Johnson Controls (United Kingdom)

PurposeThe changes now being experienced in the workplace, driven by market pressures, changing demographics and new technologies, are real and accelerating. Since change remains the one constant when it comes to workplace planning, further transformations within the workplace over the next 20 or 30 years can be expected. Hence, this paper aims to demonstrate how to use a scenario planning futures approach in a changing, complex and uncertain workplace environment. As well as provoke thought and discussion about its long‐term future.Design/methodology/approachAt the Futures Academy in Dublin Institute of Technology, a systematic methodology for exploring and shaping the future has been developed, called the “Prospective through scenario” process. Each stage of the process is discussed in detail throughout this paper, as well as how the process is applied in the Johnson Controls workplace of the future study.FindingsThe creative “futures studies” approach can deal effectively with change, uncertainty and complexity in the workplace environment, by allowing those concerned to think, plan and act proactively rather than reactively as well as provide effective facilities management and real estate strategies.Practical implicationsReal estate organisations need to take the long view, for the greatest risk of our time is being overtaken by inevitable surprises that could have been foreseen and for which we could have been prepared.Originality/valueDiscussion and debate about the future of the workplace is inevitable and futures tools and techniques can facilitate this process.

Through the Facilities Innovation Research Programme, (www. facilitiesinnovation.co.uk) staff at the University of the West of England, Bristol and at Johnson Controls have been investigating systems that have the potential to track collaborative activities in the workplace, capture them, and in real time respond to them. The longer term goal is to develop embedded technologies that provide intelligent feedback in predictable office environments but also address the unpredictable working environments of nomadic knowledge workers and of remote workers engaged in virtual collaboration with those physically present. Some of these systems are relatively close to market and others are less immediately applicable. It is suggested that a heterogeneous mix of such systems is likely to be necessary for some time to come. A prototype real time location system for workers has been developed and is being tested to determine the extent to which it assists in better management of space and support of collaborative activity.

Draws on the results from a survey of real estate practices to identify changing trends in the property industry. This is then used as a basis for identifying and exploring how these changes are being manifested as commercial business propositions, and where this may lead the industry.

The paper reports an investigation of the premise that modern HRM practices ‐ used to encourage and motivate the workforce of an organisation ‐ can be extended to the peripheral workforce of contractors and agency staff. Literature review of HRM identified Communications, Teamworking, Training and Performance Management as suitable topics for consideration. Under these headings the project investigated the views of peripheral workers and their supervising managers within a facilities management environment. The data reveal a highly positive response to the topics with a significant degree of consistency across all groups of respondents. All categories attracted high scores with Teamworking coming out as the most favoured. The creation of genuine teams across contractual interfaces is highlighted as a means to significant enhancement of service provision.

Follows a previous paper which outlined a “performance pyramid” model, designed to enable interface managers to relate the key performance indicators of their business to working environment effectiveness. The concept allows managers to communicate more easily the value‐added contribution of the working environment to the organization, through close communication with finance, human resources and operations managers in strategic decision making. For reasons of client confidentiality, uses a fictional case study which includes real experiences observed in a number of organizations and puts these elements together under the performance pyramid model.