Operational Excellence in Wohnungsunternehmen­Chancen und Grenzen der Anwendbarkeit

With more than 41 million entities the German real estate market is the largest real estate market in Europe. Operational Excellence is an approach, which aims at improving performance with regard to cost, quality service and time. This article analyses the current state of research in the field of operational excellence, i.e. of lean management and Six Sigma in German property companies. In addition, the imple­mentation of operational excellence in German property companies is investigated in an empirical study. The research shows that in particular in the US, UK and India considerably more studies on operational excellence are conducted than in Germany. The consideration of operational excel­lence activities, as e.g. exemplified in the automotive industry, does not yet exist for the German property companies. The empirical research shows that oper­ational excellence activities in German property companies are suitable for improving processes and competitiveness. Potential for reducing wastage, increasing quality and improving customer orienta­tion are evident in service companies, including German property companies. Due to the high economic importance of operational excellence in property companies, further research should be con­ducted.