Short-distance relocation management approaches: 5 Cases from Finland Peggie Rothe & Chris Heywood ERES Conference 2014 Bucharest, Romania

Why study organisational short- distance relocation: Choosing new office spaces and relocating thereto is a process that numerous organisations go through each year The process is a significant event in the course of an organisation’s life because –it brings a hiatus to the organisation’s operations –the decisions concerning location and office solution determine the future operating environment which can have a significant impact on productivity, efficiency, workforce satisfaction and the like Background

Relocation is much more than just a location decision The process consists of multiple tasks including, but not limited to: Background –Identifying the business need; –Specifying space requirements; –Deciding whether a new building is required, or whether an existing real estate product might be suitable as is, or with adaptation; –Searching for possible premises; –Evaluating possible premises; –Negotiating with landlords; –Disposal of old premises; –Designing new buildings and/or workplaces; –Managing the employees through change; –Physically moving; –Moving the IT infrastructure; and –Fine ‐ tuning the new workplace and its workplace practices.

Literature on location and site selection decision making Predicts and explains where certain types of organizations are likely to relocate Previous literature Search and decision Design of workplace MoveOccupancyPreparations Literature on change management in workplace change Literature on workplace change Increases knowledge on new ways of working and different workplace solutions Often assesses user experiences as a result of the changes in the physical environment There is to date no studies shedding light on the entire process from the perspective of the occupier organization – how do organizations manage their relocations?

PURPOSE To describe different short ‐ distance relocation management approaches applied by organizations in Finland Purpose of the paper

Methodology Case study –5 organizations Had relocated in HMA within the previous 18 months Different industries (e.g. pharmaceutical, retail, IT) Relocating staff between 45 and 200 employees –32 semi ‐ structure interviews 15 interviewees were company representatives who were actively involved in the process of relocation, making decisions and executing the relocation of their organization; 17 were employees who did not have an assigned role in the process. –Written documents (e.g. memos, s, presentations) received from 4 of the 5 cases –All interviews recorded and transcribed –Analysis using qualitative data analysis software (Atlas.ti)

Findings – 5 unique stories Story A: ”A new beginning in a new space” Story B: ”M&A supported by relocation” Story C: ”More space” Story D: ”Engaging site-selection” Story E: ”Location, location, location”

Findings – 4 management models ”One-man-show” +Efficient process +Efficient decision making -Entire workload in the hands of one person -Possibly subjective decision-making -Non-transparent process, communicates power -No employee engagement or involvement ”Democracy” +High degree of employee involvement +Communicates trust +Workload shared between several people -Possible inefficient decision-making -Possible lack of expertise and uneven workload ”Orchestra” +Workload shared between several people +Employee involvement +Suitable for implementing a vision which requires employee acceptance -Possibly inefficient decision-making -Risk of employees feeling run over ”Caretaker government” +Workload shared between several people +Experts taking care of their own part of the process -Possibly inefficient decision-making -No employee involvement

To sum up… Relocation is not just a location decision or workplace change; it is both Successful relocation requires management of both location and workplace change 4 different models of how to manage the internal process were identified No single ’best’ model, the most appropriate model depends on Process aims Level of change (from logistical move to strategic change) The organization’s situation (e.g. time schedule and resources)

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