Innovation process and innovativeness of facility management organizations

Purpose – The innovation patterns and processes in facility management (FM) organizations are crucial for the development of FM as a discipline, but they are not yet fully explored and understood. This paper aims to clarify FM innovation from the perspective of innovation processes and the innovativeness of FM organizations.Design/methodology/approach – It explores the innovation patterns in FM organizations by applying the innovation management concepts to FM practices. A sample of four FM organizations is analyzed by means of a comparative case study approach. Based on their innovative performance, the sample of FM organizations are divided into two groups – a group of high‐performers and a group of low‐performers. The major similarities and differences in managing the innovation process between these two groups are described.Findings – Based on this study it is concluded that FM organizations innovate only mildly. The innovation in FM industry is incremental due to the day‐to‐day nature of decision‐mak...

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