Attributes and success factors of partnering relations – a theoretical framework for facility services

Authors

• Tero Lehtonen

Keywords:

inter-organisational relationships, partnering, facility services

Abstract

Traditionally, relationships between facility service providers and clients have been based on an adversarial approach. The expansion of existing outsource contracts and outsourcing of strategically more important services have created a need to develop relationships based on a more collaborative approach. These relationships can be called partnering relations or partnerships, and currently they are also widely applied in many other industries. In the real estate industry the term partnering is used rather loosely and thus there is a need to define the elements that characterize partnering more exactly. The aim of this article is to define the attributes of partnering relations and to identify the key factors that help a relationship to succeed. These attributes and success factors are analysed from the theoretical point of view. From the literature review conducted, conclusions are drawn from the point of view of facility services. A partnering relation is selected when companies outsource strategically more important functions or when a property owner bundles outsourced services together or moves from single-site sourcing to multiple-site sourcing. Partnering relations are based on mutual trust, commitment, openness, involvement of different organisational levels, continuous development and sharing of benefits and risks. The success of the relationship is based on two-way information-sharing, joint problem-solving, the partners’ ability to meet performance expectations, clearly-defined and mutually-agreed goals, and mutual involvement in relationship development and planning.