Stress test learn/work environment
At most organisations, you have a conversation with your boss once a year about how things are going, what the company thinks of you, and what you think of the company. This is usually also where your salary comes in.
A management team that is aware of the strategic opportunities of a harmonized environment, together with the help of interdisciplinary specialists, can create a difference in unlocking and unleashing human potential. Regular performance reviews of the learn/work environment as a tool for managing knowledge are required to ensure continuous improvement and a learning organisation.
Periodically conducting an environment appraisal (user, area, building and money), with a 360° feedback assessment on matters that contribute to policy goals with their prioritization, is an essential input to assess the degree of being in control with the learn/work environment and to fine-tune. Not only measurement information is required but you need also values to determine what an adequate learn/work environment is for your specific national and local context.
Periodic measuring of user satisfaction helps to timely identify a mismatch between the learn/work environment and the current educational process. And to prioritise interventions based on the users’ perceived fit of their needs and abilities with the learn/work environment. It provides more customisation and more attention to differences between organisational units. Measuring hard and soft data provides feedback and a sharper focus in addition to gut feelings, experiences or observations.
‘Does your built environment still meet your present needs and wishes?’
In addition to measuring the hard objective data (area, building, money), the soft subjective data on user satisfaction and behaviour is also relevant. This enables addressing the main question: ‘Is the learn/work environment desirable and adding relevant value?’ by answering the following four sub-questions.
Measuring hard and soft data provides feedback and a sharper focus in addition to gut feelings, experiences or observations. The performance appraisal should be holistic and consists of two parts: determining the objective quality of the learn/work environment using for example the Real Estate Norm method and measuring the subjective user experience through an online questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Be aware that you only ask for information that you are willing to act on. Measuring both quantitative and qualitative make the measurements more meaningful.
Data driven approach measures what matter
The role of the real estate, facility and IT manager is a supportive one in many organisations. A role in which often existing assumptions are fulfilled and not in which these assumptions are established. In an accommodation project, however, this supporting role is not sufficient.
The real estate, facility or IT manager must profile himself and be able to discuss organisational goals from operational to strategic level and translate these into learn/work environment consequences and back into relevant management information.
He must know the factors that determine whether the learn/work environment will work for the organisation or not. For that, data-driven decision-making is required to bridge the gap and achieve alignment at a strategic level instead of lagging behind the facts.
- How do you align the capacity and specifications of the learn/work environment with the organisational strategy in a transparent and proactive manner to communicate with the stakeholders?
- How do you integrate Real Estate, Facility Management and Information Technology assets into a coherent learn/work environment (cross-functional integration – the whole is more than the sum of its parts)?
- How do you keep, after delivery, the accommodation aligned with the dynamic strategy, so that it remains adequate (periodic 360° feedback evaluation)?
- How do you involve the management team and the users in the coordination and future-proofing of the whole (brief /design and evaluations)?
- What does a (periodic) evaluation of the learn/work environment consist of to improve and secure performance?
- How do you align accommodation risk management with the organisation’s approach to risk management?
- How do you enrich the input for quarterly reports, the annual budget and the annual report with qualitative data, in addition to the quantitative data?
The answers to the above 7 questions give insight into where is it in line with policy and strategy and where are there substantial deviations. How bad are the deviations and what can go wrong as a result (risks)? Is adjustment necessary/desired? What does it yield and what does it cost in terms of effort/money?
Advantages of a more data-driven decision making:
- Gaining more insight and control.
- A more efficient decision-making process.
- A better understanding of problems and issues.
- Better solutions/decisions through an iterative process.
Employee performance review
Employee satisfaction with the learn/work environment, the interplay of Real Estate (RE), Facility Management (FM), Information Technology (IT) and Human Resourses (HR), is the degree to which the combination meets their wishes and needs. It makes sense that the Human Resources department takes the lead in orchestrating the experience of people in places that matter and work. Aligning the place to the people it has to support because place comes after people. Realising at the same time that work is what you do and not a place. Work on-site and distantly in third places or at home is equal.
To what extent does the physical (Bricks) and digital (Bytes) work environment support their work, well-being and health?
However, it is also closely related to satisfaction with the social (Behavior) learn/work environment and the work itself.
Besides the learn/work activities or tasks also the workers’ job characteristics and students’ learning styles, influence the perceived fit of the learn/work environment. As do behavioural patterns, psychological needs and demographic characteristics.
The figure shows how the four Strategic Alignment Matrix frames give constraints for the Physical (bricks), Digital (bytes) and Social (behaviour) components of a learn/work environment.
The periodic Human Resources (HR) review pays attention to the performance of the employees, but little or no attention to the environment in which they have to perform. A questionnaire about the learn/work environment in combination with the periodic HR performance review offers opportunities to attract, better facilitate and retain employees.
