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Developing an FM academy PDF Print E-mail
Written by Martin Pickard, Managing Director, The Asset Faculty Ltd, 2008   

The role of the 21st century facilities manager is increasingly complex and challenging. FM training must keep up with the pace, argues Martin Pickard.

  • What are the disadvantages of generic training, such as open courses and seminars?
  • What is the most important factor in the development of a successful corporate academy?

During three decades of professional evolution, FM has moved from a purely reactive and tactical operational discipline focused on issues of technical compliance and minimum expenditure into a multi-levelled strategic function designed to add value to the organisations that it serves.

The skills and competences required to succeed in FM have also changed dramatically.

Technical service delivery capability in a wide range of disciplines is still required, but this now has to be supplemented by a range of business management skills and personal effectiveness competences.

Traditional FM training


The training of FM teams has a serious history of underinvestment, particularly in the management and behavioural arenas.

Those responsible for the allocation of funds or the prioritisation of training provision simply fail to recognise the complex needs of the role.

Where funding is provided, it is frequently limited to the technical requirements of individual tasks, such as safety, or it is focused on individual service streams like catering, security, maintenance and cleaning.

For many facilities managers isolated within their own organisations, self-study is the only avenue available for professional development.

Sadly, the resources available to support this are extremely limited. There are very few useful books on FM and little on offer in the way of distance learning.

However, the diligent student can compile a collection of books and study materials covering each of the many competences that make up the FM melting pot.

The limited FM expertise in most organisations has led to a strong reliance on open courses and seminars.

These can be of enormous benefit to those who work in smaller organisations, as it gives them the chance to learn good practice from fellow delegates as well as from expert instructors.

Meeting and debating with professional peers is a highly effective development activity.

Unfortunately such training fails to deliver in certain key areas, the most important of which is the lack of connection with the individual nature of the delegate's own organisation and role.

Generic training can only ever be just that, and it is left to the delegate to sift through the material provided to find the learning required.

The effectiveness of open courses can also be inconsistent because the impact of the other delegates is such a random factor.

The main alternative to open courses is the in-house training solution. This has a number of strong advantages over open courses.

It is very much cheaper for a start, often enabling the organisation to train five delegates for the price of one.

The learning can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the organisation and continuous improvement applied to increase its effectiveness.

The chief problem with in-house training lies in its insular nature. Unless the trainer has considerable external experience to draw upon in developing the material and facilitating debate, the exercise can become very inward-looking and focused more on operational issues than on professional development and personal growth.

The academy approach


Originally derived from the Akademeia, the grove in which Plato taught his seminars, the word 'academy' is defined as 'a learned establishment for the advancement of knowledge'.

The concept of the corporate academy lies in the provision of a blended learning solution comprising the best elements of traditional training techniques within the context of a business-oriented learning strategy.

Successful academies have been developed in one guise or another by companies from many sectors including the FM and property world.

Alfred McAlpine (now a part of Carillion), Johnson Controls and Elior all have academies and Jones Lang LaSalle has its Best Practice Training Programme.

Each of these combines tailored in-house training with access to selected open or generic skills courses and the provision of a learning resource centre.

It might be supposed that such initiatives are restricted to large organisations employing large numbers of facilities people, but the approach can work equally well for a medium-sized enterprise.

NB Entrust, for example, has a highly successful Foundation that serves their team of around 70 facilities and building managers.

Creating an academy


The most important factor in the development of a successful academy is the amount of effort invested in the analysis of the organisation and its strategic needs.

From this discovery process, the core purpose of the facilities organisation can be established and an appropriate organisation design model created.

Every role within the organisation must be examined to identify its purpose, accountabilities and skill requirements.

From this analysis a competency framework can be developed to suit the precise needs of the FM operation as a whole and for each group of roles in particular.

A common error of those carrying out such studies is to rely entirely upon standard competency frameworks such as those published by the BIFM and IFMA.

These are excellent generic descriptions covering the FM remit but very rarely map exactly to a real FM role.

Every organisation requires different things from its facilities operation.

Indeed, it is the particular nature of each FM role that makes it appropriate for the organisation it serves.

The training needs of the organisation can only be identified by comparing this ideal map of competency scope and requirement with the current level of attainment within the workforce.

To capture this requires a structured interview process with each individual who will complete a personality profile questionnaire and a learning styles survey questionnaire in advance of each meeting.

This can be achieved using an online assessment process. The completion of these questionnaires is not compulsory but, if completed, they will give useful indicators to the likely accuracy of answers and responses in the review meetings.

From this analysis a detailed report can be produced of identified skills gaps and the training requirements of the team at three distinct levels:
  • The common behaviours and key value messages that need to be imbued across the whole operation;
  • The training needs for each role or group of operatives;
  • A set of individual personal development plans.

Delivering the academy


The creation of a curriculum for the academy is a simple matter if sufficient effort has been expended in the discovery and analysis activity.

The final stage is then the creation of a programme for the first year of operation. This requires a prioritisation exercise coupled with a pragmatic view of affordability.

Few budgets are sufficient to meet all but the most important of development needs in the first year of operation.

The training effort must be focused on the areas that will deliver maximum return.

It is important to recognise that the priorities of the academy will change as competences improve and the needs of the organisation evolve.

Some academies fail to take this into account and deliver the same curriculum each year - but the most effective operate some form of rolling quarterly programme that is regularly reprioritised to ensure maximum focus.

Development of appropriate training materials begins by specifying the learning activities that will best achieve the desired learning outcomes.

The learning strategies and supporting media that will help the learners to achieve their objectives need to be carefully selected.

Just as every person is unique, so is every learner. Each student learns best using a learning strategy or method that best matches their need.

Creating a solid learning environment that meets the student's need is the most important key for effective learning.

For this reason a variety of teaching styles should be deployed. Some people require reflection time, some respond best to challenge, others participation in exercises, while case studies and reference material reinforce learning for those of a more practical disposition.

The most effective professional development training is delivered by skilled trainers who are also subject matter experts.

While the application of professional teaching skills to prepared material can be effective, the exercise will be much more powerful if the trainer has extensive practical experience to draw upon in discussion and example.

Questions will be raised by delegates with regard to the application of theory within the context of the host organisation and an experienced FM professional will be able to develop the ideas and reinforce the learning outcome.

The final component of a successful academy is an efficient administration process.

The scheduling of courses, the booking of venues, and the preparation of materials and equipment must be as well organised and professional as the training itself.

That extends beyond the management of courses themselves into the booking of external programmes where required, the administration of the resource centre and the maintenance of training records and the feedback process to facilitate quality control.

Conclusion


The academy approach is ideally suited to the complex nature of the FM function.

Management, technical and personal effectiveness skills and behaviours for a multi-disciplined workforce can be imparted and developed most effectively through a blended learning solution incorporating tailored training, supported self-study and focused professional learning.

In the future those organisations that do not invest wisely in the development of their facilities teams will find themselves falling behind those who follow the academy route.

Martin Pickard CFM FBIFM is Managing Director at The Asset Faculty Ltd. Please visit www.fmguru.co.uk
 
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