Getting the attention the facilities manager deserves

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to assess the role of computer‐aided facilities management (CAFM) in the delivery of knowledge management solutions. It aims to highlight the increasing problem of “attention” as a limited resource amongst facilities stakeholders. The paper attempts to describe the findings of a study to establish the types of CAFM functionality sought by facilities management practitioners.Design/methodology/approachThe study involved a structured questionnaire study of 110 respondents in Scotland (from 395 administered questionnaires) using a stratified sample. The objective was to obtain a profile of early‐adopters and to identify barriers to further adoption.FindingsThe findings indicate that the use of information technology in the form of CAFM is more likely amongst dedicated FM service providers than organisations with in‐house FM delivery and that medium‐sized enterprises (between 51 and 250 employees) are least likely to be using CAFM. A limiting factor in continued adoption appears to be the diminishing returns resulting from information overload. “Attention” appears to be the limiting resource in an increasingly complex and information hungry environment.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings are based on a national survey in Scotland and may have limited reproducibility outside of the UK. Nevertheless the general findings are relevant to the international context.Practical implicationsThis paper provides an indicative analysis of current trends in the computer‐aided facilities management (CAFM) arena. It identifies an increasing need to capture “tacit” as well as “explicit” knowledge in such systems.Originality/valueThis work develops the idea of the “attention economy” in the context of facilities management, highlighting the current impasse for information systems aspiring to become knowledge management systems.