Facilities Management Organizations Research Articles

Impacts of poor quality of information in the facility management field

Purpose– This paper aims to analyse the quality of information and its impact on the facility management (FM) service processes from a lean management perspective. Waste has a key role in lean management when improving productivity. Unfortunately, the potential of waste elimination has not been utilised in FM. Poorly managed information has already been recognised as a source of waste.Design/methodology/approach– The quality of information and related waste activities were studied in a value creation context through four in-depth case studies. The research included 130 interviews and workshops with the case organisations and their customers.Findings– The results confirm that poor quality of information produces a lot of waste activities. In the cross-case analysis, three impacts were found as a result of the poor quality of information in FM service processes: a lot of time is wasted for searching, a great deal of extra work is conducted and potential is lost.Research limitations/implications– Although the case study approach has its limitations, this study with its extensive data provides findings that are grounded in solid evidence.Practical implications– By utilising waste elimination and re-engineering value creation processes, FM organisations could improve the quality of information and increase their overall efficiency.Originality/value– This paper provides a deeper insight into the impacts that poor quality of information generates.

The relation between innovation sources and ICT roles in facility management organizations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present research findings on the relation between internal/external sources of innovation and information and communication technology (ICT) as a supporter/enabler of facilities management (FM) organizations, as well as on the strategic orientation towards open innovation of FM organizations. Design/methodology/approach – This study uses a qualitative research approach. The data collection includes qualitative semi-structured interviews with key FM managers and directors and secondary material such as company brochures, reports and information provided on the participating companies’ websites. Findings – The results show that the FM organizations in the study sample are starting to develop and engage in open FM service innovations, even though they still mostly conduct closed innovation activities. The findings show that FM organizations mostly take an ambidextrous strategic orientation towards FM service innovations, while they also embrace an exploration approach. Concerning the role of ICT in FM service innovations, the study shows that in the explorative organizations, ICT was mostly an enabler, while in the ambidextrous organizations, ICT mostly supported and enabled the innovations in question. Only in two innovation instances was ICT identified as having a utility role. Practical implications – The findings of this study challenge researchers and managers to rethink how and why a strategic orientation towards innovation, the sources of innovation and the role of ICT might affect service innovation in FM organizations. One important implication for FM managers and researchers is the importance that the government might have as an external source in fostering FM service innovations, especially in light of changing environmental requirements, such as energy consumption. FM managers should also consider how they could use ICT to improve and innovate FM services and service delivery and the kind of sources (external/internal) they should use to carry out this task. Originality/value – This paper contributes to the empirical and theoretical understanding of the sources of innovation and ICT as a supporter/enabler, as well as the strategic orientation towards innovation in FM organizations.

Organising cleaning in Norwegian public FM

Purpose – This paper aims to give an overview of the alternatives that Norwegian municipalities have regarding organisational models for their facility management (FM) and cleaning organisations, and to investigate what organisational models they apply, if building category or size of municipality influences their use of organisational models and whether their FM and cleaning organisations are organised similarly within identical municipalities. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a national survey conducted during year 2010. All Norwegian municipalities were invited to respond. The survey asked the head of the FM departments (or the chief executive officer [CEO] if the first could not answer) what organisational models they used for their FM and cleaning organisations and what changes they planned for the organisation in the future. All questions were asked according to different building categories to determine whether building category had any influence on their choices. Findings – Limited research has been published regarding the structure of the FM organisations in Norwegian municipalities and even less regarding their cleaning organisations. The results show that Norwegian municipalities prefer integrated models and also purchasing services from the private sector prior to applying decoupled models as inter-municipal alternatives and Municipal Limited Companies. The results do also indicate that Norwegian municipalities’ interest in such models is rising and that they seem to be moving away from traditional and integrated alternatives. Research limitations/implications – Although all municipalities were invited to the survey, only one-third responded. Originality/value – The article may represent a first thorough overview of what organisational models and what combinations of models Norwegian municipalities use for their FM and cleaning organisations. Compared to former studies, this article explores a greater variety in organisational models and a greater variety in researched building categories.

