Malaysia
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Tiếng Việt
ประเทศไทย
Facility management (FM) is a profession that involves multidisciplinary activities to ensure efficient running of the built environment. Its broad spectrum ranges from lift maintenance, pest control and landscaping to workplace safety, security, and much more. Although the focus is on ‘facility’ (i.e. tangible assets that support organisation and society), it is closely related to working with people in areas—such as management of work performance, building relationships with various stakeholders, etc.—that involve other skill sets that are intangible. The integration of various disciplines and the connection between facilities and people management render the FM industry challenging and fascinating.
What are the competencies expected of the FM industry? Competence is defined as having the knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet work expectations. Based on the International Facility Management Association’s (IFMA) 2009 Global Job Task Analysis (GJTA), which gathered responses on job responsibilities from facility managers in 62 countries, there are 11 core competencies (which will be discussed briefly). In my opinion, these are broad subjects that can be broken down into categories, of which each has its own competencies and level of complexity.
IFMA’S 11 CORE COMPETENCIES
1. Leadership and strategy – lead team, strategic planning, etc.
A very broad area to cover, it is an essential competency if you are looking to progress further in the industry. To be a good leader, one of the key abilities is recognising talent and building competencies of your employees. In an interview with Jack Ma (founder of Alibaba), he advocated employing people smarter than you [1]. Personally, I agree with him. Imagine how effective and efficient your team can be, and the impact it has on the organisation? However, a word of caution, you need to have an open mind, and embrace best talents to maintain the organisation’s competitive advantage and to succeed in the long run.
2. Communications – inform to deliver results, etc.
Recently, I had a conversation with Steven Lockwood, Director, Accreditation and Academic Affairs Facility Management Accreditation Commission (FMAC), IFMA Foundation. In response to my question on what the two most important competencies of an FM practitioner are, he replied without hesitation, “Frank, if I were to prioritise the competencies, I would say communication and problem solving skills.” Indeed, communication is an essential skill that applies in all professions. Ensuring that meaning and intention of your message are clearly transmitted and understood by the intended recipient, misunderstandings can be avoided and problems can be solved more effectively and efficiently.
3. Human factors – develop competencies and innovation, appraise performance, etc.
Here, the competency refers to the ability to support work performance, including developing competencies of your people, in alignment with organisational needs. This begins with strategic planning and involves every employee to work together to achieve organisational goals. This is closely related to communication competency, i.e. whether the employees are clear of what work performance are expected of them and the need to close any performance gaps through training.
4. Finance and business – manage finance involving facilities, contracts, procurements, etc.
‘Unlimited resources’ is almost non-existent, i.e. every tangible asset and the maintenance of it comes with a price tag, thus a need to balance costs and budget. The ability to best utilise resources is a valuable asset to yourself and your organisation. Besides being accountable to your stakeholders, these financial figures represent your and your team’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), which are closely related to work performance and career progression.
5. Technology – effective use of technology to achieve organisational goal
According to a report by PwC [2], technology innovation and sustainability are key drivers for value now and in years to come. Technology competency has evolved from the use of information technology, to data mining for information on the use of facilities to maximise efficiency, and the use of drones for security, just to name a few. FM practitioners are encouraged to embrace change to remain competitive and relevant, and to contribute meaningfully to society.
6. Environmental stewardship and sustainability – commit to protecting the environment As mentioned, sustainability is one of the key areas that impact the real estate industry.
Gone are the days when providing roofs over heads was sufficient. Today, we are looking at sustainable environment, and providing high quality working and living spaces. In Singapore, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) introduced the BCA Green Mark scheme as a benchmark to evaluate environmental sustainability in buildings. Based on the latest masterplan [3], there were 2,155 Green buildings in 2014, which was approximately 25 per cent of the total built-up areas in Singapore—a substantial increase from 17 Green buildings in 2005. Though closer to the target of having at least 80 per cent of the buildings to be Green by 2030, more needs to be done. Globally, innovations are changing FM’s landscape rapidly, such as pavements that turn footsteps into electricity and paints that break down pollution [4]. So, are you in yet? I hope you are.
7. Emergency and business continuity – manage emergency preparedness and business continuity programme
This refers to the organisation’s ability to function, with lives and assets protected, when faced with threats. It is an integral part of any business, more so for the FM industry because impact of damage is substantial and could result in loss of lives. In a safe and protected country like Singapore, there remains a need to assess, prepare for and respond to extreme situations. We cannot afford to be complacent, as Andrew Grove (former CEO of Intel) said, “Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.”
