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Happy weekend!
LEVEL 3: Read the following:
Facility
management for the future: a pioneer in the profession talks about the need for
global work places and sustainability
by Amanda Druckman
Sheila Sheridan, CPM, CFM, CFMJ, current chairperson of the
International Facility Management Association (IFMA), heads the facilities and
services department at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.
During her 20 years at Harvard, Sheridan has supervised the growth of the
government school campus front two to four buildings and numerous satellite
locations. Under her direction, four units in her department have been
recognized with the Dean's Award of Excellence during the past five years.
Sheridan has been an IFMA member since 1989. An early proponent of the
Certified Facility Manager (CFM) designation, Sheridan was also recognized with
IFMA's Distinguished Member Award in 1995. Among her other contributions to
IFMA are teaching roles within IFMA's educational curriculum and numerous
international speaking engagements on behalf of the association.
While Sheridan was at the recent IREM Education Conference in San Diego
to lead the seminar "Facilities Management in the 21st Century," she
sat down with the Journal to discuss the future of her profession and what it's
like to work at one of the most famous universities in the world.
Journal of Property Management[R]:
How has facility management changed during the last 20 years?
Sheila Sheridan: Twenty years ago facility management was the practice
of coordinating the physical workplace with the people and the work of the
organization. Back then it integrated the principles of business
administration, architecture and the behavioral and engineering sciences. Today
facility management is a profession that encompasses multiple disciplines to
ensure functionality of the work environment by integrating people, place,
process and technology.
JPM[R]: What are the major issues facing today's facility managers?
Sheridan: Environmental concerns and sustainable practices for facility
management are an important topic gaining growing interest among facility
professionals. Issues of particular concern are urban infrastructure, health,
environmental protection, transportation, communication systems, water and the
weather--as they relate to facility management.
JPM[R]: How will these issues affect the way facility managers do their
jobs?
Sheridan: Facility management is constantly evolving and the boundaries
of the profession are becoming far less distinct, requiring professionals to
become adept at a wider array of core competencies. This trend is likely to
continue well into the future. Moreover, facility management professionals will
also have growing shared responsibilities with human resources, information
technology and finance professionals within their companies and will be
required to collaborate with other functional areas.
JPM[R]: How are current trends defining the facility manager's
workplace?
Sheridan: The "workplace" of the present is becoming less
confined by physical attributes and more defined by technology and virtual
environments, offering a variety of alternatives to workers. This trend is
likely to grow stronger as technology advances.
JPM[R]: What is the most critical element of this "workplace"?
Sheridan: The human factor and its interaction with the work environment
will remain crucial in the workplace. Providing the workers with an
infrastructure that will be conducive to productivity and an interface that
will increase satisfaction are and will remain of highest priority.
JPM[R]: Are there any other factors affecting the changing workplace?
Sheridan: The workplace of tomorrow will move from "cube farm"
toward one that is personalized and flexible. Physical location of an office is
increasingly important in recruitment and retention, and facility cost
considerations have resulted in a revitalization of small towns. Facility
managers are responsible for the facilitation of interaction, not distribution,
of physical space. The workday will be directed by responsibilities, resulting
in 24/7 global business.
The workplace of tomorrow will feature super community centers, which
may negate the necessity for home offices. These centers will include office
space, healthcare facilities, shopping options, recreation and entertainment.
Home offices will become merely touchdown space.
JPM[R]: What about global issues facing the workplace?
Sheridan: Global demographics of both facility managers and their
customers are changing at a pace that is further accelerated by the fading of
global lines. Changes are occurring in age, expectations, lifestyles, education
level and field, experiences, gender, work style, international travel,
increased business process outsourcing and leasing of employees.
JPM[R]: What will Facility managers need to do to address global issues facing
the workplace?
Sheridan: As business becomes more global, facility management
professionals will have to accommodate the expanding infrastructure, bridge the
growing distances and facilitate productive work that spans various geographic
locales, addressing the differences in the areas of mobility, communication
tools, culture, languages, laws, regulations, measurements, expectations and
education.
JPM[R]: How will facility management as a profession continue to evolve?
Sheridan: In the coming years facility management will be a microcosm of
the economy complete with labor shortages, new waves of racially diverse
customers and changing customer expectations. In order to remain relevant,
facility managers will need a clear vision of long-term corporate strategy
rather than a short-term focus on tactics. Strategic facilities planning and
budgeting will be more complex and require longer-term scenario planning.
JPM[R]: As the profession changes, what will be expected of facility
managers?
Sheridan: Facility managers will be evaluated on financial performance
yet their jobs will also require soft skills such as motivational training,
communications, project team building, multi-tasking, internal public
relations, adaptability and sensitivity to cultural diversity. Also, examples
of new necessary competency skills include energy management, productivity
management, security, financial analysis, negotiation strategies, out-sourced
services management and strategic planning.
JPM[R]: How does the need for increased sustainability affect the future
of facility management?
Sheridan: We're seeing a paradigm shift front operating costs to total
cost of ownership over the lifecycle. This maximizes return on investment for
facilities. With regard to sustainability, there's a certain expectation from
workers and the community, and in ton Environment and Development, the
Bruntland Commission, defined sustainable development as meeting the needs of
the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs.
JPM[R]: How has Harvard helped foster the vision of increased
sustainability?
Sheridan: The University has been very thoughtful to preserve the
buildings' exteriors, while adapting the interiors to promote sustainability.
As we build we must think about sustainable options. Harvard's three-year old
Green Campus Initiative is helping to educate faculty, staff and students about
sustainability. Winston Churchill once said, "We shape our buildings and
thereafter, they shape us."
COPYRIGHT 2004 National Association of Realtors
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning
