Navigating the logics of changing public facilities management
Journal article, 2021

Abstract
Purpose–The purpose of this paper is to explore how a multitude of demands and challenges faced bypublic facilities management organizations ’(PFMOs) particularly in relation to a large building stock in need of measures ’are acted upon and negotiated in practice. Specifically this study asks: What are the institutional logics (IL) that constitute the organizational context of PFMOs? How does an institutional worker navigate to create change in PFMOs?

Design/methodology/approach–Data were collected through a case study of a public facility management organization and include interviews, a questionnaire, observations and organizationaldocuments. The analytical focus is the work of a single actor, a project manager portrayed as “the navigator” and his institutional work (IW) of developing and implementing new organizational practices, to meet current challenges and develop a more “strategic” facility management.

Findings–The complex institutional landscape faced by officials in PFMOs enforce officials responsible for implementing and developing new practices to become navigators.

Originality/value–The findings offer a rich practice-based account of the day-to-day IW carried out by actorsthat try to navigate complex institutional landscapes, consisting of multiple and, at times, conflicting IL. Current challenges for PFMOs are to be portrayed as multi-dimensional and the actual work to transform organizational practices in this context is highly complex, unordered and messy. The findings point towards a need for new competences and roles to tackle current challenges; geared towards integrating different logics and perspectives.

Management

Public sector

Facilities management

Working practices

Organizational change

Work

Author

Ingrid Svensson

Chalmers, Technology Management and Economics, Service Management and Logistics

Martin Löwstedt

Chalmers, Architecture and Civil Engineering, Construction Management

Facilities

0263-2772 (ISSN)

Vol. 39 11-12 737-758

Managning strategic change in public facilties management organizations

Centre for Management of the Built Environment (CMB) (126), 2019-01-01 -- 2020-12-31.

Subject Categories

Architectural Engineering

Business Administration

Other Social Sciences not elsewhere specified

Areas of Advance

Production

Energy

Driving Forces

Innovation and entrepreneurship

DOI

10.1108/F-06-2020-0069

More information

Latest update

12/6/2021