Assessment of Lean-Green Practices on Sustainable Performance in the Construction Industry of the United Arab Emirates

Abstract

The current study examines the relationship between lean and green (combined as Le-Green) techniques and sustainable business performance in the construction industry. The study also tests the mediating effects of top-management commitment in the adoption and application of Le-Green techniques. A quantitative methodology was applied to examine the relationship between the variables, utilizing a cross-sectional random sampling method. Results showed that Le-Green techniques had a statistically significant relationship with sustainable business performance. Furthermore, results showed statistically significant relationship between top-management commitment and the adoption and application of Le-Green techniques. The findings have important theoretical and practical implications as the construction industry is accused of being the major source of air, water, and earth pollution, as well as the greatest miss-user of energy and water resources. Pressure also arises from the need to meet regulatory requirements and to reduce costs and increase profits in a highly competitive market. One implication of this research is that it provides evidence of the relation between Le-Green construction techniques and reducing costs and increasing profits within the construction industry. It this encourages organizations to adopt Le-Green construction principles and encourage the top-level management of the construction industry to formulate strategies for the successful adoption of the Le-Green philosophy. The primary theoretical objective of this research is to contribute to the body of knowledge regarding both lean and green construction. The results of the study define the limits, relationship, and links between lean and green construction techniques, and an integrated model of lean, green, and sustainable business performance is proposed.