Applying the KANO model to analyse the value of green FM

Purpose– This research project studies office tenants’ perceived value of green service attributes, with the focus being on facility services and management. The purpose of this paper is to gain an understanding of what kind of green attributes tenants value in their office buildings.Design/methodology/approach– The research project was conducted using a single case study methodology. A green facilities management concept was tested in a pilot building. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire based on the Kano model of attractive quality. In addition, open-ended questions were asked to further understand the tenants’ views on the matter.Findings– The findings of the research project indicate that tenants have begun to value green attributes in their office buildings. While environmental efficiency is not yet a strategic guideline for small tenants, it would increase their satisfaction with facility management and services.Practical implications– Facility management and service organisations can utilise the results of this study in their own service scopes and process development.Originality/value– This study provides insight into the value of green facilities and user services for small office tenants.

Learning from lean management – going beyond input‐output thinking

PurposeThe aim of the research is to address why facility management (FM) processes do not support customer value creation.Design/methodology/approachAn in‐depth analysis of the value creation process in the industry was analysed with 15 interviews and a workshop based around a case process. The study considers the current value creation processes against the theory of lean management.FindingsThe lack of literature shows that the overall value creation process has been neglected. The case findings indicate that the FM process does not support comprehensive customer value creation. The FM process has been structured based on agreements, not on value creation. A lot of effort has aimed to improve the value adding FM process, but not to minimise the unavoidable non‐value adding, i.e. waste activities, from the process.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is conducted in a globally operating organisation in Finland and, due to similarities, the results could also be applied in other countries to bring new insight and direction to value creation.Practical implicationsThe methods and practices of lean management can be used by FM organisations to gain better understanding of their own value creation processes.Originality/valueThis paper offers an eye‐opener for researchers and FM companies on the possibilities that lean management may offer.

Facilities management driving green building certification: a case from Finland

PurposeThe aim of this study is to identify and understand the role of facility services in the environmental performance of existing office buildings.Design/methodology/approachThe study observes how a facilities management (FM) service provider develops its service processes to meet environmental efficiency objectives. The environmental objectives are adopted from a commonly used green building rating system. The developed processes and services are then analysed and tested against a case facility.FindingsThe results indicate that FM service processes have both direct and indirect influence on the building environmental performance metrics. The results show that, by relatively light changes and modifications to the FM service processes, quite extensive environmental benefits can be achieved.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is preliminary and the results are based on the single case study. Only one service provider was assessed. Moreover, the case study represents a situation where all FM services are provided by one service provider.Practical implicationsFM providers readily hold a great portion of the data required for green management. It can be argued that FM services play a central role in the environmental performance of an office building and FM organizations can significantly support client organizations in their efforts to minimize their total environmental impact.Social implicationsThe majority of carbon dioxide emissions caused by buildings are created during the operating phase of existing buildings. In other words, the way a building is managed and maintained has a major impact on the environmental performance of the building.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the discussion on the role of FM in climate change.

Are we heading towards mature facilities management in Norwegian municipalities?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss to what extent the maturity of a professional facilities management (FM) organisation can add value to the owner by keeping their building stock in good condition, functional and up to date in the long‐term. Are the Norwegian municipalities adding value in their building assets by applying a maintenance strategy? What are their strategies and how are they adding value to the end‐user? Is there any correlation between the maintenance strategy and the condition of the building stock?

