ARCOM (Sept 2015).pdf (253.08 kB)
Developing a sustainability assessment tool to aid organisational learning in construction SMEs
conference contribution
posted on 2016-01-15, 12:12 authored by James Upstill-Goddard, Jacqui Glass, Andrew Dainty, Ian NicholsonOrganisations engage with sustainability for a number of reasons, often implementing
standards to demonstrate commitment to sustainability or benchmark performance.
However, many scholars discuss sustainability from an operational or administrative
perspective, largely neglecting the role of individuals making up the organisation.
Central to organisational development are the learning processes of these individuals
and how these translate into organisational learning. Although research into
organisational learning is abundant, relatively little is known about how construction
organisations, particularly those classified as SMEs, undergo learning processes in
order to increase their knowledge. Furthermore, organisational learning requires high
absorptive capacities (ACAP) and previous research has linked this with successful
standard implementation. SMEs are often pressurised by customers to obtain
certification to multiple standards, yet often lack the necessary expertise, and financial
and time resources to implement these. This research argues that organisational
learning is a key limiting factor in successful sustainability standard implementation.
Specifically, the development phase of a sustainability self-assessment tool to identify
environmental and social aspects most relevant to an organisation’s operations is
presented. Following this, the tool then enables the level of organisational knowledge
held about each of these aspects to be determined such that learning approaches are
informed to increase learning and knowledge and hence absorptive capacities. The
main components of this assessment tool are presented and rules for its operation and
development established. Next steps for the assessment framework and suggestions
for its applicability to construction product manufacturers are also offered.
Funding
This research forms part of an Engineering Doctorate (EngD) programme, sponsored by Responsible Solutions Ltd and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), managed through the Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Construction Engineering (CICE), based at the School of Civil and Building Engineering at Loughborough University. The support of all these parties is gratefully acknowledged.
History
School
- Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Research Unit
- Centre for Innovative and Collaborative Engineering (CICE)
Published in
Association of Researchers in Construction Management Proceedings of the 31st Annual ARCOM ConferenceVolume
31Issue
1Pages
457 - 466 (10)Citation
UPSTILL-GODDARD, J. ... et al., 2015. Developing a sustainability assessment tool to aid organisational learning in construction SMEs. IN: Raiden, A.B. and Aboagye-Nimo, E. (eds). Proceedings of the 31st Annual ARCOM Conference, Lincoln, UK, 7 -9 September, pp. 457 - 466.Publisher
Association of Researchers in Construction Management (ARCOM)Version
- VoR (Version of Record)
Publisher statement
This work is made available according to the conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) licence. Full details of this licence are available at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Publication date
2015Notes
This conference paper was presented at the 31st Annual ARCOM Conference held on the 7th - 9th September 2015, in Lincoln.ISBN
978-0-9552390-9-0Language
- en
Location
LincolnAdministrator link
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