2134/20048
James Upstill-Goddard
James
Upstill-Goddard
Jacqui Glass
Jacqui
Glass
Andrew Dainty
Andrew
Dainty
Ian Nicholson
Ian
Nicholson
Developing a sustainability assessment tool to aid organisational learning in construction SMEs
Loughborough University
2016
Absorptive capacity
Corporate social responsibility
Organisational learning
Sustainability assessment
Sustainability standards
2016-01-15 12:12:53
Conference contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/conference_contribution/Developing_a_sustainability_assessment_tool_to_aid_organisational_learning_in_construction_SMEs/9579692
Organisations 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.