Aligning organisational structure and office layout for different workplace strategies in hybrid environments

Purpose This paper aims to advance corporate real estate (CRE) alignment by identifying workplace strategies that need to integrate organisational structure and office layout elements and relevant contextual factors of hybrid workplaces. Design/methodology/approach The study used 14 in-depth interviews of professionals in CRE roles within multinational organisations in Spain and the Netherlands. Inductive thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the interviews, complemented by co-occurrence analysis to substantiate identified relationships quantitatively across themes and elements. Findings Five major workplace strategies that link organisational structure and office layout elements were identified: facilitating job tasks, facilitating communication, adjusting to organisational change, manifesting hierarchy and monitoring behaviour. Furthermore, the implementation scale and drivers of workplace strategies came forward as determinants of alignment. Originality/value This study deepens our understanding of how organisational structure and layout enable workplace strategies to meet the demands of multinational organisations in hybrid work settings. This study is the first empirical and comprehensive analysis of organisational structure elements in workplace research.