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Office Space Solutions Focus on the Collaborative
Companies are choosing on-demand space, flexible work sites, and communal office layouts in lieu of traditional, hard-wall offices.
Going forward, what trends do you expect in flexibility agility for 2011?
 

Debra Moritz, International Director, Strategic Consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle
In the past, we approached flexibility from a contractual lease structure standpoint, building in aspects such as shorter terms and expansion, contraction, and termination options to support a company’s fluctuating space needs. Now, flexibility is coming increasingly through other means and mechanisms. For instance, since companies are asking for more productivity out of their employees, employees are in turn requesting to be allowed to work in ways that support that increased productivity. Flexible, work-when-you-want programs are a win-win since they support companies’ need for increased output and employees’ need to get the job done in the most effective way possible. Technology is, of course, the main conduit that allows for these advancements. We will begin to see a wider variety of space solutions, with an ultimate move away from controlled, “I” space that belongs to the individual, to a “we” space model that belongs to the company and its collective employee base.

For instance, very few companies are putting in hard-walled enclosed offices. If they have a requirement for the privacy that enclosed offices provide, they instead utilize modular wall systems that can be reconfigured in the future if necessary. Flexible furniture systems that adapt to changing needs are also now the industry norm, and are a cost-effective way to support productivity flexibly. On-demand space solutions are also growing in popularity, with many trophy buildings in urban areas setting aside full floors to serve as flex space for their current tenants, to be rented out monthly and even daily. These flexible, drop-in “community” spaces are a key selling point to prospective tenants looking for flexible expansion space when needed, without the fixed cost. These and other innovations coming through the pipeline will radically transform the way we work, and elevating productivity and collaboration to levels we never dreamed possible before.
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About the Author

Debra Moritz, International Director, Strategic Consulting, Jones Lang LaSalle
Debra Moritz co-founded the Strategic Consulting practice at Jones Lang LaSalle in 1999. She has worked with many clients to align their real estate activities with overall business objectives. She has led strategic planning, organization refinement and relationship management initiatives for AOL Time Warner, Aon Corporation, CIGNA, Citigroup, Corning, EDS, Procter & Gamble, Sara Lee, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Company, and Whirlpool Corporation. Moritz has also worked with clients to design and implement portfolio strategies, using Workplace Strategy as a key tool to incorporate flexibility into occupancy models. She has not only performed extensive research and applied Workplace Strategy for clients, she has put Workplace Strategy into action within her own team.

More articles by Debra Moritz

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