Facilities Management Carbon Footprints: An Audit of Critical Elements of Management and Reporting

Concern for the environmental impact of organizations’ activities has led to the recognition and demand for organizations to manage and report on their carbon footprint. However, there is no limit as to the areas of carbon footprints required in such annual environmental reports. To deliver improvements in the quality of carbon footprint management and reporting, there is a need to identify the main elements of carbon footprint strategy that can be endorsed, supported and encouraged by facility managers. The study investigates carbon footprint elements managed and reported upon by facility manager in the UK. Drawing on a questionnaire survey of 256 facility managers in the UK, the key elements of carbon footprints identified in carbon footprint reports are examined. The findings indicate that the main elements are building energy consumption, waste disposal and water consumption. Business travel in terms of using public transport, air travel and company cars are also recognized as important targets and objectives for the carbon footprint strategy of several FM (facilities management) organizations.

Managerial perception of service innovation in facility management organizations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate innovation in the facilities management sector by conducting an empirical study.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a qualitative research approach to investigate the research question. Data collection includes qualitative semi‐structured interviews with key facility management managers and directors, secondary material such as company brochures and reports and participation to workshops and conferences on facility management.FindingsThe main results are that big service providers perceive innovation as a strategic activity and see themselves as innovative companies. Facilities management (FM) service customers with their own FM department present mixed results. Some perceive innovation as a strategic priority and have clear innovation strategies. Others perceive themselves as not being innovative, even though they might be. The organizations belonging to the category “ICT Supplier/consultants” perceive themselves as innovative organizations and their innovations are both driven by the user needs and by the desire to improve their competitiveness. The types of perceived FM innovations found in the study can be mainly categorized as service, contract, process and business model innovations. Finally, the study shows that ICT is perceived to be a driver of FM innovations and that FM organizations use both closed and open innovation strategies.Practical implicationsThese results can be used by FM managers, innovation researchers and FM researchers alike. For FM managers the results provide some useful information about how innovation is addressed in FM provider and customer companies. FM researchers can get a picture of what is going on in the FM innovation landscape in Denmark. Finally, service researchers can get some insights about service innovation in a specific and under‐researched service field: facility management services.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the understanding of innovation and innovation types in facility management companies.

The relationship equilibrium: Deriving value from client and supplier relationships

The maturity of the facilities management (FM) services provided into any business is driven, at least in part, by the relationship between the FM client and the supplier delivering the services. Maturity measurement identifies whether or not the optimum FM operating model is in use for the business being served. Unconscious incompetency to conscious competency is the journey of maturity for all FM organisations and one influencer of success is the creation of relationship equilibrium between the FM client and the supplier, which facilitates the right maturity of FM delivery. Understanding the equilibrium, the principles that are applied to develop the most effective equilibrium and the benefits realised by achieving it comprise both the objective and the essence of this paper. In addition, a clear understanding of the operational consequences and costs of failing to achieve this equilibrium may lead the reader to consider their existing relationship within the context discussed and to contemplate moving that relationship forward by applying the principles articulated.

Performance measurement models in facility management: a comparative study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare the major performance measurement models, hereafter called performance models, and investigate their application in the context of facility management (FM), based on which it aims to identify the effectiveness of these models and recommend the most important performance indicators.Design/methodology/approachA combination of literature review, expert interview and questionnaire survey is adopted in this study. A literature review and a series of expert interviews help to identify the performance models spread in general and applied to FM in particular. Based on the literature review and expert interviews, a questionnaire survey is carried out in the UK and Ireland to investigate the application of performance models in FM practice.FindingsThe review of relevant literature shows that in recent years various models have been developed to measure and improve the performance of organisations. The application of such models within FM organisations is evaluated in this study. It is found that key performance indicators (KPI), the Balanced Scorecard (BSC), and the Business Excellence Model (BEM) are more widely accepted and more effective than others. This is similar to the findings by a previous construction study. FM organisations benefit from effective performance measurement. When measuring performance, it is important for them to select the appropriate models and indicators.Originality/valueThe existing studies contribute to the establishment of various performance models and the introduction of their concepts into the FM discipline. However, whether the application of these models in reality is effective or not needs to be justified. This research aims at analysing the real effect of existing models in the FM sector. Comparison is made between FM and construction. It helps to identify the major benefits from performance measurement for FM organisations. It provides FM practitioners with an insight into the appropriate use of performance models and indicators.

