Mobility Strategy – Moving Beyond Benchmarking

July 29, 2019

Mobility Strategy - Moving Beyond Bemchmarking

By Tim O’Shea, Vice President, Mobility Strategy, Graebel

Mobility’s no longer only about moving people from A to B in the most efficient way possible.

It’s time to think bigger!

These days, Mobility is engaged in global economies and regulatory systems more than ever before. For example, it’s deeply involved in nurturing top talent – and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Isn’t it logical, then, that with this expertise in hand, Mobility can offer an organization far more than relocation operational solutions and transactions?

Now’s the time for Mobility to shift from being a transaction, siloed department into a trusted and valued partner to functional areas and business units across the organization. Getting to that point takes persistence, constructive dialog and a clear demonstration of Mobility’s return and value proposition. And all of that requires a Mobility Strategy.

It’s encouraging to see that a few of the best Mobility programs around the globe are moving in that direction and rethinking their roles and ability to add lasting value.

What About Mobility Benchmarking?

Mobility program analysis historically has focused exclusively on benchmarking the organization’s relocation policies and benefits – a very transactional view of Mobility. Benchmarking is only the first chapter of the value story. It falls well short of assessing and measuring the program’s overall value … or potential value.

Benchmarking an organization’s policies and benefits can’t define the value of its Mobility program any more than a college class ranking can define the value of an education.

Don’t get me wrong – Mobility teams must ensure their relocation policies and benefits are appropriate and competitive. But that’s the easy part. After that, they need to roll up their sleeves and move beyond benchmarking to strategic services.

The Graebel Mobility Strategy Service

As I mentioned, leading Mobility programs are embracing the Mobility strategy imperative and the challenges and work that goes with it. At Graebel, we’ve explored the elements of Mobility strategy development with many of our clients. We’ve also taken the discussion to the industry as a whole at insideMOBILITY events – from Miami to Singapore and points in between.

What we’ve learned is that Mobility strategy itself is not an off-the-shelf blueprint. But the process of developing that strategy can be captured in a logical, sequential program that utilizes essential tools and exercises. We’ve developed and honed these tools and exercises over the past several years, and we’re already partnering with companies to help them define their program strategies. The results have been impressive as these companies find themselves in a new world of Mobility – they’re asking different questions, measuring more important aspects and building stronger stakeholder relationships.

The Brave, Big, New World of Mobility

Moving forward, Mobility will continue to address policy development and benchmarking. It will still oversee relocations, escalations and exceptions. We’ve heard loud and clear though, that that’s not where the vast majority of Mobility leaders want to spend their time. They’re eager to engage across their organizations in strategic ways.

That journey isn’t easy – it takes work and it takes time. It may push some Mobility leaders out of their comfort zone. But when Mobility begins working side by side with key stakeholders and operating divisions within their organization, two things are certain: