New patterns in facilities management: industry best practice and new organisational theory

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine benchmarking barriers among Nigerian facilities management (FM) practitioners. Design/methodology/approach Data collection were through semi-structured interviews with 34 FM heads from three selected cities in Nigeria. Out of this number, 16 were from Lagos, ten from Abuja while eight managers were from Port Harcourt, respectively. These managers were selected using purposive sampling based on their experience in the field of FM across the various sectors of the economy. The interviews were analysed with Nvivo 10 software qualitative computer software. Findings Those that do informal benchmarking face challenges with data, employees lack of confidence in new initiatives and poor support of senior management, the companies that use best practice benchmarking face constraints of access to information and employees unwillingness to change and comply to company set standards, unwillingness of benchmarking partners to understand the usefulness of the project, and problems that emanate from the quality of data obtained. Practical implications The results therefore suggest that to improve the practice of best practice benchmarking there is need to improve both quantity and quality of data for the exercise and enhance standard practice. Originality/value The study established a new category of benchmarking barriers called the market category of benchmarking barriers and further distinguished benchmarking barriers based on two forms of benchmarking which is informal and formal benchmarking. Also there are limited studies on benchmarking barriers in developing countries.

Download Full-text

Multi-sector framework for benchmarking in facilities management

Benchmarking An International Journal ◽

10.1108/bij-10-2015-0093 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 826-856 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yewande Adetoro Adewunmi ◽

Reuben Iyagba ◽

Modupe Omirin

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

Survey Design ◽

Group Discussion ◽

Facilities Management ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Design Data ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Content Type ◽

Port Harcourt ◽

The Relationship

Purpose Benchmarking in FM practice although understood and applied globally, little is known about the practice in Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to guide the use of benchmarking. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires on FM organizations in Lagos metropolis, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The results of the survey were supplemented with interviews with FM unit heads in the study areas. The framework was validated using a focus group discussion with ten FM industry experts. Findings A framework which serves as a guide for the use of best practice benchmarking was developed. It showed that there is a relationship between best practice benchmarking and location. Research limitations/implications The evaluation of the framework was limited by the number of participants involved and being that it has not been put to use. Originality/value This study develops a multi-sector framework to guide the use of best practice benchmarking in facilities management (FM). The framework explains the relationship between organizational characteristics and best practice benchmarking. In addition, there are limited empirical benchmarking frameworks in FM literature.

Download Full-text

Critical strategic issues for the integration of facilities management into the development process

Property Management ◽

10.1108/pm-05-2016-0022 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 380-393 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Matthew Paul Tucker ◽

Mohd Rayme Anang Masuri ◽

Alison Cotgrave

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Best Practice ◽

Development Process ◽

Research Approach ◽

Facilities Management ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Property Development ◽

Content Type ◽

Strategic Issues ◽

The Uk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the critical strategic issues for the integration of facilities management (FM) into the development process (DP). It explains the factors that limit the integration and recognises the best practices applied in the property development industry in the UK. Design/methodology/approach The study employs a qualitative research approach through semi-structured interviews from the FM and property development industry in the UK. Findings The study discovered that the recognition of FM in the property development industry is encouraging. However, FM has been given a low priority in the property development industry, resulting in facilities managers being inadequately integrated into the DP. Originality/value The paper suggests that it is imperative to understand these strategic issues to promote best practice in the industry that improve the position of FM in the property development industry.

Download Full-text

Facilities management: tracing its development trajectory

Property Management ◽

10.1108/pm-12-2013-0059 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 33 (3) ◽

pp. 212-223 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Xianhai Meng

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

Structured Interview ◽

Facilities Management ◽

Content Type ◽

Industry Sector ◽

The Past ◽

Management Area ◽

Development Trajectory ◽

The Times ◽

The Uk

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide facilities management (FM) practitioners and researchers with a better understanding of the FM industry sector by analyzing the trend of its development. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interview is adopted in this research as the main methodology. In total, 30 FM professionals in the UK were interviewed to explore the past, present and future of FM. The analysis of interview results helps to identify the key areas in which FM has changed, is changing and will change. It also helps to explain the implications of FM development in each key area. Findings – FM evolves and matures continuously. It is important for FM organizations and practitioners to recognize the dynamic nature of this industry sector, based on which they can develop appropriate strategies to adapt to changing circumstances. This is probably the only way for them to keep pace with the times. Originality/value – Both backward looking and forward looking are crucial to the development of an industry sector. However, existing studies on FM development are conducted through either review or outlook. On the other hand, most of these studies focus on one particular management area or one particular industry sector. Based on 30 expert interviews, this research attempts to bridge the knowledge gap and analyze the trend of FM development in a systematic way. A better understanding of the trend provides a possibility and a guide for FM organizations and practitioners to pursue best practice.

Download Full-text

Facilities Management Best Practice in the Nordic Countries: 36 Cases20091Per Anker Jensen. Facilities Management Best Practice in the Nordic Countries: 36 Cases. Centre for Facilities Management – Realdania Research, 2008. DKK300+25%VAT (DKK100+25%VAT for teaching institutions) 300 pp. 978‐87‐90855‐07‐9 Soft back

Facilities ◽

10.1108/02632770910969658 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 27 (9/10) ◽

pp. 413-413

Author(s):

Zehra Waheed

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

Nordic Countries ◽

Facilities Management

Download Full-text

Reduction lists as tool for cost control in public building projects

Journal of Facilities Management ◽

10.1108/jfm-06-2015-0022 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 84-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Nils O.E. Olsson

Keyword(s):

Construction Projects ◽

Best Practice ◽

Cost Control ◽

Value Engineering ◽

Future Research ◽

Facilities Management ◽

Building Projects ◽

Public Building ◽

Content Type ◽

Management Perspective

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to study the use of potential scope reductions in major construction projects for special-purpose buildings. Scope reductions may result in buildings that are less fit for purpose; this will be negative according to a facilities management perspective. The paper discuses to what extent this is the case. Potential reductions of project scope have been a tool for cost control of governmental investments in Norway since 2001. Design/methodology/approach – The study is based on lists of possible reductions that were identified in the early phase of the projects. Information about the outcome of these possible reductions is collected from eleven public building projects. Findings – In the studied projects, reduction lists were equivalent to 2.7 per cent of projects budgets, ranging from 0 to 9 per cent. Contingencies for these projects were 9.5 per cent on average, ranging from 5 to 13 per cent. The reduction lists were typically smaller than the contingencies’ lists. Seven of 11 studied projects had reduction lists established during the front-end phase. Only two projects implemented some of the reductions. These reductions were general reductions of the quality of spaces. Research limitations/implications – Empirical research results are based on Norwegian experiences. Results are compared to international practices. Future research can include comparisons between facilities projects and other types of investments. Practical implications – The Norwegian reduction lists can be seen as a type of value engineering. The studied potential reductions are based on an unusually high degree of specification of the potential actions for cost control. International best practice is more concerned with general approaches. The practice of identifying specific potential reductions has little use as an active tool for controlling costs. General reduction options work better than specific reductions. The potential scope reductions do not appear to be a threat in a facilities management perspective. Originality/value – This is the first study of how potential reductions have been used in public building projects. The findings are of interest related to cost control of major investments in facilities.

Download Full-text

Insights From Ricoeur’s Hermeneutics on Best Practice In Professional Service Firms: On Perpetual Myth Creation?

Qualitative Sociology Review ◽

10.18778/1733-8077.1.1.03 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 1 (1) ◽

pp. 31-50

Author(s):

