Leadership and Professional Development in Facility Management, advanced course

This course explores Facility Management through a holistic lens, focusing on both technical skills and personal growth to prepare students for impactful professional careers. This course aims to go beyond technical knowledge by equipping students with the skills, mindsets, and practical experiences needed to lead, manage, and drive meaningful change within the built environment.

Through the context of Facility and Property Management, students will gain foundational knowledge in managing, operating, and maintaining properties with a strategic, sustainable approach. However, the course also emphasizes transformative leadership, self-reflection, creativity, critical thinking, and personal discipline. Students will engage in individual and group assignments that encourage them to harness their unique perspectives and strengths, while also developing collaboration skills essential for professional success.

By the end of the course, students will not only be equipped with the technical knowledge required for facility management but will have honed the interpersonal and leadership skills needed to act as change-makers, who can seamlessly bridge personal authenticity with professional effectiveness.

Knowledge

Upon completing the course, students should have advanced knowledge in:

• Strategic Property and Facility Management, including Corporate Real Estate principles.
• Key management tools and techniques, including stakeholder analysis, customer satisfaction surveys, building evaluations, and sustainable practices.
• Practical application of relevant models, standards, and regulatory requirements within the Norwegian context of Facility Management.
• Digitalization and technological tools essential for the field, including data analysis, building information modeling (BIM), and design software (e.g., Revit, AutoCAD).
• Value-driven management approaches that support community engagement, sustainability, and strategic alignment with organizational goals.

Skills

Students will be able to:

• Lead and manage projects within the Property and Facility Management sectors with a focus on sustainability, resilience, and operational efficiency.
• Apply and implement analysis tools and evaluation methods for optimizing service-based performance in property and facility management.
• Develop strategic plans for property portfolios that consider social, environmental, and economic impacts.
• Facilitate processes that promote collaboration, adaptability, and value-oriented decision-making within facility management.

General Competence

Upon completion, students will:

• Appreciate the critical role of the built environment in societal well-being and understand the responsibilities of facility managers in creating positive impacts.
• Integrate sustainability principles into property management, ensuring the preservation and enhancement of existing buildings for future generations.
• Recognize and exercise the roles and responsibilities of Facility Managers in relation to diverse stakeholders, fostering engagement, value creation, and sustainable practices.
• Develop self-discipline, creativity, and reflective practices that support personal and professional growth, preparing them to become proactive leaders in the field.

Lectures and exercises will be given in English. The learning model consists of lectures, workshops, practical exercises and supervised project assignment as a case study. A project assignment will be carried out in groups. The assignment will be a problem based learning approach by real cases from practice.