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 Sustainability and green project management skills:
An exploratory study in the construction industry in Dubai

Hala Al-Qassab
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road,
Manchester, M15 6BH UK
hala_alqassab@hotmail.co.uk

Alberto Paucar-Caceres
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road,
Manchester, M15 6BH UK
a.paucar@mmu.ac.u

Gillian Wright
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road,
Manchester, M15 6BH UK
g.wright@mmu.ac.uk

Rosane Pagano
Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, All Saints Campus, Oxford Road,
Manchester, M15 6BH UK
r.pagano@mmu.ac.uk

Abstract

Organisations appreciate green project management leads to competitive advantage and expect
project managers to be effective in this respect. This research emphasizes the identification and
evaluation of skills that project managers require to make the activity of project management
safe for the environment while also ensuring that it does not contribute negatively to natural
surroundings. This should be of interest to executives and project managers working in the
construction industry. This paper provides understanding of how project managers react to this
requirement and evaluates their skills.
The literature indicates that effective green project managers have a strong profile of schedule
management skills, stakeholder communication and human resources management. The
research approach is based on a survey of 33 project managers in the United Arab Emirates
country of Dubai, followed by semi-structured interviews to delve further into the survey
responses.
Our findings indicate awareness of green project management is in its infancy, the focus is
budget compliance. Stakeholder management and communications management skills are not
considered as important as problem solving or schedule management. Fluctuating prices of
materials and difficulty in sourcing sub-contractors hinder sustainable project management.
While some organisations train and develop project managers, helping them acquire green
project management skills, many do not and a dearth of industry standards further hampers
green project management.
Since this exploratory study dealt with a small sample (30+) the biggest limitation of the study
was that the sample population was not reflective of the wider population. Though the
construction industry in the United Arab Emirates country of Dubai, the location for this

1
fieldwork is a thriving multi-billion dollar industry, the research could benefit from verification
across a wider geographical area. A further area for future research is to investigate the
differences between project managers in their attitudes to green project management.

The initial findings should be of interest to executives and green project managers working in
the construction industry wishing to become more involved in green practices and be more
environmentally aware. This paper provides some empirical evidence as to how project
managers react to this requirement and evaluates their skills.

Keywords:
Project management; green management; construction industry; Dubai; developing countries

1. Introduction

Increased concern for the environment, climate change, and the need to minimise the negative
impact on the stakeholders and the communities in which organisations operate drive the
increasing emphasis on green project management (Yang, 2016). Most organisations have also
come to view green project management as a means of gaining a competitive advantage in the
market place. It seems increasingly evident that to manage the complexity of projects whilst
addressing environmental demands, project managers are expected to possess the necessary
skills to be considered as effective project manager’s that have credible green credentials.

Sustainability is a notion which appreciates that development should be an activity through

which needs of the present generation can be fulfilled, but does not jeopardise the ability of
future generations to meet their desires (Hwang and Ng, 2013; Silvius et al., 2017). Maltzman
and Shirley (2016) argued that successful project management has traditionally meant
delivering a product or service on time and within budget constraints, using resources (people
and materials) in an optimal way, satisfying the needs of the customer and the supplying
organization.

With the increasing attention being given to sustainable development and growing awareness
of environmental concerns, especially global climate change, the allure of becoming green is
inspiring project managers to include environmental goals in their activities, and to seek
guidance on how to assess the sustainability of construction projects (Zhang, 2014).
Suggestions for how new companies and individuals can ‘go green’ can be found almost
everywhere, therefore, it is essential for project managers to possess the essential, relevant,
skills and knowledge to make the task of project management sustainable and less harmful to
the environment.

Sustainable project management has emerged as an important topic for companies because of
loss in biodiversity, rising pollution levels, changing climates, etc. Moreover, the concept of
sustainability is also related to a great extent to the image and reputation of companies in their
markets. Today, for project managers, it has become essential that they have the skills, talent,
knowledge and abilities through which they can make this task as safe as possible for the
environment (Banihashemi et al, 2017; Robichaud and Anantatmula, 2011). We aim to gain
an understanding of the views of project managers concerning sustainability and the nature of
the essential skills and knowledge they should possess.

