Measuring the productivity of facilities management

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify methods appropriate for measuring the direct productivity of facilities management (FM) with respect to the providers, on both the industry level and the firm level. Design/methodology/approach This is a literature survey and conceptual analysis. Findings Prior studies are dominated by subjective assessments of how the office environment affects individual labour productivity. While the available EU data on productivity growth for the FM industry indicate a negative trend, they might be misleading. More recent research on the productivity of business services providers could be applied to the measurement of the productivity of FM firms. Co-production and effects of client satisfaction are important issues for measurement. Research limitations/implications The analysis is concentrated on the direct productivity of FM providers. There is a need to develop objective measures of provider productivity, and there is a particular challenge in measuring how FM clients contribute to the productivity of FM providers. Practical implications Providers of FM services should be able to assess the efficiency of their resource use more clearly and to balance user satisfaction against resource use more efficiently. Social implications The effects of co-production with clients need to be recognised, considering productivity effects on both providers and clients jointly. Sustainability is an argument for an increased focus on resource use in FM. Originality/value This is the first overview of issues raised when measuring the direct productivity of FM itself rather than indirect FM effects on office worker labour productivity.