"Crafting Intrapreneurial Stewardship : an institutional perspective on client-led innovation in smart building maintenance "

Abstract

Acknowledgements'Doing a PhD is not about the research topic, it's about the journey' an experienced researcher once said to me. Now, as my journey is ending, I want to thank the people who joined me on parts of the journey, who inspired me along the way, and whose encouragement helped to continue when unknown terrains had to be crossed.The start of this journey lies in the period when my job as an educational manager was made redundant. It was in that period that I started to think seriously about embarking on a PhD, and I am grateful to Gerard Kuiper and the late Gerard van Haarlem who supported me in this endeavor. Jeroen, thank you for our conversations and for your mentoring in the early years, even though my destination was beyond your professional field of interest. Without you, this journey would have never started.It was at the University of Twente where I found a home within the Construction Management research group. Arjen, thank you for your guidance in the first years of this research. I have enjoyed our conversations and collaboration, and I am grateful that you allowed me to change direction even when this meant the parting of our ways. Hans, thank you for seeing the potential in me right from the start. During the entire PhD journey, you were there with calmness, reassuring me when I needed that. You brought your expertise and knowledge on purchasing to this project and introduced me to the IPSERA and ARCOM research communities. Your professionalism, integrity, and dedication have meant a lot to me!In those first years, I frequently traveled to Enschede and worked alongside other PhD researchers. I learned to work in an academic culture. My occasional and informal conversations and lunches with Marc, Sander, Ruth, and other staff members were both fun and formative. It was in that time that I entered the double-badged PhD program of UT and RMIT, which has been an adventure within an adventure. During my visits to Melbourne, various people offered help and welcomed me. I want to thank Priyanka Erasmus for arranging a workplace and for all the support in practical office-related matters. Eric Too, Chris Eves, and Bambang Trigunarsyah, thank you for smoothing out the administrative niggles of the double badged PhD program. Life on RMIT's City Campus was again a new experience, with colleagues and other PhD candidates showing me the way: thank you Yashar, Farshid, and Judy. But Guillermo, you have been my greatest guide and support in Melbourne. Thank you for inviting me to the MELBIM meetings, for introducing me to other people, and for our many inspiring conversations in which we discussed my preliminary research findings. I will never forget your infectious smile and unceasing positivity. I also want to thank Helen Marshall for inviting me to the Qualitative Interest Group (QIG) meetings at RMIT in Melbourne for the learnings and discussions on qualitative research philosophies, methods, and techniques. During my visits to Melbourne, I found accommodation in Kensington. Judy, thank you for having m...