In order for a facilities management (FM) organisation to make effective use of the results of performance measurement it must be able to make the transition from measurement to management. It must also be able to anticipate needed changes in the strategic direction of the organisation and have a methodology in place for effecting strategic change. Successful accomplishment of these two tasks represents the foundation of good performance management. This paper explores baselines for moving from performance measurement to performance management and provides a discussion of how the FM performance assessment can be used to manage the FM function effectively.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an integrative review of the literature to explore the nature of the built environment discipline's potential role in the development of society's resilience to disasters. Design/methodology/approach – The integrative literature review method is used to address this emerging topic and present a holistic conceptualisation of the literature. For the purpose of this review, the Business Source Premier (EBSCO), Emerald Management eJournals, Management & Organization Studies (CSA) and Science Direct (Elsevier) electronic databases are the main source for identifying studies, along with conference proceedings from the events of major built environment and disaster-related networks. Findings – A review of the literature reveals that the built environment “discipline”, at each stage of the disaster management process, has invaluable expertise and a key role to play in the development of society's resilience to disasters. However, the collaborative definition of the built environment hides many of its underlying properties, which are multi-disciplinary in nature. It is important that a suitable conceptual framework is developed that explores the interaction between the built environment, its disciplines, and the disaster management process. Originality/value – At present, research on disasters and the built environment is sporadic, hindered by an ill-defined disciplinary base. When searching for emergent theory, a conceptual framework is important for situating further study in the relevant knowledge bases that lay the foundation for the development of a theoretical base for the field.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the importance of tacit knowledge in construction and to underline the significant contribution of tacit knowledge towards the organisational performance.Design/methodology/approach: Includes a review of literature on principal insights of dominant views on knowledge and organisational resources to highlight the strategic nature of tacit knowledge. Further, intrinsic characteristics of the construction industry are discussed to underline the people factor and the role of the tacit knowledge.Findings: Valuable human and knowledge resources will be wasted unless organisations make better use of these prime resources. Tacit knowledge in particular is still considered to be relatively unexplored and proper understanding and management of this resource are of immense importance for better organisational performance. In this context, this paper reveals the labour and knowledge intensive nature of the construction industry and highlights the importance and the significant role of people factor and tacit knowledge in construction.Originality/value: Owing to paucity of literature and inadequate empirical research done, this paper provides the basis for more empirical research on finding importance of tacit knowledge towards organisational performance in the construction industry.

Purpose – The construction industry consumes large amounts of natural resources, which are not properly utilised owing to the generation of waste. Construction waste has challenged the performance of the industry and its sustainable goals. The majority of the causes underlying material waste are directly or indirectly affected by the behaviour of the construction workforce. Waste occurs on site for a number of reasons, most of which can be prevented, particularly by changing the attitudes of the construction workforce. Therefore, the attitudes and perceptions of the construction workforce can influence the generation and implementation of waste management strategies. The research reported in this paper is based on a study aimed at evaluating the attitudes and perceptions of the construction workforce involved during the pre- and post-contract stages towards minimising waste. Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire survey was carried out to understand and evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of the workforce. Four types of questionnaires were prepared for project managers/site managers, supervisors, labourers, and estimators. Findings – The findings indicate the positive perceptions and attitudes of the construction workforce towards minimising waste and conserving natural resources. However, a lack of effort in practising these positive attitudes and perceptions towards waste minimisation is identified. The paper further concludes that negative attitudes towards subordinates, attitudinal differences between different working groups, and a lack of training to reinforce the importance of waste minimisation practices have obstructed proper waste management practices in the industry. Originality/value – The paper reveals the effect of the attitudes and perceptions of the construction workforce towards waste management applications, which would be of benefit to construction managers in designing and implementing better waste management practices.

In the general facilities management literature, it is assumed that there is a causal link between facilities management practices and performance. The role of facilities management in facilitating organisational performance, and thereby in providing competitive advantage, is widely acknowledged. However, the mechanisms of how this happens in higher educational establishments are quite unclear, prompting performance evaluation researchers to question whether performance evaluation in fact does add value, and enhance organisational performance. Assessment of performance of buildings of institutions delivering higher educational services has become a matter of particular interest to governments seeking to increase the effectiveness of educational provision and maximise value for money. This paper presents initial findings of the characteristics of important aspects of a performance evaluation approach related to higher education properties, and discusses the development of a framework based on the balanced scorecard to measure performance relating to higher education establishments.

Facilities management operates on the premises that the efficiency of any organisation is linked to the physical environment in which it operates and that the environment can be improved to increase its efficiency. This has increasingly become an important function of the built environment. This paper looks at performance measurement of facilities management practices and argues that the future of performance assessment of facilities management will have to shift in emphasis towards a measurement and management system. It further discusses the potential for the application of such a management system, the balanced scorecard, through which facilities management performance assessment may be explored.