PRACTITIONERS' PERCEPTIONS ON STRATEGIC PUBLIC FACILITIES MANAGEMENT

Other conference contribution, 2021

Public facilities management organizations (PFMO) own non-residential premises representing approximate 50 % of the total heated space area in Sweden. To meet increased financial and sustainability demands, practitioners as well as researchers has argued for the need of a more strategic type of public facilities management. Thus, PFMOs have started to reconsider their way of working, leading to the launch of numerous strategy projects and change processes. With an overall purpose to better support strategic change in public built environment organizations this paper investigates practitioners’ perceptions on strategic work in PFMOs; how is PFMOs changing, who leads the strategic work, and what is included in strategic public facilities management? Findings are based on a survey conducted in November 2020 - January 2021 targeting practitioners in PFMOs across Sweden (n=178, N=356, r=50 %). The results show a widespread perception that PFMOs expect to work more strategically than they do today but also that there is a lack of necessary resources to do so. A new approach, ‘strategic public facilities management’, is being established as means to capture a broad range of issues in need of long-term planning. The role of the facilities manager is changing in terms of competence needs and a new role, strategists, are established and given increased influence over decisions.