Reframing Corporate Real Estate as a Strategic Catalyst: Leadership Cognition, Organizational Culture, and Digital Transformation in Ghanaian Institutions

Abstract

The impact of organizational culture and the perceptions of the senior management on the strategic management of corporate real estate in Ghana institutions are the focus of this paper. The interpretivist approach was employed for this qualitative study. This, however, entailed the use of semi-structured interviews with 12 leading executives across the tertiary, public, and private sectors. The collected data were thematically analyzed using NVivo software. The study’s findings suggest that corporate real estate as a strategic resource has not been institutionalized at large due to cost-based decision-making, unprofessionalism, and bureaucracy. Notwithstanding, organizational culture also plays a great role in the implementation of SCREM. The culture, which is based on authority and risk aversion, hinders innovation and collaboration, whereas participatory and learning-oriented culture enhances strategic integration. The significant success enablers were identified to be the leadership cognition, communication, and cross-functional engagement. Digitization, sustainability, and performance metrics were established to be the future requirements of changing CRE into a strategic asset. This paper therefore recommends institutionalizing policy, leadership training, and digital reforms to ensure that CRE is a source of productivity, sustainability, and national development. On the whole, the study provides empirical data in Ghana and develops the SCREM theory by integrating cognition, culture, and governance in the institutions of developing economies.