This issue is especially important in developing countries where the construction industry is
becoming the most important sector in the economy, this research is based in Dubai which is

2
one such region. Furthermore, the construction sector has a major impact on the environment
as commercial and residential buildings combined are responsible for between 20-40% of the
world’s energy consumption and these values are rising steadily every year (Hwang and Tan,
2012). Therefore, with rising awareness of sustainable development it is crucial for project
managers to ensure that they possess essential skills and talents through which they can manage
resources efficiently and effectively, while ensuring that the natural environment is safe.

This research emphasises the identification and evaluation of skills that project managers
require to make the activity of project management safe for the environment while also
ensuring that it does not contribute negatively to natural surroundings. This should be of
interest to executives and project managers working in the construction industry. For the
purpose of determining which skills are required by sustainable project managers and also to
evaluate their perspectives these skills in their live projects, the following research questions
were formulated:
 What are the various components that support the concept of sustainability in project
management?
 What are the sustainability risks related to time and quality management?
 What are the skills and abilities that project managers require to accommodate
sustainability?
 In what ways can tasks of project management be made more sustainable?

This article is organised as follows: after this introduction, in section 2 we outlined the key
issues of green building practice and green management found in recent literature emphasizing
the importance of these practices in project management. In section, 3 discuss the different
elements in Green project management and sustainability. The research methods are briefly
describe in section 4 and the results presented in section 5. We discuss the results in section 6.
Finally, some conclusions and agenda for further research are suggested in section 7.

2. Green Management: green buildings practice and sustainability in Project

Management

Frank (2002, cited in Hwang and Ng, 2013:272) determined that the project manager has direct
influence over 34-47% of project success, establishing the importance of their role with respect
to competitiveness. Furthermore, there is a crucial relationship between project success and
construction project management competencies Hwang and Ng (2013). Therefore, if a business
organisation has not determined criteria for a competent project manager, then it would not be
able to survive (Eskerod and Huemann, 2013; Hwang and Ng 2013).

Conversely these authors suggest that negative impacts of project management activities have
increased considerably and therefore it has become imperative that project managers have skills
and talents in green management. Evaluation of green buildings has been undertaken with an
expectation of their improved performance (Ding, 2008).

The importance of project management to competitiveness has been established, Silvius et al.
(2017), with project management a critical competence identified as central to the management
of change crucial in an organisation Silvius et al. (2017). Early research suggested that
sustainability should be an integral part of this project management contribution and that
utmost attention must be paid to this by the project manager and other authorities Newman
(1999). Shen et al. (2010) emphasized that incorporating sustainability into project
management processes can contribute to competitive advantages and economic benefits while

3
reducing harm to the environment and society. Emphasis on the importance of sustainability
has increased and pressure on organisations to model their operations in a manner through
which their negative impact on the environment can be reduced has grown.

There are many ways through which the activities of project management could be made
sustainable, such as making optimal use of the local resources that are available and reducing
waste (Sears et al, 2015). The first step towards this is to establish a clear vision and framework
for sustainability that robustly defines the business case and the second step should be
communicate the importance of the vision and educate management team (Hitchcock and
Willard, (2006). There are clear calls in previous research for project managers to possess the
essential skills and knowledge which enable them to act as a green project manager (Silvius et
al., 2017; Sears et al., 2015).

3. Elements to be considered in Green project management and sustainability

Although there has been previous research examining the essential skills and knowledge of
project managers in a general context, little has been undertaken to focus on specific context
of green construction and to address the necessary skills required to implement green projects.
From the literature, we built a base for our research exploring: (a) the financial elements that
both hinder and support green project management; (b) the skills that are required of a green
project manager; and (c) the different risk and quality related issues that are faced by the
construction industry. The following section discusses these elements.

3.1 Financial elements in green project management and sustainability

Sustainable buildings can now be constructed as about the same cost as traditionally
constructed buildings but can save over 30 per cent in operating costs (Hitchcock and Willard,
2006:120). From the fiscal perspective, such buildings are highly cost-effective and this
understanding has led to the creation of different sustainable buildings. This has helped in
saving substantial corporate funds through the reduction in overall operational and maintenance
costs, thus creating financial stability whilst often reducing taxpayer burden, also saving money
for taxpayers (Glavinich, 2008).
Whilst good project management and cost management software could have the major impact
on demonstrating the benefits of various green building measurements, having good
information about costs, benefits, and return on investment can be critical to keeping good
green measures under consideration, instead of losing them to strictly financial considerations
(Yudelson, 2008).

