In the new environment, says Shepherd, the substance of the work output is changing with the way it is getting done. As recently as the early '90s, people were spending 80 percent of their time in their offices processing paperwork and 20 percent doing knowledge work. Today at the upper levels of advanced multinationals in the UK, this has reversed and the knowledge work is not necessarily being done in an office. The BT Concept Shepherd feels the IT revolution will shrink firms' real estate requirements. So today, we have to shift the emphasis to managing people rather than real estate, if we want to get more productivity out of our property.
Work is no longer necessarily in an office.
It is an activity that can take place anywhere. This is uncomfortable news for people in the property business. But these are the facts. The BT concept emphasizes productivity rather than space. Therefore, buildings have to be reconfigured to provide a large amount of collaborative space.