SOCIAL - BLOG
18 APRIL 2019
BLOG FROM SEAN FISHER, CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER UK AND IRELAND, ATALIAN SERVEST
THE STRATEGIC SCRUM
April is a busy month for the facilities
management community. The Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
hosted its annual Infrastructure Conference
on 2nd, which took a look at how automated
digital technology and artificial intelligence is
reshaping the world around us; ‘tech talk’ also
dominates The Facilities Event programme; and
towards the end of this month the International
Workplace and Facilities Management (IWFM)
conference will focus on how we can “seize the
strategic opportunity” in line with the changing
nature of work.
Last month, the International Facility
Management Association’s (IFMA) World
Workplace Europe conference shined a light
on how new tech is transforming the FM
landscape. IFMA, RICS and IWFM – all the bodies
that represent the profession – are actively
addressing the disrupters and the opportunities
facing FM. And that’s because we are bearing
witness to a fusing of technologies that is
fundamentally changing the way we live, work
and relate to one another.
The “strategic opportunity”, it seems, is tech.
But are we ready to seize it?
As a company that champions tech-led FM,
we’re naturally following the “FM and tech”
conversation very closely. Without sounding
harsh, we’ve noticed a bit of a gap between talk
and action. As a profession, we’re pretty adept at
bandying around phrases such as the internet of
things, artificial intelligence, machine learning,
robotic processing automation (RAP), blockchain,
and so on. Not only have we mastered the full
names, but we’ve also learnt the acronyms – IoT,
AI, ML, RPA. We’re practically fluent!
Buzzword bingo is one thing. But winning the
game is another.
There seems to be a bit of a disconnect
between hype and reality. Our daily gripes with
tech are so far removed from the macro trends
that we’re hearing about at these conferences.
If the majority of us still struggle to connect to a
teleconference system, for example, then what
hope do we have of getting our heads around
AI, analytics and machine vision? (The latter of
which, by the way, is the next big thing that’s
due to make the much-coveted IoT sensorecosystem
redundant.)
I’m a rugby fan so allow me to illustrate my
point with a sports analogy. The New Zealand
Rugby team, as much as it pains me to say,
have dominated the rugby world for over a
decade. Their consistency by far outperforms
any other team as they focus on getting the
basics right. The All Blacks don’t get carried
away with the hype, they’re all about the reality,
the game plan – they balance talk and action.
Southern Hemisphere rugby is o en
characterised by its free flowing, attacking back
play. The players are agile, they use their backs
as weapons to snake through a defence and
exploit the gaps; whereas Northern Hemisphere
rugby o en adopts a brutish, battering-ram
approach, creating the gaps that can fast
become their weakness if they don’t pause to
assess the scene. We can apply this approach
to FM. Let’s acknowledge the skills gap and
fill it before we drop the ball. Let’s build from
the back as opposed to looking back… get
the basics right and you’ll be stronger going
forward/in attack.
@FMJOBFINDER
Apprentices may lack finesse but share key
skills sets with graduates
https://buff.ly/2WkXuGn
#fmjjobs #apprentices #skills
@PaulBagust
We have all been moved by images of the
devastating impact of single use plastic on our
natural environment. Join @RICSnews and @
IFMA_UK with some great speakers on 16th April
at RICS to discuss how we safeguard our planet
@KidsVplastic
Nigel Oseland
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nigeloseland/
Environmental Psychologist, Workplace
Consultant, Change Manager, Researcher,
Author and Public Speaker
The debate on open plan versus enclosed
offices rages on. It’s not binary, it’s not black
or white, it’s not a dichotomy. I’m exploring the
subtleties of why some individuals prefer open
plan, and agile working, to others. Please take
10 minutes to complete my survey in return for
a copy of the research report, and the chance to
win a free ticket to Workplace Trends.
CIBSE FM @CIBSEFM
Sophie Parry from @CIBSE & @SLL100 on LG14
Control of Electric Lighting. Great chapter on
commissioning and handover - which should be
invaluable for any designer or #FacMan
@Go_Home_Healthy
Our cross-sector Talking Toolkit has been
designed to help employers begin meaningful
conversations around work-related stress and is
based on our six Management Standards.
Remember you can download it for free here
http://ow.ly/Lr4X50nP22u #WorkRight
Acas Verified account @acasorguk
Are distractions in the workplace affecting
staff performance? Having dedicated
quiet areas could be especially useful for
neurodivergent staff. More on #neurodiversity
here: http://www.acas.org.uk/neurodiversity
#AcasNeurodiversity #Managingpeople
...Not only have we
mastered the full names,
but we’ve also learnt the
acronyms – IoT, AI, ML, RPA.
We’re practically
fl uent!”
Sean Fisher, Chief Operations Offi cer UK and
Ireland, Atalian Servest
ADVICE & OPINION
/2WkXuGn
/
/Lr4X50nP22u
/neurodiversity