Purpose This paper aims to discuss the current debates in facility management to understand where the research community is working and where the facility management sector and discipline might be heading. Design/methodology/approach A review of research outputs has been undertaken to identify research themes. The discussion is based on developments that are already shaping how one should view facility management and outlines a possible future based on a number of strategically important questions and their likely answers. Findings There is a broad landscape of research themes; yet, a significant portion of the most-cited journal papers were published more than 10-15 years ago. Current debates are focused mostly on operational improvement; few are directed at more strategic objectives. Those in the informal media are concerned with more speculative themes, particularly the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI), which are indicative of disruptive technology. These themes are debated mostly by practitioners. Originality/value Many views are expressed in this editorial – some are controversial whilst others should be regarded as matters of fact. The underlying aim is to stimulate debate and action among readers about what appears to be a dilemma for the facility management sector and discipline. Does it continue along the same trajectory or should it be bold and strike out in new directions and meet the challenges presented by disruptive innovations, notably the IoT and AI? Hard choices await and not all decisions will lead to preferred outcomes.
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -This study maintains that there is a need for proper execution of coordination mechanisms as a means to reduce waste. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between the coordination of activities and resources on the one hand, and the occurrence of different types of waste on the other. Design/methodology/approach -The empirical context of this paper is a case study at a Swedish construction company that has applied the industrialised housing concept; a concept which has increased in popularity in recent years. The core concept of industrialised housing means that houses are (more or less) pre-manufactured in specific production units, i.e. factories, and thereafter assembled on-site. Findings -The analysis highlights the importance of having the right type as well as the right amount of coordination. In addition, obstacles and challenges for proper coordination are discussed. Originality/value -Even if not all waste can be explained and eliminated by appropriate coordination, this research shows that coordination theory provides lean researchers with a new tool for analysis of the supply chain and how waste can be eliminated.
Purchasing on the part of a building construction company involves actors inside and outside the organization. These actors are driven by different motives that influence purchasing decisions in different situations. An explicit framework that assists in understanding the different purchasing situations would be of benefit to companies and researchers. Through a study of purchasing theory and practices, including interviews with a number of building construction companies, a framework of purchasing is proposed. The framework covers all stages in the purchasing process and focuses on four factors: (1) purchasing situations; (2) level of complexity; (3) active roles; and (4) supply chain involvement. The interrelationships between these factors are discussed from the perspective of the companies.
Prefabricated housing is a disruptive innovation struggling to take hold in a traditional complex product system (CoPS). It is quicker to produce and has improved environmental performance compared to traditional housing. CoPS have more dense and complex network connections than commodity industries, making disruptive innovation more difficult. Effective relational capabilities can achieve the coordination necessary to address this challenge. The prefabricated housing industry needs to develop a structure that drives these capabilities. Using a case study methodology, the structure of the industry is examined in two contrasting countries, namely Australia and Sweden, as they represent an early and late stage of industry emergence, respectively. A new framework is proposed for this purpose, enabling a repeatable, orderly and comprehensive disaggregation of industry structure to examine the latent drivers of relational capability. The main empirical contribution is to (1) describe an industry that is yet to be formally recognized by national statistical agencies and (2) show how the adoption of prefabricated housing can be accelerated. The study found that younger industries need a focused industry association with diverse membership to act as an effective system integrator.
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