Understanding Sustainability: A View from Intra-organizational Leadership within UK Construction Organizations

There is an increasing demand from UK construction industry stakeholders to address the issue of sustainable construction. As a key sector in the delivery of a sustainable built environment, the construction industry needs to have a clear understanding of the sustainability concept in order to fully play such important role. However, intra-organizational leadership within construction organizations charged with the promotion of sustainability practices in the construction industry often describes the sustainability concept as an environmen- tal issue only. The study presents the results of a mixed method research approach involving semi-structured interviews followed by an industry-wide survey of 200 intra-organizational leaders in UK contractor and con- sultant organizations. The analysis of the results showed that, despite the understanding that sustainability incorporates environmental, social and economic issues; the environmental dimension dominates in the UK construction industry. This study provides the empirical evidence that links intra-organizational leadership and their understanding of sustainability.

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