Facility Management Innovation (FMI)

This current green paper deals with innovation in facility management (FM), a subject which is at the heart of Working Group 3, in benefit of the EuroFM Research Network. It aims to stimulate discussion and further collaborative work, and to generate new knowledge for the European FM community. We do this by knowledge sharing on innovative case practices and creating awareness of possible pitfalls, with a notable sensitivity for being evidence-based, allowing us to improve our current understanding of the development of best practices in FM. At this stage the paper is not conclusive nor does it claim general agreement on the subject; it seeks to contest the status quo of our current knowledge in FM rather than solely refining or perpetuating it.
In this context the green paper argues that FMI is “the integration of space, infrastructure, people, and organisation, which by doing so, creates new coherent services and spaces which proof to contribute to the organisation, especially to the end-user”. Especially the integration of the above topics and the application of interdisciplinary perspectives are at the heart of what we define as FM. This integration is action focused and problem oriented, as it is directed at improved actions of the facility manager given specific practical and/or societal problems. The working group FMI combines practical knowledge and experience in the FM business with scientific knowledge and proven evidence-based work practices in FM.