Implications of a sustainability policy for facilities management organisations

PurposeThe paper aims to look at the prevalence of facilities management (FM) companies having in place a sustainability policy, and to understand the link between a sustainability policy, company characteristics, and the application of sustainable business practice.Design/methodology/approachThe research method was a data analysis of 65 facilities management companies. Frequency analyses, multiple correspondence analyses and Pearson's χ2 tests were used to test the link between the company size, the presence of a sustainability policy and the implementation of sustainable business practice.FindingsThere is a link between company size and the likelihood of a sustainability policy being created in the FM industry. The research shows there is a link between the presence of a sustainability policy and the implementation of sustainable business practice.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the method of data capture, there are no perception research areas, so the reasons behind companies' actions are not known. This can be developed in further research.Practical implicationsThe research shows the importance of a sustainability policy in forming commitment to sustainable business practice, as well as highlighting areas where the FM industry is lacking in commitment to sustainable business practice.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need to study the implications of a sustainability policy in the development of sustainable practice in the FM industry. It also develops the link between the characteristics of FM companies and the level of sustainable business practice implemented.

Environmental scan: influence on strategic direction

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to offer the environmental scan as a valued tool for the facilities management (FM) operation to assist in determining strategic direction.Design/methodology/approachAfter defining the environmental scan, its usefulness is explored from the perspective of a single case study public institution FM organisation. Once the information is captured, the potential analysis and value is discussed.FindingsThe environmental scan is seen as a valuable tool in the FM organisation to solicit input from both the institution's administration and the customer community leaders. Through this analysis, the FM organisation can refine its strategic direction by determining what it is doing well, what it should investigate doing, and what it should consider to stop doing.Research limitations/implicationsThe single case study does raise the issue of generalisability. However, given the nature of what can be gained from qualitative research, the reader is cautioned to take into account appropriate logic and environmental factors when considering transferability.Practical implicationsThe findings from the FM environmental scan serves to not only aid in determining strategic direction but can also assist the FM organisation in demonstrating the value of the services provided. It helps to identify what the organisation should stop doing, do better, and begin to do for its customers.Originality/valueThe introduction and use of the environmental scan instrument followed with appropriate analysis provides the FM organisation with a method to solicit critical input from customers to aid in strategic planning and demonstrate value of services.

Improving service provision through better management and measurement of customer satisfaction in facilities management

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of a customer performance measurement system (CPMS) to demonstrate how facilities management (FM) organisations can enhance their existing processes for measuring the customer satisfaction of their service provision.Design/methodology/approachCustomer performance measurement in FM is the process of capturing, measuring, and improving the satisfaction of FM customers. A generic CPMS was developed that FM organisations can adopt to improve their existing service provision. The CPMS was developed using a mixed methods approach was adopted. An instrumental case study was used to test the CPMS. The case study represented what was deemed as a typical FM organisation in the UK. The effectiveness of the CPMS application was first validated internally by the instrumental case study. A series of collective case studies were then used to validate the CPMS externally, by testing a series of other FM companies in the UK to provide further understanding of the potential application of the CPMS.FindingsThe findings suggest that by adopting a strategic model that incorporates a balance of quantitative and qualitative methods to gain customer satisfaction of FM service provision, can enhance an FM organisation's existing processes of gaining customer satisfaction.Originality/valueAlthough there are many studies researching performance measurement in FM, there is a lack of knowledge on the application of customer performance measurement. This paper contends that there is a need to develop a mixed methods system that is not limited to gaining quantitative findings of customer satisfaction, but also gains wider qualitative findings that investigate customer expectations and perceptions of FM service provision. Generic customer satisfaction benchmarks in the UK FM industry were also established, and formed a crucial component of the CPMS.

