Yewande Adewunmi

Developing a sustainable approach to corporate FM in Nigeria

Purpose – This paper aims to examine common environmental practices and strategies for implementing sustainable FM among Nigerian FM practitioners.Design/methodology/approach – A review of the literature on sustainability and environmental management was undertaken. Data collection was through self‐administered questionnaires directed to a sample of 150 facilities managers who are members of the International Facility Management Association (Nigeria Group), Lagos, Nigeria. Structured interviews with five top facilities management professionals were also conducted. The data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, means, z‐test, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and relative importance index. The survey achieved a response rate of 30 percent.Findings – The survey revealed that many of the practitioners put a premium on achieving energy efficiency as a very vital environmental practice within their organizations. A strategic management procedure is more important for the implementation o...

Evaluating the sustainability of urban housing development in Nigeria through innovative infrastructure management

Purpose - This paper aims to determine the sustainability of housing development in the context of neighbourhood infrastructure provision and also to examine the level of averting cost and substitutes resorted to by households in the study areas. Design/methodology/approach - A total of 80 questionnaires each were distributed and retrieved from households in Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) town and Badia, Lagos, Nigeria. The questionnaire design was based on a combination of an extensive review of literature dealing with the economic impact of urban infrastructure on the citizens of Lagos metropolis. All respondents returned completed questionnaires in a usable format, representing a 100 per cent response rate. Findings - Infrastructure provision is not sustainable in the study areas. This is based on the fact that infrastructure provision in the study areas is deplorable and in consequence households are willing to pay for its improvement. Research limitations/implications - Sustainability is a goal that allows for continuing improvement of standards of living without irreversible damage to resources need to survive as that humans species. It therefore implies that housing development has to be designed in a sustainable manner with due regard to its neighbourhood. This is reinforced by the fact that housing development cannot be sustainable without neighbourhood interactions and cost-efficient infrastructure management. Originality/value - Review of sustainable urban services is needed to curb slum formation and deteriorating housing conditions in urban neighbourhoods. This will be a veritable tool in urban housing and infrastructure management.

Applicability of existing performance evaluation tools and concepts to the Nigerian facilities management practice

There are noticeable gaps in aspects of Nigerian facilities management (FM) education and practice. Predicated by its relative infancy, one area where this gap is more apparent is in the measurement of performance. This paper is a systematic review of at least 22 performance measurement (PM) tools and concepts that are known and in use for assessment of performance of buildings / facilities and or performance of FM as a management process. Based on the literature, the research examined the essential features, strengths and weaknesses of each method generally and their specific applicability to the Nigerian environment, in view of her peculiarities as a developing nation. It also discusses the required attributes of a PM tool that will be applicable to FM in Nigeria. A major contribution of the study is the development of a table that presents a summary of the information on the tools or concepts at a glance. The paper is an extract from an ongoing PhD research; although it does not include details of the empirical survey, it nevertheless provides background work for a possible attempt at developing a PM tool that will be contextual and applicable to the measurement of building performance and effectiveness of facilities managers in the Nigerian FM practice and by extension, to most parts of the developing world.

Benchmarking challenges in facilities management in Nigeria

Purpose – The paper aims to examine benchmarking challenges among Nigerian Facilities management (FM) practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – Data collection was through self-administered questionnaires sent to 120 FM organizations in Lagos metropolis, 50 in Abuja and 15 in Port Harcourt. Also, interviews were conducted on six facilities managers to ascertain challenges faced by organizations that use best practice benchmarking. The survey achieved a total response rate of 74 per cent in Lagos, 66 per cent in Abuja and 93 per cent in Port Harcourt, respectively. Grand mean scores and relative importance index were used to ascertain ranking of the challenges. One-way analysis of variance and t-test were used to establish whether organizations’ characteristics bring about significant differences in the types of benchmarking challenges encountered. Findings – Overall, the top four challenges of benchmarking were “unwillingness of employees to change”, “inadequate understanding of the exercise of benchmarking”, “inadequate access to data from other organizations” and “poor execution of-the benchmarking exercise”. Also, FM organization location result in a significant difference in benchmarking challenges. Practical implications – The implication of the study is that it will assist in identifying impediments to benchmarking and barriers faced during benchmarking and, thus, enable recommendations to be made to minimize such challenges. Originality/value – There are limited empirical studies on the problems of benchmarking in developing countries.