Katarzyna Kosmala

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Best Practice ◽

Professional Service ◽

Sense Making ◽

Decision Making Process ◽

Service Firms ◽

Professional Service Firms ◽

Working Process ◽

Organisational Theory ◽

Production Processes

Drawing on the work of Ricoeur, this paper contributes to theorisation of the organisational field in understanding of how structural power operates through professional langue in shaping a construction of individual judgement in professional service firms. As Ricoeur argued that judicial sense may be envisaged as one of the best examples of hermeneutic application (1991: 493), I explore practitioners’ sense making and their interaction with the surrounding structures and its discourse, learned and assimilated during the formative years in the context of audit practice. The interviews-based story provides an illustration of (1) the processes of socialisation that are geared towards conceptions of what constitutes professional best practice, where the professional learns to use judgement and follow structure in particular ways (a perpetuated myth of best practice), and (2) the effects of such formation on the working process. The paper contributes insights into organisational theory in areas of negotiating a balance between institutional requirements (structural conditioning of professional epistemology) and technical demands of hermeneutic function (purposive expert activities) in decision making process. The paper concludes that practitioners assume the appearance of professionalism by adopting a particular professional langue where judgement becomes normative in its own terms. These re-production processes in accordance with organisational frames of references for action may be in opposition to the decisional autonomy, where there may be a space for simultaneously creating (agency) and sharing (structure) on the job. The study reveals that professional langue itself is a place of prejudice and bias on the job.

Download Full-text

Benchmarking challenges in facilities management in Nigeria

Journal of Facilities Management ◽

10.1108/jfm-09-2013-0049 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 156-184 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yewande Adetoro Adewunmi ◽

Modupe Omirin ◽

Hikmot Koleoso

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

Empirical Studies ◽

Facilities Management ◽

Content Type ◽

Importance Index ◽

Port Harcourt ◽

Total Response Rate ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Access To Data ◽

Practical Implications

Purpose – The paper aims to examine benchmarking challenges among Nigerian Facilities management (FM) practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – Data collection was through self-administered questionnaires sent to 120 FM organizations in Lagos metropolis, 50 in Abuja and 15 in Port Harcourt. Also, interviews were conducted on six facilities managers to ascertain challenges faced by organizations that use best practice benchmarking. The survey achieved a total response rate of 74 per cent in Lagos, 66 per cent in Abuja and 93 per cent in Port Harcourt, respectively. Grand mean scores and relative importance index were used to ascertain ranking of the challenges. One-way analysis of variance and t-test were used to establish whether organizations’ characteristics bring about significant differences in the types of benchmarking challenges encountered. Findings – Overall, the top four challenges of benchmarking were “unwillingness of employees to change”, “inadequate understanding of the exercise of benchmarking”, “inadequate access to data from other organizations” and “poor execution of-the benchmarking exercise”. Also, FM organization location result in a significant difference in benchmarking challenges. Practical implications – The implication of the study is that it will assist in identifying impediments to benchmarking and barriers faced during benchmarking and, thus, enable recommendations to be made to minimize such challenges. Originality/value – There are limited empirical studies on the problems of benchmarking in developing countries.

Download Full-text

Meeting the Best Practice for Hearing Aid Verification in Children: Challenges and Future Directions

American Journal of Audiology ◽

10.1044/2019_aja-18-0156 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (4) ◽

pp. 877-894

Author(s):

Nur Azyani Amri ◽

Tian Kar Quar ◽

Foong Yen Chong

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Hearing Aids ◽

Best Practice ◽

Hearing Aid ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Future Directions ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Klang Valley ◽

Age Range ◽

Fitting Hearing Aids

Purpose This study examined the current pediatric amplification practice with an emphasis on hearing aid verification using probe microphone measurement (PMM), among audiologists in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Frequency of practice, access to PMM system, practiced protocols, barriers, and perception toward the benefits of PMM were identified through a survey. Method A questionnaire was distributed to and filled in by the audiologists who provided pediatric amplification service in Klang Valley, Malaysia. One hundred eight ( N = 108) audiologists, composed of 90.3% women and 9.7% men (age range: 23–48 years), participated in the survey. Results PMM was not a clinical routine practiced by a majority of the audiologists, despite its recognition as the best clinical practice that should be incorporated into protocols for fitting hearing aids in children. Variations in practice existed warranting further steps to improve the current practice for children with hearing impairment. The lack of access to PMM equipment was 1 major barrier for the audiologists to practice real-ear verification. Practitioners' characteristics such as time constraints, low confidence, and knowledge levels were also identified as barriers that impede the uptake of the evidence-based practice. Conclusions The implementation of PMM in clinical practice remains a challenge to the audiology profession. A knowledge-transfer approach that takes into consideration the barriers and involves effective collaboration or engagement between the knowledge providers and potential stakeholders is required to promote the clinical application of evidence-based best practice.

Download Full-text