3.2 Skills required by sustainable project managers

Project managers should possess knowledge of the technical aspects of the industry which
enable them to understand the project being delivered (Hwang and Ng, 2013; Yudelson, 2008)
and construction management needs a unique skills and experience beside the managerial skills
and knowledge to improve feasibility and allow construction managers to complete their jobs
within the allocated budget and requirements (Edum-Fotwe and McCaffer, 2000, cited in
Hwang and Ng, 2013).

Specifically, construction industry project managers need to be able to: apply green building
strategies to support reduction in energy costs whilst minimizing carbon output (Kibert, 2008);
coordinate and manage the large logistic sites (Abudi, 2010); develop and implement programs

4
such as safety, environment protection, and quality control. (Kibert, 2008); manage
construction wastes in compliance with LEED's goals (Yudelson, 2008). Furthermore, they
also need to be able to work with supervisory personnel, contractors, designers and owners to
undertake a constructive discussion on issues such as complaints, procedures and construction
problems (Shen et al., 2010). This is supported by Azim and Gale (2010) who identified a
similar profile: human resources, scheduling; resource allocation; risk management; budgeting;
time and team management; change management; conflict management; leadership skills;
communication abilities; foresight; and delegating tasks. This confirms the findings of
Campbell, 2009,) that good communication management and stakeholder management
enhance manager’s performance and enables them to cooperate better with employees and
other stakeholders. However, other research has identified that in practice, other issues may
take priority, that cost, communication and schedule management are considered more critical
than other management knowledge areas (Hwang and Ng, 2013).

A further benefit of good communication and with advanced human resources knowledge can
decrease the level of conflict, reduce errors and misunderstanding between team members, and
ensure the high levels of commitment, productivity (Daft, 2017; Brewster et al, 2012; Dainty,
et al 2012). Appropriately skilled project managers will be much in demand; a core reason to
require highly skilled and knowledgeable project managers is the competitive marketplace
wherein both companies and individuals are competing for a unique position and chance to
grow (Westland (2013).

3.3 Risks involved in Sustainable Construction Projects

Sustainable construction techniques provide an ethical and practical response to issues of

environmental impact and resources consumption. Kibert (2008) articulated seven principle of
sustainable construction, which would ideally inform project managers and decision- making
during each phase of the design and construction process, continuing throughout the building’s
entire life cycle. These principles are: reduce resources, reuse resources, use recyclable
resources, protect natural, eliminate toxics, apply life-cycle costing, and focus on quality
(Kiber, 2008). However, there are different risks in the construction sector that are in direct a
relationship with the quality and time management problems that project managers could face
and these need to be taken into account when understanding project managers, their drivers and
skills (Kubba, 2010). These risks are:

 Certification risk: the simplest risk element in green construction because most the
construction companies look for validation of their business projects so as to seek
permission from officials to continue with their task (Kosaroglu and Hunt, 2009).
 Performance risk: related directly to the skills and knowledge that project managers
possess therefore it is crucial to be familiar with details in the project to avoid such risks
(Hicks, 1996). According to Hwang and Ng (2013) risks due to insufficient knowledge or
unfamiliarity with green techniques, materials and process could affect performance,
outcome and project delivery.
 Quality and Safety: related to construction projects Bing et al. (2005) noted that for project
managers, it is imperative that quality is maintained, ensuring the safety of employees.
 People management: project managers need to properly supervise and motivate people in
order that they do not feel isolated or cheated in any way, as this could jeopardize the
project (Banaitiene and Banaitis, 2010).

5
4. Research Method

This study was conducted in 2016 over a period of six months. The research approach is based
on a survey of 33 project managers in the United Arab Emirates country of Dubai, followed by
semi-structured interviews to delve further into the survey responses. The initial survey
comprised three elements: the financial elements that hinder or support green project
management; the quality and other risks encountered by green project managers and data on
the skills required by green project managers.

The data collection instrument included 5-point Likert scales consisting 1 = strongly agree to
5 = strong disagree. From the responses, nine open-ended questions were developed for the
interview schedule and participants were encouraged to discuss elements of their careers as
green project managers.

The interviews were subject to a thematic analysis that was informed by the initial survey and
the conceptual base developed from the literature. The initial sampling frame comprised 60
project managers in the construction industry in the United Arab Emirates, 33 completed the
scoping survey and eight agreed to participate in an interview.

