Buildings and corporate strategy : towards a management system model

Abstract

This thesis focuses on buildings as a subject of attention and inquiry in a corporate setting. It attempts to draw implications for the design of a management system to deal with the special nature of buildings as a resource. The concepts presented are grounded on organization theory and corporate planning theory. The emphasis and examples are from a research/consultation project for the construction· an real estate division of a large corporation. The study is presented in four parts. First. the question "what makes a good building?" serves as a starting point for a reconnaissance of different roles and perceptions that define the human environment for the management system. Understanding these perceptions is important in dealing with tensions and conflicts that arise within the organization that may impact the value of buildings as a resource. Here. special attention is given to the perceptions of architects and managers. The second part examines the special circumstances surrounding buildings as a corporate resource in order to derive conclusions about their role in strategic planning. Three levels of decision making are presented as part of a strategic planning model: corporate, division and function. It is argued that in this scheme, a construction and real estate group in the corporation is a function level operation. The types of decision making associated with the group are presented. The third part presents a learning/adapting management system and examines its main elements. Drawing upon work in environment-behavior. statistical quality control and decision support systems (DSS), it defines an integrated model of a management system for building- related activities. Examples of the use of the DSS are given. The fourth and final part takes a look back at the territory covered and a look forward to suggest future developments of the model.