Translating military experiences of managing innovation and innovativeness into FM: Fid-Bau Portal

Translating military experiences of managing innovation and innovativeness into FM

Hinks, John / Alexander, Martin / Dunlop, Graham

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This is a conceptual paper for facilities management (FM) practitioners and FM researchers. The paper seeks to analyse a number of well-documented successes and failures in military exploitation of innovation, and identify several recurrent facets that resonate with the contemporary approach to, and difficulties with achieving innovation in FM.

Design/methodology/approach –

Several military cases are selected for their analogous pertinence to FM. They cover military aspects of technological innovation; process innovation, including innovativeness in the modes of engagement; innovativeness within strategy and paradigm; and innovativeness in the tactical behaviours needed to realise the value of innovations. They are presented as an indirect means of illuminating systemic challenges for innovation within FM.

Findings –

The paper identifies the primacy of innovativeness over individual technological innovations; and the centrality of empowerment practices and the catalysing of local tactical and operational innovative behaviours to innovativeness. The crucial factors are the attitude and behaviour of leaders, especially in terms of creating latitude for local managers; the locus of command, control and communication; plus local empowerment to achieve clearly explained strategic targets. The authors also identify a shift in performance measurement perspective as a pivotal pre-requisite for successfully innovating for post-industrial FM.

Originality/value –

Particular focus is made on lessons for developing a culture of organisational innovativeness and for the successful exploitation of latent innovation potential. The paper concludes that these issues represent a significant and systemic challenge to innovation and innovativeness in FM.