Performance measurement scale for facilities management service in Lagos-Nigeria

Purpose Literature established that applicable parameters must be used in determining facilities management (FM) performance in any market; otherwise, findings could be confusing and misleading. This is particularly relevant to Nigeria where FM application is in its infancy and seriously constrained by particular socio-economic conditions which make it prone to crises situations such as frequent power outages and surges, abundance of fake and adulterated construction materials and equipment, heavy presence of unqualified artisans, poor transparency and terribly chaotic and unpredictable traffic to mention a few. Hence, this research aims to identify contextual parameters for evaluating performance of FM service in office buildings in Lagos, reflecting these peculiarities. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts survey design, using self-administered questionnaires that were served on building occupants. Means and standard deviation were used in the analyses. Factor analysis was used in identifying the important factors or constructs and to confirm the practical significance of the measures. Findings The study developed a multi-item scale of 41 measures for evaluating performance of facilities managers in offices in Lagos, Nigeria. The scale comprises three major dimensions, i.e. “financial”, “quality of service” and “crises response and management”. Using factor analysis, the study identified five important factors, two of which (comprising ten new measures) have not been featured in previous studies. Practical implications The developed performance measurement scales (PMS) can be applied to FM performance evaluation, management and control in the Nigerian context. The PMS and identified factors would also aid FM policy formulation, resource allocation and facilities review. Originality/value The research is considered the first to develop a PMS for FM in office facilities in Lagos, Nigeria. The new factors and measures that were uncovered in the study makes it possible to evaluate the Nigerian facility manager’s ability to manage the near-crises challenges imposed by the peculiar socio-economic context. Furthermore, the scale adopts simplistic financial success criteria, which makes it relevant and easy to use for the poor financial record disclosing and research-averse Nigerian audience. It is also more relevant to the less strategic and more operational task-based Nigerian FM context and by extension, to the context of other developing countries with similar socio-economic features.

Attitudes of Nigerian facilities management professionals to the benefits of benchmarking

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the benefits of benchmarking among Nigerian facilities management (FM) practitioners. Design/methodology/approach Data collection was through semi-structured interviews with 34 FM heads from three selected cities in Nigeria. Of this number, 16 were from Lagos, 10 from Abuja, while 8 managers were from Port Harcourt. These managers were selected using purposive sampling based on their experience in the field of FM across the various sectors of the economy. The interviews were analysed with Nvivo 10 software qualitative computer software so as to reduce manual tasks, discover tendencies and recognize themes on the practice, meaning and benefits of benchmarking. Matrix coding of the Nvivo software was used to distinguish between benefits realized by those that conduct formal and informal benchmarking. Findings The paper found that those that perform informal benchmarking find that the benchmarking tool helps them to improve performance, service quality and their processes. On the other hand, those that perform formal benchmarking affirmed that benchmarking helped them in making strategic plans, striving to be the best in the industry and obtaining explanations for those improvements that are made now and in the near future. Practical implications The results, therefore, suggest that formal benchmarking in Nigeria is needed in performing strategic role in FM, as well as in making good business case agitations. Practitioners also need to know the benefits of benchmarking to improve its usage. Originality/value The paper categorised FM benchmarking benefits. Also, there are limited empirical studies on benchmarking benefits in developing countries.

Multi-sector framework for benchmarking in facilities management

Purpose Benchmarking in FM practice although understood and applied globally, little is known about the practice in Nigeria. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework to guide the use of benchmarking. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires on FM organizations in Lagos metropolis, Abuja and Port Harcourt. The results of the survey were supplemented with interviews with FM unit heads in the study areas. The framework was validated using a focus group discussion with ten FM industry experts. Findings A framework which serves as a guide for the use of best practice benchmarking was developed. It showed that there is a relationship between best practice benchmarking and location. Research limitations/implications The evaluation of the framework was limited by the number of participants involved and being that it has not been put to use. Originality/value This study develops a multi-sector framework to guide the use of best practice benchmarking in facilities management (FM). The framework explains the relationship between organizational characteristics and best practice benchmarking. In addition, there are limited empirical benchmarking frameworks in FM literature.