The FM industry is multidisciplinary, connecting fields within the built environment with people and organizations. Ideally, a built environment is responsive to an organization's wants and needs. In turn, an organization appreciates the necessary investments in the built environment. Combined, these enable better organizational performance through better coherence.

Unfortunately, this vision remains far from reality. Many spaces do not work. We stumble upon them daily. Too many classrooms do not work for teaching. Too many office concepts lead to significant staff dissatisfaction. People often get lost in buildings, and hospitals lack facilities where people can give a dignified farewell to loved ones. We have too many spaces that cause problems with end-user experiences or the work that needs to be done, imposing costs, pollution, safety and even health impacts. Why are we unable to fix it? Why is it so hard to get things right? Is the problem too inscrutable? Where is our learning imperative? As organizations continue to digitize operations and assets, which function will ensure their coherence and performance — FM or IT departments?

Organizations are in constant flux, and facility managers should identify opportunities for synergy through a better-built environment. Changes, small or large, put pressure on the initial fit of the building and organization, eventually turning it into a misfit. In many organizations, decision makers are busy with primary functions rather than supportive ones. Whenever possible, they seek to cut costs and find ways to build and procure cheaper services. They prefer to invest in people rather than bricks and mortar. However, this is misguided. There are many opportunities in which facility managers can create synergy and add value to the business with a fit-for-purpose built environment. Developers, architects, engineers and real estate professionals — many acting outside the organization and within a project management structure — detrimentally lack a profound understanding of the organization and how to make the built environment fit for purpose and flexible.

We believe facility management can address these issues. Positive change is within reach. Consider new office concepts: Workplace professionals often complain that people do not use them properly and that management must increase efforts to make them work. While this contention may be correct, it is nonsense in most cases because designers can design spaces in which people immediately make the right choices and feel well.