Caught in the middle: the role of the facilities manager in organisational energy use

Goulden, Murray; Spence, Alexa

Abstract

This study analyses the role of the Facilities Manager [FM] as a key actor in organisational energy management. This builds on the idea that ‘middle’ agents in networks can be an important lever for socio-technical change. The study demonstrates the considerable impact the FM can have on workplace energy consumption, whilst identifying a number of factors that constrain their agency and capacity to act. These include demands to meet workforce expectations of comfort; a lack of support from senior management; and a shortage of resources. Underlying these challenges, the study identifies three different energy rationales – that is to say conceptual frameworks – which are deployed by different groups of organisational actors. The challenges of reconciling these at-times-contradictory rationales results in a picture of energy management which to the outsider can appear highly irrational. The paper concludes with a consideration of how policy makers can apply these insights to support energy reduction in workplaces.

Citation

Goulden, M., & Spence, A. (2015). Caught in the middle: the role of the facilities manager in organisational energy use. Energy Policy, 85, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2015.06.014

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 5, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Jun 18, 2015
• Publication Date: Oct 1, 2015
• Deposit Date: Apr 12, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 12, 2018
• Journal: Energy Policy
• Print ISSN: 0301-4215
• Electronic ISSN: 0301-4215
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 85
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2015.06.014
• Keywords: Energy; Organisations; Facilities Manager; Middle-out; Non-domestic
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/981854
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421515002323