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The purpose of this paper is to address the knowledge gap on the use of benchmarking techniques as utilized by facilities management (FM) professionals for the purpose of identifying means to improve industry benchmarking practices and guide the direction of future FM benchmarking research.

Data were collected through surveying 585 FM practitioners representing various countries, organization sizes, types, industries. The data were summarized and analyzed through creating frequency tables, charts, and cross-tabulations. The survey results were compared to a previously published study on benchmarking use to identify the similarities and differences between benchmarking for FM functions vs core business functions.

The findings indicate that while FM-oriented benchmarking has been adopted at similar levels as other industries, FM-oriented benchmarking tends to be simplistic, lacks a strategic position in the company, often relies upon self-report survey data, is often performed by an individual with no formal benchmarking team and does not utilize process benchmarking or benchmarking networks. These findings emphasize the need for benchmarking education, advocacy for FM as a strategic business partner, the development of verified data sources and networks specifically for the unique greater facilities management field functions.

These findings provide needed data on the state of FM practitioner use of benchmarking specifically for FM functions in North America. The results can be used as an assessment for the industry, to improve practitioner use and knowledge, and to identify further avenues for academic study.

The value of this study lies in filling in identified knowledge gaps on how FM practitioners are using benchmarking in practice. These data are absent from the research literature and offer the potential to help bridge the academic-practitioner divide to ensure that future research will focus on addressing practitioner needs for the industry.

The purpose of this study is to participate in the current debate on developing the theoretical basis for the concept and process of benchmarking. The paper aims to explore the prospects for a new form of benchmarking – networking benchmarking – and adopts, as the scientific framework of the process, an action research approach that combines scientific method and practical developmental work.

In order to explore the possibilities of these new theoretical constructions, this study applies them in a Nordic project, in which the representatives of five Nordic countries studied together how to develop their national statistical procedures on woman entrepreneurship by benchmarking and developing best practices for use in the Nordic countries.

The results supported the idea that benchmarking is a special kind of action research. The results also indicated that the need for explicating and mutually sharing adopted theoretical frames turned out to be one of the key points in increasing the efficiency and innovativeness of the process. Consequently, networking benchmarking and the action research model indeed have potential both as a theoretical frame and a practical tool, thus encouraging their further development.

It should be noticed, however, that the present study is only a very minor effort and an example of the possibilities scientific knowledge can offer to the developments of benchmarking.

From the practical perspective as a whole, this study offers a large range of opportunities for Nordic co‐operation within the field of entrepreneurship data gathering.

Considering more specifically future research directions from this study, the results encourage studying both the networking benchmarking the action research approach in different contexts. On the other hand, the findings also give some ideas for further development of the action research model.

The purpose of this paper is to describe how managers from a network of organisations formed and operated as a team to work on a benchmarking project. The project had the dual purpose of enabling learning for the participants, and identifying leading practices in strategy deployment.

The participants were managers with responsibility for strategy deployment. Data were collected from case studies of seven diverse New Zealand organisations that were undertaking performance improvement using the Baldrige performance excellence model. The unit of analysis for the case studies was a strategic initiative that the organisation had deployed. Secondary sources were also used to identify leading deployment practices.

Despite the different sectors, sizes, and cultures of the participating organisations their strategy deployment issues were similar and the managers were able to share experiences and cooperate effectively. Over 50 leading deployment practices were identified. Seven dimensions of strategy deployment were determined. A framework for strategy deployment was developed.

The framework aids the analysis and classification of strategy deployment practices. Future research using longitudinal studies could evaluate the effectiveness of leading strategy deployment practices and identify circumstances that lead to the success or failure of strategy implementation.

The framework highlights the management skills required for effective strategy deployment. It is applicable to a wide range of organisations.

The paper provides and example of network benchmarking and how it was managed. This will be of interest to organisations that are part of an existing network, or that wish to create a similar network. No benchmarking studies of strategy deployment were found in the literature.

The purpose of this paper is to develop a benchmarking framework for the analysis of the supply network configuration of companies and exemplify its applications in the Indian automotive sector.

The authors combine elements of relationship and network theories from different research streams to develop a three‐level supply network configuration benchmarking framework including a dyadic supply chain and network perspective. The analysis of two case companies exemplifies how different supply networks in emerging markets are depending on the specific strategies and institutional context.

The framework works well with the two case studies presented. A major player in the Indian automotive industry is benchmarked against a newcomer in this emerging country. The results can be used to improve each firm's supplier base management approach and create more efficiency in their further development.

This paper builds on current theories to develop a benchmarking framework for supply network configuration analysis combining the dyadic, chain, and network level into one framework. The case example exemplifies the developed framework.

The purpose of this paper is threefold: to investigate why and how companies in voluntary networks engage in performance benchmarking; how requirements for a standardised chart of accounts are handled; and what the role of regulatory pressure is.

The paper is based on a longitudinal case study of an established group of six district-heating companies. The data sources are semi-structured interviews, observations and documents.

Both the forthcoming re-regulation of the district-heating sector and aims to improve efficiency were motivating the collaboration among the firms. An interpretation of common accounting rules can be negotiated in a collaborative network. The benchmarking model was embedded in routines internally in firms to facilitate learning and knowledge exchange, but it was also used to legitimise current operations.

