Current situation, challenges and future development directions of facilities management in Kosovo

Purpose: While facilities management (FM) in Kosovo is a constantly growing discipline, the studies so far in Kosovo have been scarce and too general. The purpose of the paper is to discuss the current situation of FM in Kosovo, identify challenges and recommend new future development directions of the sector with regard to capabilities of facility managers, integration of technology in FM and FM standardization. Design/methodology/approach: The present study uses qualitative method by using semi-structured interviews with purposive sample of 20 FM professionals with experience of more than 15 years that cover public, private sector and international organizations. Findings: The present study finds that FM in Kosovo is in its infancy stage, and it is mainly perceived as maintenance and cleaning with the low level of outsourcing. Generally, it was agreed that FM industry in Kosovo faces several challenges such as lack of budget, resources and staff; inappropriate FM planning; absence of uniform KPIs and low sensitivity of FM to sustainability. The study finally finds that FM in Kosovo can be enhanced only through integration of novel technologies, development of adaptive capability of facility managers and adequate FM standardization. Research limitations/implications: The present study helps researchers and practitioners to understand the current situation of FM in Kosovo in terms of planning, outsourcing and primary purpose of FM in Kosovo. The study also provides an overview of challenges of FM in Kosovo, which can be used by researchers and practitioners to identify future development directions for the sector and profession. Originality/value: The study contributes to the current knowledge about the state of development of FM in transitional countries such as Kosovo. The findings will identify future development areas of FM in Kosovo especially with regard to capability and skills of FM professionals and integration of technology in FM, which can be used by other countries facing the same perceptional and developmental challenges in FM.