Editor's Viewpoint
Leading the charge?
Facilities management is nothing if not a place of change. Policies, practices, expectations and FM companies themselves shift and develop. Could one, Mitie, in the headlines as much for bad news as good in recent weeks, be showing us the way forward?
Looking back to see forward
I realise not everyone finds the history of FM as engaging as I do, but it is nevertheless interesting, instructive and occasionally surprising.
What's it all about?
There was a brief but spirited Twitter discussion last week in which some highly experienced FM players debated the relationship between workplace and facilities management. The two are grappling for primacy at the moment, at least in some quarters.
Lies, damned lies and big red buses
In a recent blog post, workplace commentator Simon Heath criticised The Stoddart Review for its assertion that a 1% productivity gain could add £20 billion to the UK economy.
The long view
A new year is a time for looking forward, of course. But looking forward is inevitably built on a foundation of looking back, at things left undone and things that perhaps aren't going quite as planned. And then there are regrets.
Is FM bulletproof in 2017?
Happy New Year! In some ways, it feels particularly good to be moving on from 2016, which brought with it a few changes and challenges that many of us may be happy to see recede into the past.
Should we be confident?
2016 has been rough.
Triggering a reaction
There's a lot of knowledge and experience behind the idea that certain words catch our interest almost automatically, conjuring up a variety of associations and/or spurring us to action. The history of advertising is the history of key word development.
Fad or future
History has a funny habit of repeating itself. Trends emerge, die and are sometimes inexplicably resurrected.
Where next for the BIFM?
With the swift exit of new CEO Ray Perry and IFMA and RICS now collaborating to focus on the development of the FM profession around the world, BIFM has some major issues on its plate. I addressed this last spring, but agreed not to publish.
Predicting the future
We seem to have entered an age in which crystal balls are particularly cloudy, at least in parts. And it is in those parts, where we are less sure of events and their implications, that risk lies.
It's all in the name
Whenever someone wants to talk about branding, I'm immediately reminded of Sigmund Freud's nephew and his work in the tobacco industry.
Shaping the future
More of the same: that's one way to interpret the conclusions of the latest market research study on global trends in FM. But in this case 'the same' means some very big changes over the next five years or so.
Avoiding a Fexit
For months, the British politicians who campaigned to leave the EU were portrayed as insular and parochial.
When will the robots take over?
Every research report that i-FM has been involved in over the past decade has pointed to technology being one of the key game-changers in FM. But where will technology actually take us?
Solving the productivity equation
If you have been paying attention over the past two years, you will have noticed a growing obsession in facilities management with productivity.
Never mind the title; concentrate on the message
You might be surprised to learn that BaxterStorey has produced a white paper that purposely looks beyond its own service focus to the wider industry of outsourced FM, with the goal of uncovering how this sector can continue to grow and develop.
Uncertain times in FM
The 2016 FM Business Confidence Monitor provided us with a window into an industry less confident than it was 12 months ago.
A new contract is not a guarantee of success
Outsourcing is a big part of the FM sector, of course, but for many years there has been a small parallel stream running alongside this major trend. That stream is all about insourcing, or the taking back in-house of previously contracted out services.
Ready for change?
Outsourcing walks a fine line between being perceived as a sound and sensible business solution to a whole range of challenges and tipping over into being damned as management conspiracy, incompetence or worse.
Measuring confidence in FM
At Workplace Futures earlier this month, i-FM took the opportunity to ask the 240 FM industry professionals that were gathered at The Crystal a few of the standout questions from the FM Business Confidence Monitor.
Public sector FM: a case of needs must
We've been watching a small but growing trend in recent years. And just in the past couple of weeks it seems there's no doubt about it: whatever else you might say about central government austerity policy, it is now a key driver in the evolution of FM.
One step forward, two steps back
Last week, the Building Futures Group (BFG) announced its closure after two years in business. But the news didn't exactly come as a surprise.
FM - stick or twist?
Traditionally, the festive season is a time for reflection. Drunk on turkey, television reruns and rejuvenated hope, the prospect of a New Year provides us with an opportunity to evaluate the deck of cards we hold and a chance to stick or twist.
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