8. Real estate and property management– develop master plan, manage real estate assets, etc.
Real estate is complex and emotional, hencethe need to adopt an objectively rigorous approach to plan and manage it. An example is to use analytical information to set priorities and understand where best to allocate resources. Decisions should be made in tandem with meeting organisation objectives, i.e. how to value add and strengthen competitive advantage, and how to maximise work productivity at lowest cost. To put it simply, effective FM practitioners should strive to minimise losses and maximise returns, while meeting organisation needs.
9. Operations and maintenance – ensure smooth running of facilities and assets
There are many types of assets to consider, or example, air-conditioning system, security system, fire protection system, lifts and lighting. Collectively, they work together to provide conducive and quality living spaces. Ensuring smooth running of all the systems can be complex, given that each has its own maintenance schedule and procedure, etc. Nevertheless, with advanced technology, systems are available to support such operations. For instance, reminders are given to technicians when lifts are due for maintenance and data can be generated to measure efficiency.
10. Project management – manage projects and contracts
Project management is about planning, executing and managing resources to complete specific deliverables (quality) within budget and time frame. Communication is one of the key factors in determining success of any project. For example, in maintaining a checklist, there is a need to frequently communicate with the team on what has been done, what needs to be done, who should do it, by when, etc. And, it is essential to maintain open communication with your clients and users by constantly providing updates on timeline, progress of work, while obtaining feedback. Do it clearly and appropriately, such as, making use of ‘visuals’ (graphs, charts, timelines, tables, etc.) when presenting deadlines and complicated data; while ‘verbal’ is better for delivering bad news or challenges faced. The latter allows parties to ‘see’ and ‘feel’ each other, while providing an avenue for instant responses so that concerns can be addressed immediately.
11. Quality – adopt best practices, measure performance, etc.
Besides discussing about the various competencies, there is a need to specify and set standards to them. Standards exhibit a dedication to excellence. But how? Start by prioritising and measuring performance metrics, which include benchmarking, measuring observable behaviours, service responses, and so on. To remain competitive, an organisation must know itself, focus on the top two or three areas where it can strive for excellence, and set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timebased (SMART) goals for each of them.
As mentioned, the competencies were formulated based on a list of job responsibilities from the perspectives of facility managers. But what are the perspectives of employers? Based on established competencies models, competence goes beyond functional competencies and should be holistically focused. In the Future of Jobs Report [5], the 10 most desirable skills in year 2020 are going to be: complex problem solving; critical thinking; creativity; people management; coordinating with others; emotional intelligence; judgement and decision making; service orientation; negotiation; and cognitive flexibility. It is likely that discrepancies in the FM competencies may differ, given another perspective. An urgent concern is whether there will be mismatches of what the FM practitioners have to offer and what bosses are looking for. The greater the gaps, the more likely these employees will become less relevant, thus a need to further examine what is expected of the industry in today’s context, from another point of view.
1) Financial Express. (27 June 2017). Alibaba founder Jack Ma hiring mantra: ‘Hire, if he can be your boss in 5 years’. Retrieved from http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/technology/alibabafounder-jack-ma-hiring-mantra-if-you-think-he-willbe-your-boss-in-five-years-hire-him/737497/
2) PwC. (2016). Real Estate 2020: Building the future, Retrieved from https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/assetmanagement/ real-estate-insights/assets/real-estate-2020-building-future.pdf
3) Building and Construction Authority. (2014). 3rd Green Building Masterplan
4) BBC. 3 July 2017. Footsteps power lights on London’s smart street. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-40483211/footstepspower-lights-on-london-s-smart-street
[5] World Economic Forum. (2016). ‘Future of Jobs Report’. Retrieved from http://reports.weforum.org/future-of-jobs-2016/shareable-infographics/
FRANK NGOH
CHAIRMAN
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (2017/2018) INTERNATIONAL FACILITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION
(SINGAPORE CHAPTER)
GENERAL MANAGER
TOWNSHIP MANAGEMENT E M SERVICES PTE LTD
Frank Ngoh holds a MSc. Project Management and BSc. (Hons) Estate Management from the National University of Singapore. He is part of the Senior Management team in E M Services Pte Ltd and is the General Manager of a Township Management Business Unit. Prior to his current appointment, he was the Head of Corporate Marketing and Communications Department and Centre of Service Excellence. He has more than 20 years of experience in property management, township management, project management, business development and marketing.
Ngoh is passionate about his work and was invited to share his knowledge with many over the years. For instance, he was one of the invited speakers for the 2009 Best Sourcing Symposium organised by the National Trades Union Congress. He was also invited by the Work Safety Health Council to speak at the bizSAFE Convention 2013. Recently, he was invited as one of the panel lists for the session on ‘The exciting prospects of Southeast Asia’s building maintenance & facility management towards industry 4.0’.
As Chairman of Professional Development Committee for the International Facility Management Association (Singapore Chapter), Ngoh hopes to advance professionalism for facilities management in Singapore.