5. Results

The interviews were based on a combination of the literature review and a scoping survey of a
small sample of project managers. This section presents the outcome of this exploratory survey
(Table 1), followed by the insights into financial, time and quality risks and green project
management skills. In our report of the interviews, comments made by interviewees are
presented in italics.

Scoping of the study

Financial issues

The initial survey identified attitudes to the importance of financial issues, risk and green
project management.
Regarding financial elements the majority of project managers (84%) agreed that keeping
within budget is important to ensure the sustainability of the project. However, there was also
considerable agreement that keepings costs low (50%), coming in under budget (70%) and
making cost savings are insufficient to ensure sustainability. Most agreed that waste reduction
is important, though this was not as high as those agreeing that keeping within budget is
important.

Time and Quality Management

The summary results of the scoping study are presented in Table 1.Responses indicate that
sourcing low cost high quality products is not the biggest problem faced with regard to ensuring
the high quality of project deliverables, but rather that organisations face many challenges in
sourcing qualified green contractors and sub-contractors. Furthermore, it is also evident that
other challenges faced by project managers including the complexity of contract, which have
a direct impact on the quality of the deliverables, as well as the different techniques and
standards that are used are important. Other quality risks that were cited in the survey include

6
unforeseen and unplanned risks that can pose an immense threat to the long-term sustainability
of the project.

Essential Skills for Green Project Managers

In terms of the skills that a green project manager should possess, respondents believed that
schedule management and the ability to work within a budget is important, while stakeholder
management and communications management was the least important. It is also clear that the
majority considered that problem solving and analytical skills are important while less valued
decision-making skills compared to team-working, schedule management, human resources
management, stakeholder management and communications management and problem-
solving.

7
 Table 1
Attitudes to Green Project Management
Agree/ Disagree/
strongly Uncertain strongly
agree disagree
Financial elements of sustainability
Keeping to budget most important 85% - 15%
Smaller budget with robust pre-planning more important 40% 10% 50%
than keeping within budget
Within budget alone insufficient for a sustainable project 50% - 50%
Being under budget and making savings ensures long-term 70% 10% 20%
sustainability
Waste reduction and efficient resource use for 70% 10% 20%
sustainability more important than being within-budget
Quality risks
Difficulty in sourcing and selecting sub-contractors 60% 10% 30%
Difficulty in obtaining reasonably priced green material 24% 6% 70%
and equipment
Using a variety of planning techniques 60% 10% 30%
Unforeseen quality issues and challenges 65% 5% 30%
Difficulty in comprehending specifications in a green 70% 9% 21%
project contract
Green project management skills
Schedule Management 60% - 40%
Stakeholder Management 20% 5% 65%
Effective Human Resources Management 42% 3% 55%
Efficient Human Resources Management 70% - 30%
Communication Management 30% - 70%
Problem Solving 60% - 40%
Strong analytical skills 60% - 40%
Effective decision making less important than other skills 60% - 40%
Team working skills are more important than other skills 67% - 33%
Problem solving not as important other skills 35% - 65%

Attitudes to Green Project Management

Participants were familiar with the term ‘green project management’, and though there was a
general feeling that it is something of a ‘buzz word’ and said that it has various meanings to
different people. However, overall, they interpreted it as “a type of project management
philosophy that strives to minimize the negative impact on the environment and stakeholders,
while increasing the efficiencies, reducing costs.” The reasons for the importance of green
project management varied. Some referred to the competitive advantage it can bring by
demonstrating to clients what outcomes they are able to provide compared to the competition.
There was acknowledgement that this is a good thing in its own right, it means that impact on
the environment is kept to a minimum. Others commented on the mutual benefits to the
organisation and their customers.

Implementing green project management

8
There were various approaches to implementing green project management. Some referred to
structured learning from previous projects, seeking areas that can be improved we continuously
review our policies and procedures with the aim of increasing sustainability. Others favour
hiring employees with skills were aligned to the green project management philosophy whilst
providing on-going training for managers within the company to acquire these skills. There
was also, however, acknowledgement that some organisations are not addressing the issue at
all.

