Facility management teams are caught on the horns of a dilemma when it comes to strategic planning. On the one hand, they have visions for a desired operational state and want to create strategies to get there. On the other hand, they struggle to keep pace with day-to-day activities required to keep their organizations afloat, as their companies function in an external environment fraught with political unrest, volatile economic conditions, and changing social values that alter core work cultures.
Given the situation described, many facility managers opt out of strategic planning these days in favor of just coping with the idiosyncrasies of their corporate environment. However, experts say the concept of strategic planning is more relevant in our current uncertain business climate than when the climate was more predictable.
From their perspective, strategic planning allows organizations to have input into the management of their own destinies rather than accepting a future someone else creates for them; thus it has tremendous appeal in an otherwise murky business climate.
An article in the July issue of Building Operating Management takes a look at some key components of strategic planning and some pitfalls to avoid.
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