Team Management
From operations to organizational culture, today’s Facilities leaders are expected to bring people together around a shared purpose.
Leadership in Facility Management has become more complex as the function has taken on a more strategic role within organizations. If operational efficiency was once the primary measure of success, today’s Facility Manager is expected to bring together multidisciplinary teams, service providers, and different business areas, often without having direct managerial authority over everyone involved. In this environment, skills such as communication, emotional intelligence, negotiation, and relationship building have become just as important as technical expertise.
To better understand this transformation, we spoke with Aline Navarrete, a specialist in Corporate Facilities, Workplace, and Corporate Architecture, and Carla Prandini, Workplace Operations & Facilities Manager at Bloomberg in the United States. Drawing on different professional contexts, they explain how leadership built on influence, organizational culture, and employee experience is reshaping the role of Facilities professionals.
Leadership Beyond Operations
According to Aline Navarrete, leadership in Facilities is no longer based on authority but on the ability to influence people from different backgrounds and professional relationships.
“Leadership in Facilities is no longer based on authority. Today, it is built on influence. A manager needs to connect people with different goals, backgrounds, and employment relationships who all share the same mission: providing a safe, functional, and welcoming environment for everyone who uses the space.”
She believes emotional intelligence, active listening, clear communication, and systems thinking are essential to bringing professionals from different areas together around a common goal. “Every decision affects people, operations, culture, and the business at the same time. Leading today means connecting all these elements and helping different specialists work as one team.”
This shift has also changed how the profession measures success. “Managers used to be recognized mainly for solving problems. Today, they are expected to prevent them, develop people, influence strategic decisions, and create positive experiences.”
In the United States, Carla Prandini has seen a similar evolution, with Facilities becoming much more closely connected to Human Resources and executive leadership.
“The biggest change has been moving away from seeing Facilities as a primarily operational function and recognizing it as a strategic one. Today, Workplace and Facilities are directly involved in discussions about organizational culture, talent attraction and retention, productivity, and employee experience.”
In practice, she says, this requires leaders to understand how workplaces influence business results. “It’s no longer enough to make sure the building operates properly. You also need to understand how the workplace influences collaboration, innovation, and performance.”
Her international experience also highlights differences between Brazil and the United States. Carla notes that while the Brazilian market is known for adaptability and close working relationships, the U.S. model is more focused on processes, autonomy, and clearly defined responsibilities. “Communication in the United States tends to be more direct, objective, and transparent, while in Brazil there has traditionally been greater emphasis on relationships and the context of the conversation.”
Culture, Belonging, and Employee Experience
Facilities management has also expanded to include issues such as diversity, inclusion, accessibility, mental health, and psychological safety. For Aline, these priorities need to be part of everyday decisions and should apply equally to in-house employees and outsourced teams.
“It doesn’t make sense for direct employees to have one experience while service providers have another. Everyone contributes to the same purpose and deserves the same respect, access to information, development opportunities, and a psychologically safe work environment.”
She believes building this culture depends on everyday leadership. “Leaders need to be consistent between what they say and what they do, create spaces where people feel heard, respond quickly to any situation involving disrespect, and demonstrate every day that inclusion is a daily commitment, not a project with an end date.”
Another challenge is creating a sense of belonging among professionals with very different roles. For Aline, this happens when everyone understands the impact of their work on the people who use the workplace.
“When people realize they are part of something bigger, they stop simply completing tasks and start creating experiences.”
Carla expands on this idea by emphasizing that workplaces have become strategic tools for strengthening organizational culture.
“I believe physical workplaces are no longer just places where people do their jobs. They have become tools for strengthening culture, collaboration, and connection among teams.”
According to her, that experience depends directly on the people responsible for operating those environments. “Facilities teams directly influence how employees perceive the company, whether through the quality of services, the speed of problem-solving, or attention to detail.”
The two professionals also share similar views on preventing psychosocial risks. Brazil’s recent update to NR-1 and the practices adopted by U.S. organizations reinforce the importance of workplaces built on respect and psychological safety.
For Aline, the change represents a broader understanding of what it means to care for people at work. “More than meeting a legal requirement, I believe leaders must create environments where people feel safe being themselves, expressing their ideas, and reporting inappropriate situations without fear of retaliation.”
Carla notes that, in the United States, many organizations have adopted internal practices that go beyond legal requirements. “Legislation establishes a minimum standard. It is organizational culture, built every day by leaders and teams, that truly defines people’s experience within a company.”
Looking ahead, both believe advances in technology and artificial intelligence will make human skills even more valuable. Carla summarizes this future by saying, “The best Facilities leaders will be those who can combine technology, behavioral science, and human relationships. The real competitive advantage will not simply come from adopting the most advanced tools, but from using innovation to create better experiences, strengthen connections, and generate value for people and the business.”
Aline shares the same perspective. “The next generation of Facilities leaders will be recognized less for managing buildings and more for developing people. People are the ones who transform processes, innovate, welcome users, and make every strategy possible.”
The evolution of Facility Management shows that infrastructure and technology remain essential, but they are no longer the center of the profession. In organizations increasingly focused on employee experience, the primary responsibility of leadership is to create environments where different teams can work together, strengthen organizational culture, and contribute to business results.