Facilities Management

The Dynamics of Excellence

Peter Barrett, Edward Finch

• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781118716113
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Industrial Management
• Index: Business

Facilities management continues to expand and develop in terms of the volume and diversity of commercial activity, with a significant influence upon organisational success and goal achievement. The two previous editions of Facilities Management have become established as key sources for all facilities management courses and forward thinking facilities managers, providing a strong blend of research-informed opportunities and practical, balanced advice for strategically orientated practitioners.

This third edition builds on those foundations, focussing on the driving idea that excellent facilities management demands a responsive and dynamic approach to the positive impacts facilities can have on users operating within a world in flux. Within this overarching theme the book considers numerous contemporary issues facing facilities managers, within a framework that covers organisation, technology and process.

I

Dynamic, Strategic Facilities Management

1

Diversity and Balance in Facilities Management

1.1 Introduction

1.1.1 Scope of the chapter

The aim of this chapter is to help facilities managers take an objective view of their facilities management systems to gain a fuller appreciation of the various interactive elements. This is intended as a useful precursor to an assessment of whether the various aspects are in balance and to see if there is room for improvement. A general model and a discussion of the issues around the key dimensions are provided. This is followed by a number of case studies providing real life examples of existing facilities management organisations. The case studies do not necessarily demonstrate good practice; indeed in some cases they show how not to do it. They are intended to show the wide variety of approaches that can be employed. Any suggestions for good practice should not be followed to the letter; they are intended purely to stimulate the facilities manager into thinking about the different possibilities. No two facilities departments are likely to be identical as they will be designed to meet the needs of their parent organisations.

1.1.2 Summary of the different sections

• Section 1.1. Introduction.
• Section 1.2. A generic model is presented that shows how the elements of an ideal facilities management department would interact.
• Section 1.3. This section draws together general conclusions from the case studies in Section 1.5, suggesting where the problem areas in facilities management may lie. The section goes on to consider suggestions for good practice within facilities management.
• Section 1.4. Different models are presented allowing facilities managers to identify their organisation with a particular model. Each model is accompanied by a pointer to a particular case study in the next section, which provides a real life example(s) of that model.
• Section 1.5. Case studies are used to illustrate how different organisations operate within the different models.
• Section 1.6. Conclusions.

1.1.3 How to use this chapter

The material in this chapter can be used in a number of ways:

• It can be read sequentially.
• You may wish to go straight to the suggestions for good practice.
• You may be able to identify with a specific facilities management (FM) model and go straight to the appropriate case study.
• You may be particularly interested in a specific area, such as the structure of the facilities department and hence may wish to compare across the case studies (to make this easier each case study follows the same format).
• You may find a useful reference within the text and decide to go straight to another chapter.

1.2 Generic FM model

Facilities management is complex and involves many interactions. One of the main objectives of considering a diverse set of case studies (see later in this chapter) is to extract the key interactions at a general level. Therefore, although there are many different practices at large there are also certain regularly occurring functions that have to be addressed if facilities management is to be effective.

The generic model shown in Figure 1.1 is based on a combination of systems theory and information processing perspectives (Galbraith, 1973; Beer, 1985; Kast and Rosenzweig, 1985), linked to the practical material of the case studies. It illustrates the general range of continuing interactions that are involved in facilities management. The generic model shows how an ‘ideal’ facilities department would interact with the core business and the external environment. The model differentiates between strategic and operational facilities management, highlighting the need to consider the future situation, as well as the current one. In each of the following examples, the term facilities manager is referred to, but, as the case studies demonstrated, it is unlikely that any one person could be responsible for all of these areas and a facilities team is more likely, quite possibly with different people responsible for the strategic and operational areas.

The different interactions are as follows, with the numbers cross-referencing to Figure 1.1.

1.2.1 Operational facilities management

1. Interaction within the facilities department itself, between the facilities manager and the different functional units. The latter are the actual operational units of the facilities department and are likely to correspond to functions such as: maintenance, interior planning, architecture and engineering services, etc. It should be noted that the functional units can either be in-house or contracted out. With reference to this particular relationship, the facilities manager is acting in the role of coordinator, rather than implementer. The functional units are expected to carry out their duties as directed, only referring major exceptions back to the facilities manager. In this way, the latter can concentrate on the other interactions. Each of the functional units should be fully aware of current techniques and legislation relevant to their specific area. They should also scan for possible future changes and inform the facilities manager as necessary.

