Facilities @ Management

2.15 Facility Management EducationPersonal Journeys of Facility Management Educators and Researchers

Joint Contribution By Eunhwa Yang, Jun Ha Kim, and Matthew Tucker

Introduction

Over the last 40 years of Facility Management (FM), the definition of FM has evolved. According to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), the latest definition of FM is a profession that “encompasses multiple disciplines to ensure functionality, comfort, safety, and efficiency of the built environment by integrating people, place, process, and technology” (IFMA 2017). Regardless of the evolving definitions of FM in these previous years, global standardization of the definition and scope of FM is a relatively recent achievement. In 2018, the International Organization for Standards (ISO) defined FM as an “organizational function which integrates people, place, and process within the built environment to improve the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business” (ISO 2018). The IFMA’s latest definition and ISO’s definition of FM highlight the human aspects of managing the built environment. As such, the ultimate goal of FM activities and functions is to contribute to the quality of human lives. With the global standardization of the definition and scope of FM, we, as educators, expect a general understanding of FM and awareness of FM functions to become more prominent, yet we are expected to provide the next workforce in FM with localized FM practices as we have ...