Creating a high‐performance workplace: a review of issues and opportunities

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of research to identify the key issues affecting organisations implementing and managing workplace change projects. Design/methodology/approach – A review of literature relating to the constituents of a high‐performance workplace, the impact of workplace change and how workplace performance may be measured, sets the foundation for structured interviews with real estate and facilities executives. Interviews sought to obtain up‐to‐date insights from 17 UK‐based occupiers, drawn from corporate, public and professional services enterprises, which have recently managed accommodation change projects. Findings – The paper identified how occupiers take a variety of ad hoc approaches to delivering workplace change and capturing the benefits through performance measurement. The evidence suggests that occupiers rely on their own experiences in evaluating their progress towards high‐workplace performance and are not constrained by any lack of evidence of a direct link between workplace and individual productivity. Research limitations/implications – The paper is limited in scope by nature of organisations participating in the research, is concentrated on the corporate sector and focuses on headquarters buildings. Originality/value – The paper provides CRE managers with useful guidance on the wider implications of implementing relocation and workplace change projects and consolidates learning from a range of existing academic and industry research papers on measuring productivity impacts of workplace change.