Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership

Sustainable corporate practices are gaining ever-increasing attention in the contemporary business world and integrating sustainability aspects in project management is an emerging trend across the mainstream industries, particularly in construction. This approach is often termed as Sustainable Proj...

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Main Author: Mehfooz, Ullah
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/34275/1/Enabling%20sustainable%20project%20management%20in%20pakistani.pdf
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spelling my-ump-ir.342752022-05-26T07:37:32Z Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership 2021-04 Mehfooz, Ullah HD28 Management. Industrial Management Sustainable corporate practices are gaining ever-increasing attention in the contemporary business world and integrating sustainability aspects in project management is an emerging trend across the mainstream industries, particularly in construction. This approach is often termed as Sustainable Project Management (SPM) which is considered a new school of thought in the field of project management. However, sustainability research in the project context is fragmented and still at a nascent stage with lesser attention directed towards the key external and internal enablers of SPM particularly in construction industry of developing countries. The aim of this study is thus, to address this research gap by empirically developing and testing a model for the enablers of SPM in construction industry. Based on an extensive literature review, five research questions were proposed for this study to address current gaps in the body of knowledge. Using institutional theory as a basic frame of reference, this study proposed three isomorphic pressures i.e. coercive, normative and mimetic pressures as external enablers for integrating sustainability in project management. This study also included transformational leadership qualities of portfolio managers as moderating variable on the relationship of isomorphic pressures and SPM. An online survey was administrated to gather data from large constructor firms in Pakistan with project managers as key respondents. 146 large constructor firms recorded their responses which were then analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM) technique in Smart PLS software. The findings showed that the three isomorphic pressures significantly predict the adoption of SPM by construction firms, with mimetic isomorphism being the higher performer. The presence of transformational leadership qualities at portfolio management level strengthens the influence of isomorphism on SPM adoption. Results of the first and second level measurement model assessments affirmed that constructor firms do practice SPM to certain degree but their practices are not standardized. In fact, environmental dimension overrides the whole concept of SPM in terms of practice and social sustainability receive lesser attention. Theoretically, this study provides a model that combines the internal and external enablers of SPM based on institutional theory and transformational leadership theory. The empirical findings of the study validated the robustness of the proposed framework to study the SPM implementation in construction industry. Finally, this study offers practical suggestions for practitioners and policy makers. The inferred implications suggest that constructor firms need to approach isomorphism with a proactive approach, rather being reactive to regulations, and should include sustainability criteria in strategic decision making. This will help them gaining a long-term competitive advantage and will create a win-win situation where constructor firms will be a part of the solution towards achieving the broader goals of overall sustainable development. 2021-04 Thesis http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/34275/ http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/34275/1/Enabling%20sustainable%20project%20management%20in%20pakistani.pdf pdf en public phd doctoral Universiti Malaysia Pahang Faculty of Industrial Management
institution Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah
collection UMPSA Institutional Repository
language English
topic HD28 Management
Industrial Management
spellingShingle HD28 Management
Industrial Management
Mehfooz, Ullah
Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership
description Sustainable corporate practices are gaining ever-increasing attention in the contemporary business world and integrating sustainability aspects in project management is an emerging trend across the mainstream industries, particularly in construction. This approach is often termed as Sustainable Project Management (SPM) which is considered a new school of thought in the field of project management. However, sustainability research in the project context is fragmented and still at a nascent stage with lesser attention directed towards the key external and internal enablers of SPM particularly in construction industry of developing countries. The aim of this study is thus, to address this research gap by empirically developing and testing a model for the enablers of SPM in construction industry. Based on an extensive literature review, five research questions were proposed for this study to address current gaps in the body of knowledge. Using institutional theory as a basic frame of reference, this study proposed three isomorphic pressures i.e. coercive, normative and mimetic pressures as external enablers for integrating sustainability in project management. This study also included transformational leadership qualities of portfolio managers as moderating variable on the relationship of isomorphic pressures and SPM. An online survey was administrated to gather data from large constructor firms in Pakistan with project managers as key respondents. 146 large constructor firms recorded their responses which were then analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM) technique in Smart PLS software. The findings showed that the three isomorphic pressures significantly predict the adoption of SPM by construction firms, with mimetic isomorphism being the higher performer. The presence of transformational leadership qualities at portfolio management level strengthens the influence of isomorphism on SPM adoption. Results of the first and second level measurement model assessments affirmed that constructor firms do practice SPM to certain degree but their practices are not standardized. In fact, environmental dimension overrides the whole concept of SPM in terms of practice and social sustainability receive lesser attention. Theoretically, this study provides a model that combines the internal and external enablers of SPM based on institutional theory and transformational leadership theory. The empirical findings of the study validated the robustness of the proposed framework to study the SPM implementation in construction industry. Finally, this study offers practical suggestions for practitioners and policy makers. The inferred implications suggest that constructor firms need to approach isomorphism with a proactive approach, rather being reactive to regulations, and should include sustainability criteria in strategic decision making. This will help them gaining a long-term competitive advantage and will create a win-win situation where constructor firms will be a part of the solution towards achieving the broader goals of overall sustainable development.
format Thesis
qualification_name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD.)
qualification_level Doctorate
author Mehfooz, Ullah
author_facet Mehfooz, Ullah
author_sort Mehfooz, Ullah
title Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership
title_short Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership
title_full Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership
title_fullStr Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership
title_full_unstemmed Enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership
title_sort enabling sustainable project management in pakistani construction industry : the influence of institutional pressures and moderating role of transformational leadership
granting_institution Universiti Malaysia Pahang
granting_department Faculty of Industrial Management
publishDate 2021
url http://umpir.ump.edu.my/id/eprint/34275/1/Enabling%20sustainable%20project%20management%20in%20pakistani.pdf
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