Financial influences

The inability to source low cost high quality materials was considered to hinder green project
management, while pre-construction project planning often helps to reduce much wastage and
costs. Fluctuating raw material prices was a concern is the biggest problem we face along with
difficulty to source skilled labour at reasonable prices, though this was mitigated through pre-
construction project planning. Another consideration was the changing scope of a project
without adequate budgets which was noted as a significant hindrance.

Risks

Price fluctuations and changes to the scope of the project were considered major risks though
we try our best to protect again raw material fluctuations and schedule changes. There was
acknowledgement of the importance of stakeholder communication with respect to risk, we
state to the client that the environment is given priority and that we need flexibility, however,
it was also acknowledged that this flexibility is not always forthcoming. Risk mitigation was
an important issue, participants mitigate against many risks and these change according to the
different projects and the project scope.

Green Project Management Skills

Whilst some respondents believed that it is very important that they had green project
management skills in order for them to progress through their organisation, it was also indicated
that there was a feeling that these skills had to be acquired in order to succeed in a different
organisation if they wanted to move to a new job. Others suggested that it would be useful only
if they wanted to move to a different organisation where this is valued, but they only needed to
acquire whatever skills their organisation believed was important to become a more ‘green
project management’ oriented company.

In discussion of training, there was a core emphasis on the traditional project management
skills, we are continuously provided with feedback on our problem solving and critical thinking
skills and monitored and measured on our ability to stay on schedule and within budget. In
another organisation, it was reported that the respondent was provided with much support and
training on how to effectively manage my team, keep conflicts to a minimum, problem solve
and stay within budget. For another, the organisations focus was on finding creative ways to
stay within budget. A more positive report was of training that provided me with training on
how to keep human resources related and other costs low, while also reducing wastage and
staying on schedule.

Almost all participants were negative about the possibility of undertaking green project
management training in their own time or funding it themselves, though one was contemplating

9
this because from a career perspective both within the company and externally it would be very
beneficial and would add value to his resume. In organisations that are not engaged with green
project management, it was seen as important to introduce the idea and change the culture
within the organisation in order to prepare it for sustainability. There was support for the
provision of more focused training and development and the introduction of performance
management, rewards and recognition programmes around the acquisition and application of
green project management skills.

6. Discussion

There is considerable alignment with the move towards the awareness and understanding of
green project management in previous research of Hwang and Ng (2013). At a time when most
organisations are now designing their operations in a manner that would be least harmful to the
environment and help with preservation and conservation, instead of destruction (Othman and
Sirbadhoo, 2009), it is evident that the respondents have a fairly accurate understanding of the
concept. However, it was also evident that respondents were divided in their opinions about
the role played by budgetary management and quality in the overall green project management
process.

6.1 Financial aspects of green project management

Whilst the majority of the respondents agreed that staying within the allocated budget was of
high importance in their respective organisations, there were differences in opinion on how
such an objective should be achieved. While it was the view of Glavinich (2008) that keeping
costs low through green buildings, saving corporate and tax payer funds, was important,
respondents were of a different opinion, feeling that whilst staying on budget was important,
using different techniques such as pre-construction project planning, and keeping costs low
were less so. Thus we postulate that this implies that while it is important to stay within the
budget, costs should not be cut to the extent that there would be a surplus. Furthermore, it was
also interesting to note that most respondents believed that staying within budget alone was
sufficient to ensure the sustainability of the project.

Thus, leaving no room for any assumptions, which high levels of cost cutting could result in
low quality end products could lead to a lack of sustainability. However, again, respondents
were more concerned about the staying within budget and considered it to be more important
that the efficient use of resources. Thus, the results suggest that staying within budget is given
a higher priority than the actual impact that such activities could have on the environment.
There is a strong element of learning from all aspects of a project when it is completed, even
though there remains a strong emphasis on budget control. The learning is seen as a way to
improve practices and processes.

This indicates that organisations are focused on optimising their operations and processes in
order to conform with a green project management conceptual framework. Furthermore, it is
also important to note that when asked what financial elements or constraints supported or
hindered green project management, one of the interviewees stated that the biggest challenge
was sourcing high quality raw materials at a low cost and that pre-construction project planning
helped to eliminate this problem

6.2 Time and quality risks

10
This research is congruent with some previous findings, though it also diverges in other
respects. One of the biggest challenges faced by green project managers is the inability to
source and select sub-contractors who provide green services (Hwang and Ng, 2013; Hwang
and Tan, 2012), and this is confirmed in this research indicating a significant challenge in this
developing economy. Moreover, the different planning techniques used throughout the project
management process is a significant risk to quality as is the likelihood that unforeseen issues,
challenges and obstacles arise (Hwang and Ng, 2013). Another further challenge and risk to
quality is the inability to easily comprehend the many specifications in the contracts (Bing et
al, 2005).

