(ed) in offices have experienced a new freedom - call it flexibility. Common sense says that nobody is willing to give up that freedom, or at least not without the exchange for something more valuable. So therein lies the challenge, can we make the office (or a new work environment) such a great place to be that people see it a a better option than their new found freedom and flexibility. Office occupancy has historically been constrained by cost and efficiency. We need to ask the question - "How can we make the work environment the most desireable, equitable, healthiest, productive, socially interactive and fun place to be - for individuals as well as organizations. Do you think that is even possible? Much of the technology we use has offered us much more time, functions, choice, flexibility, etc., etc. Work environments have been limited by specific functions and activities dictated by an organization, and has generally not contributed to other important aspects of our lives.