IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i12p9795-d1174635.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainability Interventions of Construction Project Managers—Establishing a Minimum Baseline

Author

Listed:
  • Shabnam Arabpour

    (Research Centre, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, Apeldoorn Campus, 7311 JD Apeldoorn, The Netherlands)

  • Gilbert Silvius

    (Research Centre, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences, Apeldoorn Campus, 7311 JD Apeldoorn, The Netherlands
    Department of Applied Information Systems, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park Bunting Road Campus, Johannesburg 2006, South Africa)

Abstract

The implementation of higher standards for sustainability presents a challenge to the construction industry. Sustainable construction guidelines often emphasize the outcomes of a project rather than addressing the sustainability aspects of its delivery, management, and governance processes. Project management standards and frameworks recognize the significance of sustainability. However, they lack practical instructions for project managers on effectively integrating sustainability into their project management practices. This study addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the perceived effectiveness and ease of sustainability interventions, with the aim of developing a ‘minimum baseline’ set of interventions that managers of construction projects can make in order to develop more sustainable projects. From the existing literature, 42 sustainability interventions by a project manager were derived. A quantitative survey-based research approach utilizing a self-administrated online questionnaire was employed to assess their effectiveness and ease of implementation. The questionnaire was distributed to the project managers worldwide, and valuable input was received from 105 respondents globally. The findings indicate that a minimum baseline of interventions can be formed with ten interventions that focus on the themes of communication, guidelines and regulations, and the supply chain. By revealing this minimum baseline, the study provides practical guidance for project managers of construction projects and fills the gap in the literature regarding the lack of a practical framework for improving sustainability in construction projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Shabnam Arabpour & Gilbert Silvius, 2023. "Sustainability Interventions of Construction Project Managers—Establishing a Minimum Baseline," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-22, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:9795-:d:1174635
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/12/9795/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/12/9795/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shivam Srivastava & Usha Iyer Raniga & Sudhir Misra, 2021. "A Methodological Framework for Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of Construction Projects Incorporating TBL and Decoupling Principles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-52, December.
    2. InSeok Park & Jonghyeob Kim & Sangwon Han & Changtaek Hyun, 2020. "Analysis of Fatal Accidents and Their Causes in the Korean Construction Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-13, April.
    3. Raquel Castro Madureira & Cláudia Sousa Silva & Marlene Amorim & Marta Ferreira Dias & Bruno Lins & Gisela Mello, 2022. "Think Twice to Achieve a Sustainable Project Management: From Ecological Sustainability towards the Sustainable Project Management Cube Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-22, March.
    4. Rawan Ali Saleh & Rateb J. Sweis & Firas I. Mahmoud Saleh & Adel Mohammed Sarea & Islam Mahmoud Sharaf Eldin & Desireen Nader Obeid, 2018. "Linking soft and hard total quality management practices: evidence from Jordan," International Journal of Business Excellence, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 14(1), pages 49-86.
    5. Huang, Lizhen & Krigsvoll, Guri & Johansen, Fred & Liu, Yongping & Zhang, Xiaoling, 2018. "Carbon emission of global construction sector," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P2), pages 1906-1916.
    6. Mohammad Bilal Shaukat & Khawaja Fawad Latif & Aymen Sajjad & Gabriel Eweje, 2022. "Revisiting the relationship between sustainable project management and project success: The moderating role of stakeholder engagement and team building," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 58-75, February.
    7. Ionel-Sorinel Vasilca & Madlena Nen & Oana Chivu & Valentin Radu & Cezar-Petre Simion & Nicolae Marinescu, 2021. "The Management of Environmental Resources in the Construction Sector: An Empirical Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-19, April.
    8. Reza Kiani Mavi & Denise Gengatharen & Neda Kiani Mavi & Richard Hughes & Alistair Campbell & Ross Yates, 2021. "Sustainability in Construction Projects: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, February.
    9. Gilbert Silvius, 2019. "Making Sense of Sustainable Project Management," Annals of Social Sciences & Management studies, Juniper Publishers Inc., vol. 2(4), pages 106-109, January.
    10. Gilbert Silvius & Ron Schipper, 2019. "Planning Project Stakeholder Engagement from a Sustainable Development Perspective," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-22, June.
    11. Stefano Armenia & Rosa Maria Dangelico & Fabio Nonino & Alessandro Pompei, 2019. "Sustainable Project Management: A Conceptualization-Oriented Review and a Framework Proposal for Future Studies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-16, May.
    12. Marco Barneveld & Gilbert Silvius, 2022. "Exploring Variety in Factors That Stimulate Project Owners to Address Sustainability," International Journal of Information Technology Project Management (IJITPM), IGI Global, vol. 13(1), pages 1-28, January.
