Studiens syfte är att bidra med ökad kunskap om hur man arbetar med service i kommunala bostadsföretag i Sverige och om olika organisationsmodeller för den kundnära organisationen. Huvudfrågan i studien är hur bostadsföretag kan organisera sina resurser för att skapa en effektiv kundnära organisation. Med kundnära organisation avses kundservice, uthyrning och lokal förvaltning. Kundservice benämns ofta som bostadsföretagets felanmälan och innefattar till exempel anmälning av fel i lägenheter, störningsanmälningar, klagomålsärenden m.m. Uthyrning innehåller processer som har att göra med hyresförmedling, marknadsföring, in- och utflyttning, interna byten, boendestrategi, tillval och hyresgästurval. Lokal förvaltning innehåller processer som har att göra med den operativa dagliga förvaltningen, det vill säga service för avhjälpning av fel och reparationer. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna grundar sig på offentlig bostadsforskning och tjänsteforskningsfältet service management. Studiens empiriska underlag är en tvåårig fallstudie av organisationsförändringar i Malmö kommunala bostadsföretag MKB Fastighets AB (MKB) och en kompletterande intervjustudie i fyra andra kommunala bostadsföretag. Fallstudien har genomförts med hjälp av observationer i MKBs interna utvärderingsgrupp, intervjuer med ledning och frontpersonal samt en enkätundersökning med frontpersonal i MKBs kundnära organisationen. Den kompletterande studien innehöll intervjuer med både frontpersonal och ledning. MKBs organisationsförändring kan delas in i två olika skeden: testorganisationen och teamorganisationen. Utgångspunkten i de båda organisationerna var en områdesbaserad kundservice, uthyrning och lokal förvaltning. Testorganisationen innebar att MKB skapade en enda roll som tog hand om dessa aktiviteter. På grund av fördyrade förvaltningskostnader, mindre synlig lokal förvaltning och rekryteringsproblem övergavs testorganisationen. Istället skapades teamorganisationen som i mångt och mycket bestod av samma koncept med skillnaden att områdesbaserad kundservice, uthyrning och lokal förvaltning delades upp på fler personer inom ett gemensamt lokalt arbetsteam. MKBs nya sätt att organisera den kundnära organisationen definieras i studien som en helhetsmodell, vilket innebär att alla kundkontakter sköts utifrån ett lokalt områdeskontor i egen regi. Resultatet visar att teamorganisationen utvecklar en närhet till kunderna, förbättrar kundansvar och förbättrar samverkan mellan frontpersonal. – 9 – Det kan även konstateras att den kundnära organisationen behöver utvecklas vidare. Bland annat kan frontpersonalens kompetens ytterligare anpassas till att svara mot kundernas behov. Samtidigt är det av stor betydelse för utgången av organisationsförändringen att organisationens övergripande delar koordineras på ett sätt som underlättar frontpersonalens arbete med att leverera service. Detsamma gäller om bostadsföretaget använder sig av entreprenörer när det till exempel gäller fastighetsunderhåll, markskötsel och VVS-installationer. Har bostadsföretaget som mål att bli kundorienterat måste gemensamma resurser koncentreras kring kundprocessen och denna process bör komma i centrum i företagets strategiska ledningsbeslut.

