Competencies required for managing outsourced maintenance: case study in a Dutch hospital

Outsourcing business activities is a trend that has been around for many decades. It has continually increased in popularity due to improvements in IT and communication, but also under the pressure of rising global competition. In some cases a business process is only partially outsourced, subsequently altering the expectations and skillset required from any remaining employees that used to be responsible. The aim of this study is to discover competencies required for the remaining workforce to effectively manage an outsourced activity. To achieve this, a case study was performed within the maintenance department of a Dutch hospital. A qualitative research approach was applied to derive results for this study. Using quota sampling, fifteen participants were selected for this research. Semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were used to collect data. The interviews were recorded on audio tape and field notes were taken. Transcripts from these interviews combined with the analyses of internal documentation resulted in competencies themes for the functions control room technician, locally deployed technician and contract manager. An overview of competencies for the three functions was created. In addition, it is concluded that these competencies are currently undeveloped or absent among a majority of the existing workforce. Recommendations to increase effectiveness for management of outsourced maintenance are provided.