POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS ON FACILITIES MANAGEMENT PRACTICE

Abstract

Advancement in technology innovations, which is necessitated by globalisation has transformed the practice of facilities management (FM). Consequently, cutting edge technologies, including the drone technology, robots, sensors, cloud-based technology and the internet of things have become common tools that facilities managers adopt to achieve value addition in organisations. The adoption of these technological innovations affects both the core business and the employees of the organisations. However, previous studies in this regard have tended to focus more on analysing technological innovations and the core business to the exclusion of the employees. This study seeks to explore the potential influence of technological innovation on the employees because technology in an organisation without the active creativeness of the employee will be incapacitated in service delivery. The study was explorative in nature using the literature as the starting point for evaluating the potential effects that technological innovations could have on the employees of organisations and the challenges faced in their respective implementation in organisations. To this end it is recommended based on the literature search that facilities managers should consider the potential impact of adopting technological innovations on the employees of the organisation.