Knowledge Sharing among NHS Estates and Facilities Management Teams: Insights across Managerial Levels and Organisational Contexts
type: CreativeWork
description: Estates and Facilities Management (EFM) departments in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) play a crucial role in ensuring the safe delivery of healthcare services. Yet, they face numerous challenges, such as diminishing budgets, staffing issues, ambitious net zero carbon targets, and growing maintenance backlogs. Despite the recognised benefits of knowledge sharing (KS) – such as improved workforce satisfaction, increased efficiency, and cost reduction – KS among NHS Trusts remains limited, as evidenced by academic literature and multiple calls to action from NHS bodies. While some studies have addressed this gap by analysing the underlying mechanisms and influencing factors of KS in healthcare settings, the focus was mostly on the flow of evidence-based clinical knowledge. However, little research has been conducted on inter-organisational KS processes among non-clinical hospital departments, such as EFM. Moreover, existing research has overlooked the variation in KS needs and behaviours across managerial levels. To address the research gaps outlined above, this thesis uses the cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) framework to explore (i) the different areas of knowledge relevant to the EFM domain, (ii) the organisational and boundary factors impacting KS, and (iii) KS channels, particularly differentiating across managerial levels. Following a pragmatist and Engaged Scholarship approach, the study uses the Design Research Methodology (DRM) to build upon existing theories while fostering new actionable insights. Due to the complexity of human behaviour involved in KS processes, a mixed-methods approach was employed. Qualitative data were collected from 19 exploratory interviews and a multiple-case study with 35 semi-structured interviews across seven NHS Trusts. These Case studies specifically examined the challenges associated with medical gas pipeline systems (MGPS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a unique opportunity to study KS under extraordin…
abstract: Estates and Facilities Management (EFM) departments in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) play a crucial role in ensuring the safe delivery of healthcare services. Yet, they face numerous challenges, such as diminishing budgets, staffing issues, ambitious net zero carbon targets, and growing maintenance backlogs. Despite the recognised benefits of knowledge sharing (KS) – such as improved workforce satisfaction, increased efficiency, and cost reduction – KS among NHS Trusts remains limited, as evidenced by academic literature and multiple calls to action from NHS bodies. While some studies have addressed this gap by analysing the underlying mechanisms and influencing factors of KS in healthcare settings, the focus was mostly on the flow of evidence-based clinical knowledge. However, little research has been conducted on inter-organisational KS processes among non-clinical hospital departments, such as EFM. Moreover, existing research has overlooked the variation in KS needs and behaviours across managerial levels. To address the research gaps outlined above, this thesis uses the cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) framework to explore (i) the different areas of knowledge relevant to the EFM domain, (ii) the organisational and boundary factors impacting KS, and (iii) KS channels, particularly differentiating across managerial levels. Following a pragmatist and Engaged Scholarship approach, the study uses the Design Research Methodology (DRM) to build upon existing theories while fostering new actionable insights. Due to the complexity of human behaviour involved in KS processes, a mixed-methods approach was employed. Qualitative data were collected from 19 exploratory interviews and a multiple-case study with 35 semi-structured interviews across seven NHS Trusts. These Case studies specifically examined the challenges associated with medical gas pipeline systems (MGPS) during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a unique opportunity to study KS under extraordin…
author: Von Behr, Carl-Magnus
language: eng
keywords: Knowledge Sharing, Hospital, Estates and Facilities, NHS, Infrastructure, Systems Engineering
license: https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/75a1545d-bc0b-4edd-b7ed-7f11997ddb66/download
license: http://purl.org/NET/rdflicense/allrightsreserved
date published: 2024-09-30
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:24:24Z
provider: Cambridge University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Cambridge

PropertyValue
property ID: DOI
value: 10.17863/CAM.117402