After our recent series on workplace culture, we started thinking about how things work on the other end of the office furniture equation – where the planning and purchasing happens. We found a fascinating IFMA survey for 2011 that gives us a peek at the challenges facing facility managers who handle the needs of buildings in an international market. The differences in language, currency, and units of measure are just the most obvious differences to deal with. It’s not possible to implement a one size fits all approach to best practices. “Maintaining company standards and specs while balancing exceptions for local customs” is a lesson FMs who manage multinational properties must learn quickly.

FMs in the survey note some key differences between our business culture and that of other countries. For example, meeting deadlines and getting things done fast is a big deal in the US. Due dates on contracts are a much more casual guideline in many other countries. On the other hand, we may be sacrificing quality for speed without realizing it. According to one FM provider, “Contracts are very seldom based on performance criteria in the US which brings the input of the contractor and quality of the services to a lower level.”

Fortunately, at OBEX we offer the best of both worlds. We can guarantee that quality and performance won’t be a problem when facility managers do business with us – and we offer fast delivery too!