Like the estuary where salt meets fresh water, the workplace is the nexus of change management and space utilization, whether it's physical or virtual, proximate or distributed. The workplace tide is rising - from the bleeding-edge to mainstream practice, and from the days of integration pioneers like Sun, Cisco, Cigna, or Nortel in the 90's to today's continuous workplace focus by myriad companies.

It's happening because of increasing realization that the workplace can serve as a competitive asset as it adds to shareholder value. Workplace is simply becoming more predominant, almost pervasive - to the extent that, one might wonder, is CoreNet Global aptly named for the long run as its members morph rapidly toward world thought and best practices leader status in workplace management?

CoRE 2010's report on The Changing Nature of Work and the Workplace validates the fact that real estate is about managing more than buildings or land. It's an enabler of the globally networked and digitally-based enterprise with the workplace being a key convergence point, about maximizing on the knowledge-based work environment.

Richard Kadzis is senior contributing editor for Corporate Real Estate LEADER magazine, CoreNet Global's official publication. Reach him at industrytracker@corenetglobal.org

CoRE 2010 identifies the key drivers: demographics, technology, globalization, sustainability and public policy. "On the basis of these factors alone, the need for change - and therefore flexibility - is mandatory in the workplace," observes CoreNet Global Director of Global Research Eric Bowles.

Workplace key words are even more abundant, implying a wide spectrum of views, models and solutions. Each in fact is a school of thought, with flexibility - the ability to adapt to the ebb and flow of business cycles - arguably foremost among them.

Flexibility means that buildings, furnishings, and space are planned in anticipation of potential changes in the future not just the space according to the initial requirements. "The definition of flexibility basically boils down to time and range," says Bowles, who is undertaking a study on the multiple meanings of the term for CoreNet Global's Applied Research Center (ARC).

More key terms emerge: life cycle and space utilization. In accounting for these and other concepts like transformation, distributed work, networked work, collaborative work and knowledge-based work, it's clear that CoreNet Global serves as a living laboratory in an estuary teaming with multiple species.

The fact is, the so-called 'design-and-build' segment has considerable impact on our industry, starting with its ability to serve as integrators across the entire life cycle of an asset. And workplace design is a cornerstone of their positioning. CoreNet Global members are the force behind the emergence of both the art and science constituting workplace management, where the tide is constantly shifting.