The role of organizational climate in socially embedding construction firms’ sustainability goals

Abstract

Despite the growing interest in sustainability research, little scholarly attention, both conceptual and empirical, has been given to assessing the individual-level behavioural issues that affect sustainability outcomes. Still less research is undertaken to examine the mechanisms by which construction firms enable their sustainability goals to be socially embedded within their organizations to shape the behaviour and attitudes of employees. In an attempt to fill this gap, this paper draws extensively from the literature on organizational climate perspective to explain how organizational-level characteristics and processes can result in a strong, conducive climate that fosters shared perceptions and guide behaviours that are fundamental to the attainment of sustainability goals in organizations. From the critical review of this literature, this paper offers three research propositions and avenues in which they could be tested. The paper concludes with a broadened discussion of the theoretical and practical implications this framework has on advancing the sustainability discourse within CM discipline beyond the current largely technical, policy and institutional foci.

Rethinking a Timely Response of Human Resources to Global Signals: A Case of Organizational Reflexes

“…Due to this modelling, a system of environment communication with the organization is being studied as a latent variable that is operationalized by the cumulative interaction of three variables: assessment of human resources (Hu & Zhao, 2020;Gokalp et all., 2020;Klinck & Swanepoel, 2019;Walker et all., 2014;Pandey & Chandel, 2013;Popa & Demyen, 2012;Dadelo et all., 2012), organizational climate (Riego de Dios, 2020; Akbar et all., 2019;Gaviria-Rivera & Zapata, 2019;Nasreen et all., 2019;Berberoglu, 2018;Phua, 2018;Polat & Iskender, 2018;Naldoken & Tengilimoglu, 2017;Pozveh & Karimi, 2016) and organization's internationalization (Brymer et all., 2020;Andersson & Sundermeier, 2019;Vahlne & Bhatti, 2019;Suseno & Pinnington, 2018;Alon et all., 2018;Godos-Diez et all., 2018;Jankowska & Gotz, 2017;Chen et all., 2016;Kalvionyte & Korsakiene, 2016;Fitzgerald & Rowley, 2016;Babinska, 2013). Variables: assessment of human resources, and organizational climate were analyzed as individual factors.…”

“…Whereas human resources management and the organizational climate as a factor of an organization's adaptation to the changing environment are widely discussed in the literature (Riego de Dios, 2020;Akbar et all., 2019;Gaviria-Rivera & Zapata, 2019;Nasreen et all., 2019;Berberoglu, 2018;Phua, 2018;Polat & Iskender, 2018;Naldoken & Tengilimoglu, 2017;Pozveh & Karimi, 2016), thus, using the method of phenomenological hermeneutics (Vaitkevicius, 2013), there have been identified the features of its use for the purpose of organization's self-defense. This is why, human resources management and organizational climate in relation to the internationalization, can be discussed as a quality of the organization that allows it to secure its identity.…”

“…The limitation of previous research is that assessment of human resources, the organization's climate, and internationalization were not yet analyzed jointly. The research prior to this time explored the fact that an organization communicates with its outer environment, and the way this is utilized: the internationalization (Brymer et all., 2020;Andersson & Sundermeier, 2019;Vahlne & Bhatti, 2019;Suseno & Pinnington, 2018;Alon et all., 2018;Godos-Diez et all., 2018;Jankowska & Gotz, 2017;Chen et all., 2016;Kalvionyte & Korsakiene, 2016;Fitzgerald & Rowley, 2016;Babinska, 2013) as a connectivity system; the organizational climate as a system that remains responsible for the functionality of the organization (Riego de Dios, 2020; Akbar et all., 2019;Gaviria-Rivera & Zapata, 2019;Nasreen et all., 2019;Berberoglu, 2018;Phua, 2018;Polat & Iskender, 2018;Naldoken & Tengilimoglu, 2017;Pozveh & Karimi, 2016); and the assessment of human resources. The assessment of human resources an organization uses as a tool for directing the personnel's efforts to achieve the organizational objectives during the communication process (Hu & Zhao, 2020;Gokalp et all., 2020;Klinck & Swanepoel, 2019;Walker et all., 2014;Pandey & Chandel, 2013;Popa & Demyen, 2012;Dadelo et all., 2012).The previous researchers sufficiently explored the features of the constructs discussed above, but they also revealed the need for a theoretical modeling of their content's compatibility by assessing how an organization's forms and perception of itself could be important for further study of the organization's functioning principles.…”

“…Analyzing the theoretical statements describing the processes that intermediate the management of human resources and internationalization, it has been noticed that, in the process of the reception of information from the global environment and during the formation of a response to it, hypothetically, an active role is played by human resources assessment and the organizational climate (Hu & Zhao, 2020;Gokalp et all., 2020;Klinck & Swanepoel, 2019;Walker et all., 2014;Pandey & Chandel, 2013;Popa & Demyen, 2012;Dadelo et all., 2012;Riego de Dios, 2020;Akbar et all., 2019;Gaviria-Rivera & Zapata, 2019;Nasreen et all., 2019;Berberoglu, 2018;Phua, 2018;Polat & Iskender, 2018;Naldoken & Tengilimoglu, 2017;Pozveh & Karimi, 2016). Studying the human resources assessment and the organizational climate in the case of internationalization, allowed for an insight as to the information incoming from the global environment.…”

Relationship between Organizational Climate and Innovation Capability in New Technology-Based Firms

“…When firms have adequate resources, their organizational climate facilitates the development, adoption, and implementation of new products and processes [13]. An organizational climate is made up of subjective, individual, and social aspects, including the motivations, interpretations, and perceptions linked to the personal and contextual factors of each individual within a firm [14]. De Long and Fahey [15] suggest that in every firm, there are norms, practices, and values that explain why certain forms of knowledge are favored in certain situations since they govern individual perceptions and social interactions.…”