| Management, leadership, customer service, productivity, accountability: the words, the concepts, are constant topics of conversations in most organizations, but do we understand what the words mean, or how they are perceived by the customer or the service provider? This study examines these concepts from the perspective of a facility engineer working in the public sector. In this study, I reflect on the experience of allocating limited resources to the insatiable needs of a decaying public infrastructure, while trying to meet the expectations of the customers and employees alike. I look at the relationship on three levels: on the surface, where the buildings are built and the pipes fixed; below the surface, where management and leadership theories are used to define the relationships and attempt to apply the resources in an equitable way; and finally, on a personal level, where I try to find engineering solutions to problems that don't go away. Using the metaphor of a tightrope, I use the lens of phenomenology and hermeneutics to explore and examine the themes that influence the one in the middle, the one trying to stay the path.;The themes revealed from a customer's perspective are: service, responsiveness, and problem solving; from a service provider's perspective: trust, fairness, and equity; and from the facility engineer's perspective: productivity, accountability, and responsibility. Throughout the study, focus is placed on the conflicting priorities, the unclear objectives, the different goals, and objectives of the various constituencies that influence, that govern, the processes used to provide facility support in the public sector. As the infrastructure ages, as the competition for the resources needed to replace that infrastructure increases, as the demands for the public sector to be more business-like grow, it is imperative that those who want to influence the process understand the relationships between and among the individuals and organizations "doing" as well as "benefiting" from the work. |
