Business Insights

Articles, news and upcoming events

The Worlds of Facility Management and Workplace are, by definition, highly mobile and evolutive.

On these pages, you will find technical articles, news, reports on congresses and conferences in which Spaceonmove took part as well as positions or “mood tickets” which should give you a particular insight into these two fields. Nice readings.

Use skills where they are available…

Posted on by Christian Hadorn | Article

Training and hierarchy do not always make the difference: you must look for skills where they are.

Basic principle The best technical training and managerial skills do not always make the difference, even if they often provide an excellent basis for achieving complex objectives. However, it is sometimes necessary to step back from a project – either completely or partially – when experience and practice outweigh theory. For some experts or managers, this can be a blow to the ego, but it is often the most effective approach.**

Technical training Even the most advanced training does not always guarantee the best performance, especially in highly operational areas where dexterity and experience are paramount. All too often, specialists get bogged down in unnecessary complexity, leading to delays in execution and even substandard quality. In very practical situations, it is sometimes necessary to set theory aside and implement simple, effective solutions. These may not be ideal in the long term, but they have the advantage of quickly resolving situations.

Management Many managers, even those from prestigious schools, sometimes lack practical sense, convinced that the system cannot function without them. However, a good manager must not only understand the business, but above all know how to orchestrate complex situations. Their role is to connect specialists, operational teams and strategic bodies to achieve efficiency and strengthen group cohesion.

Seek expertise where it is Companies often harbour a hidden treasure: employees who are seasoned in the realities of the field and have a valuable network of people who can get things done. Why deprive yourself of this simply because they don’t hold strategic positions or wear suits and ties?

Here are a few examples:

• This senior executive was passionate about architecture but incompetent, choosing unsuitable materials.

• This manager, who came from the banking world, imposed technical choices for a heating installation.

• This insurer demanded constant presence from his teams, even though he himself was rarely in the office…

A model to be rethought One of the strengths of modern companies is their ability to adapt their governance to the realities on the ground, valuing skills regardless of hierarchical level or initial training.

Having had the privilege of working with people from top universities and in senior positions, I have learned a great deal. But I have also learned one lesson: Too much ambition and pretension are nothing but stilts: they raise a man up, but they never make him grow. And that also applies to operational challenges.

Enjoy reading and see you soon.

Recent posts

  • Identification with the company ?

    The challenges of employee engagement in the workplace

    A worrying European phenomenon In many European countries, managers are complaining about employees’ lack of identification with their company and their relatively low level of commitment. What are the reasons behind this phenomenon?

    Multiple causes, varied solutions

  • FM and real estate: one and the same

    Certain fundamental concepts in corporate finance seem to elude managers, even those with theoretically appropriate training. Even executives at large companies sometimes appear to have forgotten basic analogies such as the bathtub filling and emptying analogy taught in school. It is perfectly understandable that no manager can master all the accounting or economic subtleties of a group. But it is more worrying to see that basic concepts such as income, value, investment, depreciation and expenses pose problems for many people. And this is sometimes to an alarming extent. This is not intended to be an accounting lesson, but rather to express a certain unease, even astonishment, at the real or feigned ignorance of some managers regarding financial realities that are nevertheless obvious in the fields of facility management (FM) and commercial real estate

  • A step back in time with remote work

    I am stunned to see UBS – like others – drastically reducing teleworking in Switzerland. Under the pretext of loss of profitability, dispersion of forces or reduced collaboration, a decline is being justified that hides above all… managerial unease. The real problem is that managers are often poorly trained in people management and selected for their technical skills rather than their interpersonal skills. We recruit ‘bosses’ who are ready to work, profitable in the short term, but disconnected from human and organisational realities in the long term. And yet, remote working and efficiency are not incompatible

  • Age and Management: no relationship

    How often have we heard that management quality is linked to age? Of course, life experience, whether personal or professional, influences how a team is managed. However, there are other factors that are often more decisive.

    Numerous examples show that there are good, very good and very bad managers, regardless of their age.

    The real challenge lies in the ability to build a network or organisation capable of selecting and guiding future managers with courage, so that they can flourish without getting lost in the traps of power or unsuitable roles. In these situations, urgent action is crucial.

    Not choosing the most ‘obvious’ candidate is particularly interesting, but it requires excellent knowledge of the environment and people, and above all, a certain amount of courage.

  • The budget: a management tool or an annual headache?

    Now that the first accounting quarter is over for most companies, it seems like a good time to address an unavoidable topic: the budget.

    As is the case every year, planning for the current financial year - carried out at the end of 2024 - has certainly been a strategic step involving significant resources, particularly in large organizations.

    A few avenues for reflection could perhaps help to lighten this burden - both financial and mental - when the time comes to tackle it again, even if the deadline still seems a long way off.

  • The loss of pragmatism in favour of law

    The law has become very convenient: it makes it possible to hide certain incompetence and to exclude any pragmatism in favour of a dogmatism that is sometimes delusional in certain companies.

    But what exactly are we talking about when we say “law” in this demonstration? It refers to all the directives, standards, articles of law, elements of conformity - or compliance - as well as the numerous certifications that guide the decisions and actions of companies and, therefore, of every professional.

    Of course, it is not a question of questioning the existence of these standards, which have become indispensable in a hyper-connected world. Rather, it is to recognize that instead of fostering creativity or pragmatism, they often become filters against efficiency, cushions of laziness, or markers of irrelevance.

  • Blue-collar workers among white-collar workers

    It’s common for senior executives of major corporations to boast that they encourage entrepreneurship among their managers and employees. This phenomenon is an abuse of language, even a regrettable naivety, as it suggests - both internally and externally - that employees act as autonomous “bosses”, attentive to the company’s challenges.

    A myth or an illusion? Promoting a sense of priorities, opportunities and challenges within the company is understandable and defensible, but its effects should not be overestimated for several reasons: . Transparency (…) . Decision-making skills (…) . Size as a constraint (…) . Detachment from the product (…). (…).

Archives

Contact us

Contact from
☛ Don't forget to include an email address or a phone number if you wish to be contacted.