Capability is the mix of technical, operational, leadership and interpersonal skill in the FM team. Gaps show up as repeat mistakes, weak contractor oversight and poor reporting. Before recruiting, agree what the function must be able to do in two years, then decide whether the gap is a hire, a development route or a redesign.
Capability is the mix of technical, operational, leadership and interpersonal skill in the Facilities Management team. Even with the right structure and enough people, the wrong capability leads to failure. The common mistake is hiring for the job as it was rather than the job it is becoming.
What a capability gap looks like
- The same mistakes happening more than once
- Stakeholders handled poorly, or avoided
- Weak oversight of contractors and service partners
- Reporting that is late, thin or not trusted
- Inconsistent handovers
Where it usually comes from
- People in roles that do not match their skills
- No plan for developing the team
- Too little investment in training
- No succession planning
- Too much resting on one or two people who hold everything together
Why it matters when you hire
When the job description does not reflect the real gap, the shortlist is weak before it is drawn up. Roles get filled with people who are busy rather than effective, interviewers select on personality more than skill, and new starters struggle early.
What to do before you recruit
- Agree what the function must be able to do in two years, allowing for growth, regulation, technology and changes to the estate
- Map the skills you have against that, honestly
- Decide for each gap whether it is a hire, a development route or a redesign of the role
- Where you hire, define success for the role in outcomes and assess against it with structured, evidence-based interviews and agreed scoring rather than instinct
Our hire, develop or interim planner can help with the choice between hiring, developing and interim cover.
Questions to ask yourself
- Where do you see the same performance gaps again and again?
- Who carries the load in your team?
- Which skills are genuinely non-negotiable for the role?
- How have your last two or three FM appointments worked out?
Where to start
The free FM Talent Scan check looks at capability alongside five other areas of your function and the decision you are facing. It takes about five minutes and tells you plainly whether a full FM Talent Scan is worth doing. If you would rather talk it through, contact us or call 0207 118 4848.
This article is one of six on the areas the check covers: structure, capacity, capability, tools and technology, leadership and culture.
