Nokia's Corporate Culture Challenge: a Case Study
The creation of a truly global economy and increasing pressure on companies to find and retain top talent have caused changes in the real estate management arena to occur at breakneck speed. Increasingly, commercial tenants are using revamped, top-of-the-- line office space as an incentive to attract candidates and to improve overall productivity.
Whether it's a foosball table and first-class catered lunches in a company cafeteria, an in-house workout facility and track, or a masseuse who occupies an office next to the mailroom, real estate managers are being asked more and more frequently to build and retrofit facilities to accommodate their tenants' newest recruiting tool. Tenants want to recreate their office space so that it's more than just a place to work. In fact, they want to build an environment where individuals are immersed in the corporate culture and can interact with the company and fellow employees on a variety of levels.
As a world leader in mobile phone technology, Nokia was faced with a daunting task when the company decided to significantly expand its New England operations in Burlington, MA, in the fall of 1999. The rapid growth of the company, combined with Nokia's expanding investment in research and development, led to the plan for a new 135,000-square-- foot Northeast region headquarters building. Called Nokia House Boston, the new project presented an exciting opportunity to integrate as much of the Nokia cultural heritage as possible. It also called for cooperation and teamwork between designers, property management, and client to redesign an existing property to fit its new vision. Nokia wanted to combine Scandinavian and New England design elements with the corporations goal of providing open working spaces and an environment which promoted coworker contact and interaction.
Cultivating Corporate Culture
Nokia corporate culture is one of the company's strategic and competitive advantages. Even the company's catch phrase,
Whether it's a foosball table and first-class catered lunches in a company cafeteria, an in-house workout facility and track, or a masseuse who occupies an office next to the mailroom, real estate managers are being asked more and more frequently to build and retrofit facilities to accommodate their tenants' newest recruiting tool. Tenants want to recreate their office space so that it's more than just a place to work. In fact, they want to build an environment where individuals are immersed in the corporate culture and can interact with the company and fellow employees on a variety of levels.
As a world leader in mobile phone technology, Nokia was faced with a daunting task when the company decided to significantly expand its New England operations in Burlington, MA, in the fall of 1999. The rapid growth of the company, combined with Nokia's expanding investment in research and development, led to the plan for a new 135,000-square-- foot Northeast region headquarters building. Called Nokia House Boston, the new project presented an exciting opportunity to integrate as much of the Nokia cultural heritage as possible. It also called for cooperation and teamwork between designers, property management, and client to redesign an existing property to fit its new vision. Nokia wanted to combine Scandinavian and New England design elements with the corporations goal of providing open working spaces and an environment which promoted coworker contact and interaction.
Cultivating Corporate Culture
Nokia corporate culture is one of the company's strategic and competitive advantages. Even the company's catch phrase,