Successful IT implementation in facility management

PurposeThe purpose of this research is a comparative analysis of computer‐aided facilties management (CAFM) implementation projects and procedures in the German‐speaking countries in order to derive appropriate implementation models. Since the 1990s CAFM has provided efficient information technology (IT) tools for mapping, evaluation and control of facility management (FM) structures and processes. Despite the multitude of vendors and users in different branches, there is still a lack of transparent and systematic case studies regarding successful CAFM implementations and uncertainty about the market situation.Design/methodology/approachIn the survey a systematic approach (structured interviews) was used allowing a comparison between cases in different application fields. Because of the geographical location of the project partners, the entire German speaking area could be covered and thus the results of the analysis reflect the state of the art of CAFM implementation and use in the German‐speaking area. Besides the case study the general market situation was investigated by interviewing relevant market players like associations, end‐users, consultants, implementation partners and vendors.FindingsThis paper provides a comparative analysis of the CAFM sectors in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It presents current trends, technologies, obstacles, challenges, and provides recommendations for a successful CAFM implementation. A systematic analysis of successful projects turned out to provide valuable assistance to both users and software developers resulting in an implementation model.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough in use for more than 15 years, CAFM still is a relatively new and challenging technological approach and thus by far not all projects can be considered a success. The survey comprises about 20 cases both from the private and public sector. It does not cover all application fields but the relevant sectors and market leading software implementations are considered. In this way, the survey is able to show typical strengths and weaknesses of current CAFM projects.Practical implicationsThe findings of the current survey provides valuable guidelines and assistance to FM organizations that start to implement CAFM or need to improve the performance and outcome of their existing projects. Potential users are encouraged to implement their projects in a systematic manner by following the recommendations derived from the survey.Originality/valueThere has been no previous systematic research on IT implementation processes in FM.

Determining a conceptual framework for green FM intellectual capital

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to consider how a facilities management (FM) organisation can strategically manage its intellectual capital with regard to environmental management services and to suggest a conceptual strategy for determining FM intangible assets' competitiveness and performance.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is based on a literature review of published work within the industry in relation to environmental issues and FM knowledge management, forming a basis for a further research paradigm.FindingsBuilding on the resource‐based view of the FM organisation, the FM intellectual capital framework is referred to emphasize the significance of green strategy in its knowledge components.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper emphasizes the importance of FM intellectual capital in achieving overall sustainability and profitability to an organisation. However, due to limitations of experience within the FM knowledge perspective, it will take a while before significant results can be provided in proof of this.Practical implicationsThis paper establishes an imperative approach about FM knowledge capital capability to drive a greater environmental effectiveness and to reduce liability from a pertinent environmental directive.Originality/valueThis paper theoretically evaluates the importance of FM intangible assets to the development of environmental management by an FM firm.

Tales of the expected: investigating the rhetorical strategies of innovation champions

Innovation continues to be high on the agenda in construction. It is widely considered to be an essential prerequisite of improved performance both for the sector at large and for individual firms. Success stories dominate the parts of the academic literature that rely heavily on the recollections of key individuals. A complementary interpretation focuses on the way innovation champions in hindsight interpret, justify and legitimize the diffusion of innovations. Emphasis is put on the temporal dimension of interpretation and how this links to rhetorical strategies and impression management tactics. Rhetorical theories are drawn upon to analyse the accounts given by innovation champions in seven facilities management organizations. In particular, the three persuasive appeals in classic rhetoric are used to highlight the rhetorical justifications mobilized in the descriptions of what took place. The findings demonstrate the usefulness of rhetorical theories in complementing studies of innovation.

