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 environmental 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 consultant 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