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Keywords Flexible working, Facilities management, Space planning
Abstract There is considerable debate in both the management and property literature on how human and physical resources can become more flexible in order to be able to respond to the dynamic business environment. Often there is an implication that if staff are working in more flexible ways then the property must also be more flexible. However there are numerous sources of flexibility for both these resources. In terms of staff flexibility can be defined in terms of contractual time and location elements. For property, flexibility comes from the financial contracts, physical layout and functional opportunities. There is not necessarily a direct link between the flexibility requirements in these two resources. However, it is clear that the demand drivers for office space are changing. The increase in use of information and communications technology (ICT) has had a direct impact on the underlying business processes and thus the breadth and balance of activities which office space needs to support. ICT has also been key in facilitating the staff flexibility. Together these have led to the development of a new strategy for managing workplaces which differentiates between where the space is located, the way in which the space is designed and how it is used. The challenge for corporate real estate managers is to get beyond the rhetoric of flexibility and understand how space can best support ever-changing business processes.
Introduction
Flexibility is a key concern for managers in today's fast changing environment. This is a theme that reoccurs in both the general management and the real estate literature. In both instances the impetus is to find ways in which the organisation and its real estate can respond quickly to changes in the marketplace, which are occurring at an ever-increasing pace.
In the general management literature, flexibility is discussed at both the organisational and employee level. Organisations have sought ways to adapt and become more agile. This has been achieved by a flattening of hierarchies and a focus on core competencies. Similarly, individuals are increasingly expected to be flexible in their approach to their jobs and to develop a range of skills to allow them to move between a variety of activities. Employers are expected to be...