Knowledge management practices in facilities organisations: a case study

PurposeThe paper's purpose is to identify the key knowledge variables within a facilities management (FM) environment and to develop an understanding of how FM knowledge is generated and utilised within FM organisations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper includes a review of literature on, underlying trends in FM, knowledge management (KM) in general, and current status of KM in FM and outcomes of three expert interviews with two academics and a practitioner who had extensive knowledge and experience with FM organisations. A case study approach was followed in order to apply the intellectual capital framework to map the knowledge variables within the FM context.FindingsThis paper highlights the main findings of the literature, expert interviews and the case study. The research recognised the intellectual capital framework as the means of identifying KM variables within the FM context. It reported the current practices of the case study organisation, strengths and weaknesses in relation to management of facilities knowledge. Literature, expert interviews and case study findings provided the basis in developing the KM maturity stages: recognition of importance, formulation of strategy, implementation of techniques, and evaluation of performance; relating to three components of the intellectual capital.Originality/valueFM knowledge is at a primitive stage of development and its terrain is largely unexplored. While the relevancy and potential value of KM is recognised, its application to the specifics of facilities operations is poorly developed. This study explores the management of knowledge within FM considering the strategic importance of facilities operations within the core organisational setting.

Maintenance risk reduction for effective facilities management

PurposeInsufficient investment in facilities management organizations lead to postponement of major repairs and replacements of facilities. Lack of centralized information within an organization on the assessment of deficiencies and conditions in the facilities causes these projects to be carried out at the cost of critical replacements and repairs. This paper aims to describe a facilities condition assessment methodology and a tool.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the physical condition and maintenance deficiencies of heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) type of equipment are assessed at its component level using failure checkpoints. The existing conditions of six cooling towers located at West Virginia University were assessed at the component level and an overall condition score was generated by the tool.FindingsThe tool helped to assess checkpoints on the components and identify the potential risk component and its impact.Research limitations/implicationsWhen facilities managers initiate this structured assessment methodology based on a periodic frequency, the facilities availability and life is maximized apart from reducing overall risk.Practical implicationsThe contributions of this paper include the use of a common and comprehensive methodology for HVAC physical condition assessments and risk assessment of component failure impact.Originality/valueThis paper eliminates the most evident scoring limitations in the literature such as “equal numbers or ties,” “summation of lower priority scores exceeding the higher priority score,” and the need for a “cost estimator.” A unique formula was determined for the scoring technique.

Evidence of systematic approaches to innovation in facilities management

PurposeThis paper seeks to examine the nature of “service innovation” in the facilities management (FM) context. It reviews recent thinking on “service innovation” as distinct from “product innovation”. Applying these contemporary perspectives it describes UK case studies of 11 innovations in different FM organisations. These include both in‐house client‐based innovations and third‐party innovations.Design/methodology/approachThe study described in the paper encompasses 11 different innovations that constitute a mix of process, product and practice innovations. All of the innovations stem from UK‐based organisations that were subject to in‐depth interviews regarding the identification, screening, commitment of resources and implementation of the selected innovations.FindingsThe research suggested that service innovation is highly active in the UK FM sector. However, the process of innovation rarely followed a common formalized path. Generally, the innovations were one‐shot commitments at the early stage. None of the innovations studied failed to proceed to full adoption stage. This was either due to the reluctance of participating organisations to volunteer “tested but unsuccessful” innovations or the absence of any trial methods that might have exposed an innovations shortcomings.Research limitations/implicationsThe selection of innovations was restricted to the UK context. Moreover, the choice of innovations was partly determined by the innovating organisation. This selection process appeared to emphasise “one‐shot” high profile technological innovations, typically associated with software. This may have been at the expense of less resource intensive, bottom‐up innovations.Practical implicationsThis paper suggests that there is a role for “research and innovation” teams within larger FM organisations, whether they are client‐based or third‐party. Central to this philosophy is an approach that is open to the possibility of failure. The innovations studied were risk averse with a firm commitment to proceed at the early stage.Originality/valueThis paper introduces new thinking on the subject of “service innovation” to the context of FM. It presents research and development as a planned solution to innovation. This approach will enable service organisations to fully test and exploit service innovations.