As the paper is based on a case study of a specific project, the issues discussed in the paper should be further investigated in similar firms being exposed to regulation.

Harmonisation of accounting data are of immense importance when benchmarking performance, but discretion in interpretations of data and results must be handled. Co-existence with existing rules and procedures should be allowed.

The paper contributes to research understanding the role of collaboration in voluntary networks when benchmarking is implemented.

Small companies are facing intense pressure to transform their processes in order to improve the agility of their operations. With the assistance of the Small Business Development Center for Enterprise Excellence, affiliated to the University of Texas at Arlington, small manufacturers are successfully transforming their operations by benchmarking and improving the agility of their processes. During the last six years of this center’s operation, a particular sequence of strategies labeled the cycle of success has proven to be very successful for companies attempting an agile transformation through benchmarking. The cycle of success, which includes the strategies of networking, benchmarking, mentoring and continuous improvement, is presented along with case studies of four companies which have utilized it effectively. In each case study, a brief description of how the company used the cycle of success and the results of their efforts are provided.

This study suggests that the most recent developments in the content, forms and targets of benchmarking represent a challenge to revise its concept and classification for both theoretical and practical purposes. This problem is approached through the interpretative, heuristic‐descriptive concept method that aims to understand the concepts and their definitions in order to re‐interpret the entity of the meanings. The first phase of the study applies the idea of the evolving concept, originally introduced by Watson and further modified by Ahmed and Rafiq. Its five generations are supplemented with two newcomers – competence, and as an option, network benchmarking. In the second phase these generations are then categorised by further developing Bhutta and Huq's two‐dimensional matrix. This provides a three‐dimensional profiling tool that could be used in analysing and conducting benchmarking processes. It covers the newest forms of benchmarking and is suitable for different targets. It also leads to a definition depicting the current outlook on benchmarking. The findings indicate that the evolving nature of the concepts and forms encourages us to revise our understanding of the theoretical bases of benchmarking. The results also indicate that benchmarking has potentials in many directions, encouraging both theoretical and empirical studies as well as their interaction.

Benchmarking is increasingly considered a useful management instrument to improve performance in healthcare. The purpose of this paper is to assess if a nationwide long-term benchmarking collaborative between operating room (OR) departments of university medical centres in the Netherlands leads to benefits in OR management and to evaluate if the initiative meets the requirements of the 4P-model.

The evaluation was based on the 4P-model (purposes, performance indicators, participating organisations, performance management system), developed in former studies. A mixed-methods design was applied, consisting of document study, observations, interviews as well as analysing OR performance data using SPSS statistics.

Collaborative benchmarking has benefits different from mainly performance improvement and identification of performance gaps. It is interesting that, since 2004, the OR benchmarking initiative still endures after already existing for ten years. A key benefit was pointed out by all respondents as “the purpose of networking”, on top of the purposes recognised in the 4P-model. The networking events were found to make it easier for participants to contact and also visit one another. Apparently, such informal contacts were helpful in spreading knowledge, sharing policy documents and initiating improvement. This benchmark largely met all key conditions of the 4P-model.

The current study has the limitations accompanied with any qualitative research and particularly related to interviewing. Qualitative research findings must be viewed within the context of the conducted case study. The experiences in this university hospital context in the Netherlands might not be transferable to other (general) hospital settings or other countries. The number of conducted interviews is restricted; nevertheless, all other data sources are extensive.

A collaborative approach in benchmarking can be effective because participants use its knowledge-sharing infrastructure which enables operational, tactical and strategic learning. Organisational learning is to the advantage of overall OR management. Benchmarking seems a useful instrument in enabling hospitals to learn from each other, to initiate performance improvements and catalyse knowledge-sharing.

Reports on a survey, conducted among a cross‐section of organizations, to establish the current state of benchmarking and to attempt to project its future developments. Reveals that determining the mechanisms for the transfer of best practices within an organization is a high‐priority issue. Formal programmes for benchmarking in general, and for benchmarking training specifically, were also highly important areas to be developed further. Indicates that the use of computers in benchmarking seems to be growing, although direct contact with other companies and firsthand observation of best practices are still the preferred methods.

The purpose of this paper is to make a contribution to the benchmarking literature by examining the historical emergence and evolution of benchmarking using the management fashion perspective as a theoretical lens.

The research approach followed in this paper can be characterized as explorative and theoretical. Insights from different data sources have been combined to provide a rich description of the emergence and evolution of benchmarking.

This analysis casts new light on several aspects of benchmarking’s emergence and evolution pattern. The characteristics of the benchmarking idea give it potential as a fashionable management tool. The widespread popularity and longevity of benchmarking can to a large extent be explained by the efforts of various actors to turn benchmarking into an institution.

The paper is explorative and is limited by a reliance on secondary sources.

Although some researchers have noted that benchmarking could be viewed as a management fashion, management fashion theory has, only to a very limited extent, been used as a theoretical lens in the context of benchmarking. This research paper demonstrates that management fashion theory can provide valuable insights for research on benchmarking.