The purpose of the study is to increase knowledge of how to provide service in municipal housing companies in Sweden, and of various organisational models for the customer-centric organisation. The principal issue of the study is how housing companies can organise their resources in order to create an efficient and customer-centric organisation. The term customer-centric organisation comprises customer service, letting, and local administration. Customer service is often designated as the housing company’s fault reporting service and includes, for instance, the reporting of faults in dwellings, noise problems, complaints etc. Letting incorporates processes connected with estate agency, marketing, taking possession and vacating, internal exchanges, housing strategies, options, and tenant selection. Local administration incorporates processes connected with day-to-day operational administration, i.e. the provision of service with regard to remedying faults and making repairs. The study’s theoretical points of departure have their basis in research into public housing and the field of service management. The empirical supportive data used in the study is a two-year case study of rganisational changes at Malmö municipal housing company, MKB Fastighets AB (MKB), and a supplementary interview study at four other municipal housing companies. The case study was conducted with the help of observations gleaned from MKB’s internal evaluation group, interviews with management and frontline staff, and a questionnaire survey of frontline staff in MKB’s customer-centric organisation. The supplementary study included interviews with both frontline staff and management. MKB’s organisational change can be divided up into two different phases: the test organisation and the team organisation. The departure point of both organisations was area-based customer service, letting, and local administration. The test organisation entailed MKB creating one single function to manage all these activities. Due to higher administration costs, less visible local administration, and recruitment problems, the test organisation was abandoned. In its place, the team organisation was created, which in many respects consisted of the same concept, but differed in that the area-based customer service, letting, and local administration were shared between several people in a joint local work-team. MKB’s new ways of organising its customer-centric organisation are defined in the study as a holistic model, entailing that all contact with customers was self-managed from a local area office. The results show that the team organisation cultivates a proximity to the customers, also improving customer responsibility and collaboration between frontline staff. It can also be pointed out that the customer-centric organisation needs to be developed further. Among other things, the expertise of frontline staff can be further adapted in order to meet customer requirements. At the same time, it is of great importance to the outcome of the organisational change that the organisation’s overarching parts are coordinated in a manner facilitating the work of frontline staff in the provision of service. The same will apply if the housing company uses contractors in, for instance, property maintenance, grounds management, and heating, ventilation and sanitation installations. If the housing company’s aim is to become customer-oriented, then joint resources will have to be concentrated on the customer process and this process will have to take centre stage in the company’s strategic management decisions.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate three different models of how to organise services to tenants in municipal housing companies. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical data used in this study are gathered from a detailed two-year case study. Findings – Three different functions are identified: customer service (e.g. reporting of faults); the letting process; and caretaking (day-to-day activities and control over in- and outdoor areas). The three models for local administration differ as to which functions are decentralised to a local group and which are centralised, and are evaluated from several different perspectives. The models where more decisions are decentralised leads to better information about the local conditions, makes it easier to coordinate work in an area, creates more motivation for the staff and makes it easier to involve the tenants. The main problem with the decentralised models is moral hazard problems, e.g. that the local team create their own agenda, are pressured by certain tenants to give them advantages and that the result is lack of control and an inconsistent policy in the company. Research limitation/implications – The primary issue of the study is how housing companies can organise their resources in order to create an efficient local administration in large housing estates. Further research is needed to decide if the economic profitability differs between different organizational models in relation to tenants' perceived service quality. Originality/value – The research identifies and analyses different organisation models for local administration in large housing estates more thoroughly than earlier research.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of real estate management. Different operation cost indicators are identified and related to the estates’ social condition. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical material was collected from the company's accounts and by interviews with the staff and is based on a comparison between two similar areas that mainly differed in how much resources the company invested in social projects and maintenance. Findings – The results indicate that CSR leads to approximately 4.5 percent lower annual operating and maintenance costs, which improved the company's profitability, especially if higher maintenance standards made higher rents possible. Other advantages were improved goodwill, which led to new business opportunities. Research limitation/implications – The primary issue of the study is to identify consequences of CSR. However, more research is needed about landlord incentives and economic effects of initiated landlord investments. The evaluation method also needs to be further developed and refined. Originality/value – From a practical perspective, the paper gives a deeper insight into the possible economic advantages of CSR. From the perspective of the scientific community, the paper shows the possibilities in using a comparative evaluation model together with detailed company data in order to identify important indicators and effects.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to try to explain how long-term mismanagement of a housing estate could arise in a country with a strong legal framework aimed at preventing such situations. Design/methodology/approach – Assuming that both tenants and landlords are rational, the paper presents a set of hypotheses that is consistent with the information available. Findings – It is argued that the tenants stayed even though the rent was higher and the quality was lower than in neighboring areas because of a combination of three factors: rents were paid by different forms of welfare payments; lack of alternatives because of queues to other areas; and because some tenants saw an advantage in the “no-question” asked policy that the slumlord followed. It is further argued that the property owner found this slum-strategy profitable either because he hoped to find a “bigger fool” to sell to and/or because the decision makers in the company had not invested their own money. Both tenants and investors were, in the end, losers, but not the company managers. Social implications – The Swedish legal framework is, to a large extent, based on the idea that tenants should take action when there are problems. For several reasons the tenants in the area did not do that and it indicates that a more active role for the local authorities is necessary. Originality/value – The paper focuses on an interesting case that most people thought could not occur and tries to explain this within a framework of rational actors.