Tracing workplace knowledge in ‘network service organisations’

Abstract

Centralised workplace and decentralised facilities management organisations combine several interacting functions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the workplace service environment from a ‘network organisation’ perspective comprising workplace knowledge‐holder roles that have both formal and informal connections. This paper proposes that the core business customers, in‐house and outsourced service providers, and the contract managers have a similar need to interact and learn from each other and presents a framework for ‘network service organisations’ to describe their changing collaborative roles. First, the customer interfaces of workplace networks are identified. Secondly, a theoretical framework for a network service organisation is presented, followed by a section on creating centres of excellence for workplace knowledge. Thirdly, a generic governance model for network collaboration is introduced. The aim of the paper is to increase knowledge about understanding and managing network relations in the new workplace environment. The paper ends with a discussion on limitations to formal cooperation and the need for further research on informal relationships within these networks.