Strategic Pathway Determination for a State Hospital in Terms of an Integrated Facility Management System

Introduction

Facility management generally includes support activities that are not directly related to the main activities of the organization. International Facility Management Association (IFMA) has defined facility management as “an organizational function which integrates people, place and process within the built environment with the purpose of improving the quality of life of people and the productivity of the core business.” (IFMA, 2020). The need for maintenance programs to meet the needs quickly, effectively, and uninterruptedly during the execution of services can be exemplified within the scope of facility management (Palteki, 2017, p. 130). Although it begins to be successful even before the facility is designed, facility management becomes much more crucial after the facility is delivered. Facility management is accountable for balancing the standard of the services with the demands placed on the facilities. This encompasses a wide range of operations, facilities, services, and activities (Erentürk & Güven, 2018; Lennerts, 2009).

Setting institutional norms in this area has also become apparent as a result of the necessity for facilities management. The standards established by facility management practices have started to gain international acceptance since the 1970s. The facility management associations that were thereafter founded contributed to the development of these standards and their global recognition. After the conference held in the USA in 1980, the National Facility Management Association was established, and in 1981 the name of this organization has been changed to the International Facility Management Association (IFMA). Facility management studies and organizations in Europe started in the mid-1980s. As a matter of fact, the European Facility Management Network (EuroFM) was established in 1987 (Erentürk & Güven, 2018; EuroFM, 2020). The contribution of these organizations and the challenges of the current competitive environment have pushed facility management to a new level. Thus, facility management has become one of the critical parts for business success due to the rise in construction costs, the improved understanding of the effects of facility areas on productivity, the rise in performance standards, the high dependence of building performance on maintenance and repair activities, and the bureaucratic and legal restrictions placed in front of new construction projects (Shohet, 2006). Due to the heightened level of global competition, firms have honed down on their core competencies and sought to achieve a more adaptable and competitive structure by outsourcing supporting tasks and responsibilities that do not directly contribute to the main activity aspect. At this time, facility management is starting to be regarded as one of the top outsourcing alternatives (Erentürk & Güven, 2018).

The two primary issues regarding to facility management's goal are the key subjects of discussion. The highest level of organizational effectiveness and efficiency is first and foremost ensured through facilities management. Establishing strategic collaborations in this situation is to serve the overall goal in an integrated manner in order to provide, implement, and sustain the chance to fulfill organizational change demands (Becker, 1990). The second is that the solution partnership's expertise and synergy have the potential to influence market competition. Instead of just being physical structures that satisfy physical demands, facilities and facility management should be changed into a living organism that serves the purposes and offers the best service for businesses to achieve their goals (Alexander, 2003).

Facility management has five objectives under the two main topics mentioned above (Dikmen & Üstündağ, 2002). These;

• 1.

  To make the process possible/doable based on acceptable ways and methods,

• 2.

  To simplify the primary work by selecting the most efficient option while also taking the cost into consideration,

• 3.

  Adapting to changing legal requirements and making the appropriate preparations,

• 4.

  Contributing to the organization's success in the marketplace,

• 5.

  Providing companies with an adequate level of flexibility.