2. The facilities manager interacts on a regular basis with the core business to identify current facilities requirements. This could be achieved on a formal or informal basis, depending on the organisation. Audits or post-occupancy evaluations should also be conducted to ensure that these needs are actually being met and to identify areas that could be improved.

3. The facilities manager benchmarks existing internal facilities services against other facilities management organisations, so that possible areas for improvement can again be identified.

Figure 1.1 Generic model for facilities management systems.

1.2.2 Strategic facilities management

4. The facilities manager interacts with the core to ascertain what future changes may occur to the business, as a response to external influences, such as competitors’ plans.

5. The facilities manager will also scan for possible developments within the facilities management arena.

6. Strategy is the policy framework, which provides the context for decision-making within the facilities department. Interaction occurs between strategic and operational facilities management, the aim being to synergistically balance current operations with the needs of the future.

1.2.3 Discussion

It should be noted that the generic model should be used as a framework of the aspects a facilities manager aims to keep in mind. In reality, how the issues are handled will vary for each organisation, as will the emphasis given to particular activities. What matters is that the facilities management organisation handles each of the six interactions appropriately in the context of their particular circumstances. Many facilities organisations are firing on two or three cylinders, not all of the six given above. This means less power, with the dormant interactions not contributing, or in fact acting as a drag on the active interactions. For the facilities function to achieve its full potential all six interactions must be dealt with appropriately. For most organisations this will mean some scope for improvement.

Much of this book is focused on the dynamics of facilities management and, in particular, Chapters 2 and 5 focus on excellence in FM and enhancing FM performance respectively. The generic FM model stresses how facilities managers need to be responsive to the core business, but also to developments in facilities management practice and society more generally, whilst all the time having to manage the practicalities of service delivery. The remainder of this chapter turns to practical illustrations of the richness of these elements of practice across the various aspects of the model.

1.3 Illustrations of facilities management systems

1.3.1 Overview

Within the context of the above generic FM model, this section begins by summarising the findings of the case studies and first highlights the potential problem areas within facilities management systems in Section 1.3.2. The section goes on to consider suggestions for good practice within facilities management. Whilst conducting the interviews for the case studies, a standard checklist was utilised so that comparisons could readily be made across the organisations. This checklist was derived from the generic FM model set out in Section 1.2. The checklist expanded upon the following basic themes:

• facilities management structure;
• management of facilities management services;
• meeting current core business needs;
• facilities management and external influences;
• strategic facilities management.

This provides the structure for Sections 1.3.3 to 1.3.7 where suggestions for good practice are given.

1.3.2 Potential problem areas in FM

The case studies presented later in Section 1.5 provide an indication of the varied nature of facilities management. Even though eight organisations are considered, facilities management is viewed very differently by each one. In some of the organisations, for example, facilities management is expressed primarily as a maintenance function, whereas in others the scope is very much wider, including services such as catering or security. Another area where the organisations differ is whether services are provided in-house or contracted out.

Such differences are not surprising and are to be expected, as facilities departments are necessarily tailored to meet the individual needs of their particular organisation. In addition, it is still a relatively new discipline and as such is still trying to find an agreed identity. The case studies, however, do draw attention to a major issue, which is neglected by many organisations, namely the strategic relevance of facilities management. In several of the organisations, facilities management is considered to be a purely operational function. Hence, the facilities departments exist to provide a day-to-day service, not to consider how facilities could benefit the core business in the long term. In these organisations, senior management fail to comprehend that their facilities personnel possess valuable knowledge that could be utilised when making major corporate decisions.

In two of the cases, for example, the organisations had relocated. In each case the facilities department was ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title page
• Copyright page
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• I Dynamic, Strategic Facilities Management
• II Organising for Facilities Management
• III Facilities Management Tools
• IV Conclusions
• Index