    13. Mehfooz Ullah & Muhammad Waris Ali Khan & Lee Chia Kuang & Ammar Hussain & Faisal Rana & Asadullah Khan & Mirza Rizwan Sajid, 2020. "A Structural Model for the Antecedents of Sustainable Project Management in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-19, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ricardo P. F. Ferrarez & Claudia G. B. do Valle & Jeferson C. Alvarenga & Fabricio da C. Dias & Diego A. Vasco & André L. A. Guedes & Christine K. Chinelli & Assed N. Haddad & Carlos A. P. Soares, 2023. "Key Practices for Incorporating Sustainability in Project Management from the Perspective of Brazilian Professionals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Mian Muhammad Zawar Liaqat & Amanat Ali & Muhammad Sajid Khattak & Muhammad Irfanullah Arfeen & Muhammad Azam I. Chaudhary & Muhammad Awais & Abuzar Azhar, 2024. "Moderating Role of Sustainable Leadership on the Relationship Between Sustainable Project Management and Success: An Empirical Test in Public Sector Development Program," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    3. Gisele Blak Bernat & Eduardo Linhares Qualharini & Marcela Souto Castro, 2023. "Enhancing Sustainability in Project Management: The Role of Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Management in Virtual Team Environments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-26, March.
    4. Jatta Pitkänen & Hanna Lehtimäki & Ari Jokinen, 2023. "Sustainability Project Champions as Environmental Leaders in a City Organization: Driving the Urban Circular Economy," South Asian Journal of Business and Management Cases, , vol. 12(1), pages 52-64, April.
    5. Gilbert Silvius & Ronald Ursem & José Magano, 2023. "Exploring the Project Owner’s Behaviour of Addressing Sustainability in Project Assignment and Governance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-24, September.
    6. Gisele Blak Bernat & Eduardo Linhares Qualharini & Marcela Souto Castro & André Baptista Barcaui & Raquel Reis Soares, 2023. "Sustainability in Project Management and Project Success with Virtual Teams: A Quantitative Analysis Considering Stakeholder Engagement and Knowledge Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-38, June.
    7. Nina Jakubeit & Willem Haanstra & Jan Braaksma & Mohammad Rajabalinejad & Leo van Dongen, 2022. "Co-Designing Sustainable Coordination to Support Inter-Organizational Decision Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-26, May.
    8. Albert, Osei-Owusu Kwame & Marianne, Thomsen & Jonathan, Lindahl & Nino, Javakhishvili Larsen & Dario, Caro, 2020. "Tracking the carbon emissions of Denmark's five regions from a producer and consumer perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    9. Anna Życzyńska & Dariusz Majerek & Zbigniew Suchorab & Agnieszka Żelazna & Václav Kočí & Robert Černý, 2021. "Improving the Energy Performance of Public Buildings Equipped with Individual Gas Boilers Due to Thermal Retrofitting," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-19, March.
    10. Khozema Ahmed Ali & Mardiana Idayu Ahmad & Yusri Yusup, 2020. "Issues, Impacts, and Mitigations of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the Building Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-11, September.
    11. María Pilar de la Cruz López & Juan José Cartelle Barros & Alfredo del Caño Gochi & Manuel Lara Coira, 2021. "New Approach for Managing Sustainability in Projects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-27, June.
    12. Mohammad Hamsal & Diena Dwidienawati & Mohammad Ichsan & Ahmad Syamil & Bambang Trigunarsyah, 2022. "Multi-Perspective Approach to Building Team Resilience in Project Management—A Case Study in Indonesia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-22, October.
    13. Han Zhang & Shiying Shi & Fangfang Zhao & Xiaosu Ye & Hanyue Qi, 2023. "A Study on the Impact of Team Interdependence on Cooperative Performance in Public–Private Partnership Projects: The Moderating Effect of Government Equity Participation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, August.
    14. Amjad Hussain & Mohsin Jamil & Muhammad Umar Farooq & Muhammad Asim & Muhammad Zeeshan Rafique & Catalin I. Pruncu, 2021. "Project Managers’ Personality and Project Success: Moderating Role of External Environmental Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-22, August.
    15. Shabir Hussain Malik & Weizhong Fu & Samma Faiz Rasool & Gowhar Ahmad Wani & Shah Zaman & Najaf Ali Wani, 2023. "Investigating the Impact of Communication Factors and Stakeholders Engagement on Renewable Energy Projects in Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-14, July.
    16. Zhang, Yanfang & Gao, Qi & Wei, Jinpeng & Shi, Xunpeng & Zhou, Dequn, 2023. "Can China's energy-consumption permit trading scheme achieve the “Porter” effect? Evidence from an estimated DSGE model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    17. Javier Orozco-Messana & Milagro Iborra-Lucas & Raimon Calabuig-Moreno, 2021. "Neighbourhood Modelling for Urban Sustainability Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-10, April.
    18. Liu, Lirong & Huang, Guohe & Baetz, Brian & Huang, Charley Z. & Zhang, Kaiqiang, 2019. "Integrated GHG emissions and emission relationships analysis through a disaggregated ecologically-extended input-output model; A case study for Saskatchewan, Canada," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 97-109.
    19. Marin Pellan & Denise Almeida & Mathilde Louërat & Guillaume Habert, 2024. "Integrating Consumption-Based Metrics into Sectoral Carbon Budgets to Enhance Sustainability Monitoring of Building Activities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-25, August.
    20. Pérez-Sánchez, Laura À. & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario, 2022. "Factors and actions for the sustainability of the residential sector. The nexus of energy, materials, space, and time use," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:9795-:d:1174635. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.