Grant R. Mills

Towards a service-led relationship in project-based firms

Project-based firms increasingly apply practices that are in line with relationship marketing (RM), which is a shift from individuality to mutuality, and service-dominant logic (SDL), which is a shift from a focus on goods exchange to an emphasis on service exchange. These firms also adopt value co-creation processes, benefiting from both RM and SDL views. However, their overall transition towards RM, SDL and/or both is not clearly understood. Therefore, the research aim is to explain how and why project-based firms have moved away from transitional marketing. A retrospective action research between 2002 and 2009 provides process data on how a single main contractor adapted their marketing approach over five publicly funded projects within the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. The findings show that the uniqueness and dynamics of projects necessitate the adoption of both SDL and RM, a view that is entitled the service-led relationship here. This transition occurs through services expansion, multi-level distributed interactions and process-oriented performance management in projects. The firm enabled the transition through the evolution of both institutional mechanisms such as contracts and organizational structure, and people attributes such as capabilities and culture.

Critical infrastructure risk in NHS England: predicting the impact of building portfolio age

NHS Trusts in England must adopt appropriate levels of continued investment in routine and backlog maintenance if they are to ensure critical backlog does not accumulate. This paper presents the current state of critical backlog maintenance within the National Health Service (NHS) in England through the statistical analyses of 115 Acute NHS Trusts. It aims to find empirical support for a causal relationship between building portfolio age and year-on-year increases in critical backlog. It makes recommendations for the use of building portfolio age in strategic asset management. The current trend across this sample of NHS Trusts may be typical of the whole NHS built asset portfolio and suggests that most Trusts need to invest between 0.5 and 1.5 per cent of income (depending upon current critical backlog levels and Trust age profile) to simply maintain critical backlog levels. More robust analytics for building age, condition and risk-adjusted backlog maintenance are required.

Rethinking healthcare building design quality: an evidence-based strategy

Healthcare buildings play a significant role in delivering healthcare services and outcomes (e.g. quality, suitability, cleanliness, patient experience, value for money and risk mitigation). However, the current diffusion of responsibilities in England between central government and healthcare trusts has created gaps and weaknesses in the evidence base, knowledge, skills and tools for creating and assessing healthcare building design quality. How can a national healthcare building design quality improvement strategy be created? This question is explored in relation to policy, strategy and organizational issues. Four evaluation studies and four action research studies indicate the complexity and responsibilities in defining a design quality improvement strategy. It is found that the interdisciplinary development of national standards and tools requires centralized investment to facilitate nationwide learning and improvements in evidence and outcomes. In addition, the inevitable health policy changes made by successive governments require a sustainable and strategic response. The creation and maintenance of capacity and capabilities will require a dedicated team of professionals and a wide interdisciplinary network of long-term contributors who are motivated by a long-term desire to improve healthcare building design quality.

Managing value co-creation/destruction: a longitudinal education capital programme/project case study

Drawing on a longitudinal empirical study of an education capital programme/project, value interactions are investigated at the interface between programme customers, project stakeholders and construction providers. Empirical evidence is provided that value formation is not only associated with value co-creation, but also with value co-destruction. The case study showed that a mature and synergistic network relationship (that successfully aligned the expectations of a strong key account management team (KAM team), multi-headed customer and wider project stakeholders) could, if not well managed, turn into incongruent relationships, relationship uncoupling and resource withdrawal. These findings suggest that project managers must drive strong KAM team relationships, so that they can align and adapt to customer requirements, and control the response to often changing wider stakeholder expectations.

Sustainable management of NHS assets backlog maintenance

Purpose Lord Carter’s (2015) “Review of Operational Productivity in NHS providers” stated that to improve National Health Service (NHS) England’s efficiency, operational productivity should be targeted in four main areas, one being estates management. NHS England’s estate includes a variety of buildings some of which are considered no longer fit-for-purpose, thus creating risk to patients and staff. These built assets require continuous maintenance, adding pressures to NHS England’s precarious financial situation. The purpose of this paper is to identify positive strategies and major constraints to achieving sustainable management of backlog maintenance (BM) across the NHS assets, and thus suggest balanced actions. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a qualitative approach and combines: literature review of current BM methodologies; interviews with estates and facilities directors from seven NHS trusts on BM strategies; and a NHS trust detailed case study. Findings The major finding is that sustainable management of BM is achievable if there is a consistent, pro-active and long-term strategic approach where critical levels of BM are prioritised. Additional issues (i.e. appropriate methodology, performance metrics and links with clinical service delivery strategies) also need to be considered. Practical implications This study is relevant to the management of the NHS estate including development and adoption of sustainable strategies. Originality/value This paper offers original insights to the factors influencing healthcare estates’ BM at a time when the UK policy agenda is targeting infrastructure operational efficiency and organisations are seeking more comprehensive methodologies.

Stakeholder consultation practices within healthcare infrastructure planning

Purpose – With the advent of the Darzi review in 2008, and more recently the White Paper “Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS” (2010), the NHS in England is being redesigned to provide high quality, person‐centred services with improved capacity and performance. In this change oriented scenario, stakeholder consultation has a critical role to play given the widespread advocacy in government policy and healthcare literature. In order to support informed decision making, the purpose of this paper is to: explore healthcare infrastructure planning through various approaches to stakeholder consultation within English Primary Care Trusts (PCTs); and develop a conceptual approach to strategic asset management (SAM) based on the findings of stakeholder consultation and engagement exercises.Design/methodology/approach – A multi‐method triangulation approach including action research has been adopted to evaluate current stakeholder consultation practices with a local PCT and to explore their approach to healt...

In Search of The Holy Grail: An Exploration of Value Co-Creation in Service Ecosystems Using Knowledge Network Analysis

The intention of this article is to simplify the study of value co-creation both from a deeper theoretical discourse, including knowledge networks approach. The studys approach is from the perspective of knowledge sharing, in form of interaction and resource integration. We outline the central premises of value co-creation as fundamental in service ecosystems and resource integration concepts. It is also expounded how not just interaction, but how service interaction enhances value co-creating processes, by enabling an actor to enter the value creating processes of other parties, support them, and benefit from them. The article does emphasize processes of value co-creation, including its outputs and outcomes. Knowledge sharing is encapsulated within the concepts of resource integration and service interaction among actors. The knowledge network analysis technique is used as a methodology, while preliminary data from KAMOMI water supply service is used as a case illustration. The case is used to tentatively indicate how resource integration and interaction seem to influence value co-creation, while also using knowledge network analysis quantitatively. Two models are developed. The first model exemplified the theoretical drivers of value co-creation, while the second described the structural characteristics that influence value co-creation in form of knowledge sharing. Four propositions are advanced to supplement the studys theoretical insights. Given the perspectives of knowledge networks, the article makes knowledge contribution to the ongoing academic debate on value co-creation in service ecosystems.

Stakeholder consultation practices within healthcare infrastructure planning: developing a strategic asset management approach

Purpose – With the advent of the Darzi review in 2008, and more recently the White Paper “Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS” (2010), the NHS in England is being redesigned to provide high quality, person‐centred services with improved capacity and performance. In this change oriented scenario, stakeholder consultation has a critical role to play given the widespread advocacy in government policy and healthcare literature. In order to support informed decision making, the purpose of this paper is to: explore healthcare infrastructure planning through various approaches to stakeholder consultation within English Primary Care Trusts (PCTs); and develop a conceptual approach to strategic asset management (SAM) based on the findings of stakeholder consultation and engagement exercises.Design/methodology/approach – A multi‐method triangulation approach including action research has been adopted to evaluate current stakeholder consultation practices with a local PCT and to explore their approach to healt...