Our study confirms these risks faced in green project management, indicating that the situation
in other countries is echoed here. However, this research differs from the results of other studies
in that unlike elsewhere, this study found that there is not a difficulty in sourcing unlike in the
case of many other countries and the observations made by, reasonably priced, high quality
green materials and equipment (Hwang and Ng, 2013; Hwang and Tan 2012). A further
difference noted in our results is that price fluctuations and the changing scope of the projects
are threats to quality faced by green project managers.

6.3 Essential Skills for Green Project Managers

Previous studies highlighted several different skills essential for green project managers,
including the ability to schedule, manage and coordinate the project; to effectively and
efficiently manage human resources, to effective manage stakeholders and communicate with
them in a manner that ensures the smooth flow of the project (Hwang and Ng,2013). Other
competencies have been identified as essential for green project managers to successfully
overcome many of the challenges faced by them during the project management process. These
are skills in problem solving, decision making, analytical thinking and team working were in
order (Yang et al., 2011). This research emphasised especially, the need for skills in schedule
management skills and efficient human resources management. Interestingly in this research,
the ability to manage stakeholder’s communication was highlighted as more important than
decision-making and team-working skills. However, it was also clear that respondents believed
that problem-solving skills were much more important than stakeholder management,
communications management and schedule management skills.

Our findings agree that effective human resources management skills are essential; agreeing
with (2010) believed that it is more important to be able to effectively manage human resources
than to effectively manage them. While this may seem counter-intuitive, we postulated that in
the construction industry (as in many other industries), labour costs make up a significant
portion of the overall cost for the organisation and therefore managing the labour resources
efficiently is a top priority compared to effectively managing them. On the other hand, it can
also be argued, that if project managers are able to manage and motivate employees effectively
in a manner that elicits high levels of commitment, engagement and performance, error rates
will drop, and productivity increase, thus indicating that effective human resources
management rather than efficient human resources management is more beneficial (Daft, 2017;
Brewster et al, 2012; Dainty et al, 2012).

While most interviewees had received some form of training and development in green project
management, the type of training differed between companies. This suggests that there are no
clear overall and companies establish their own ad-hoc development programmes based on
their views of essential skills. The general view was that it would be beneficial for them to

11
acquire more skills to establish them as green project managers and if provided with the
opportunity to make improvements within their organisations, they would re-evaluate the
current training initiatives and focus more on specific areas that need further enhancing.

Though we found considerable consistency in our findings with the extant literature, there were
some subtle differences suggesting that there may be contextual inferences for green project
management. So while the industry may have evolved similarly to developed countries in some
aspects, it is not as advanced in others and is continuing to change and develop.

7. Conclusion

Green Project Management continues to gain prominence across the world as concerns for the
environment and the need to reduce the impact on the environment increases. At the same time,
the need to maximise benefits for stakeholders is an increasing priority. It is evident from the
literature that many organisations have adopted a green project management philosophy, as
they believe that it can provide them with a competitive edge in the market place. Furthermore,
it is also evident that in the context of this research in the developing area of the United Arab
Emirates, Green Project Management is embraced, but unlike in many developed economies,
in the Dubai, the concept of Green Project Management is still evolving and undergoing many
changes.

7.1 Implications of the study

Our research demonstrates that staying within the budget is considered to be a top priority in
most organisations and that the inability to source sufficient numbers of contractors and sub-
contractors who provide green services, the use of multiple techniques and the complexities of
green contracts often leads to quality-related risks and challenges in projects. Previous research
found that some of the most important skills that a green project manager should possess
included the effective schedule management, stakeholder management, communications
management and human resources management Hwang and Ng (2013). However, in this
context, it is evident that schedule management and the efficient management of human
resources are considered to be more important than stakeholder and communications
management.

It was also clear that effective human resources management skills were not considered to be
as important as efficient human resources management skills. We postulate that the scarcity
and high cost of skilled labour could by the driving force behind this finding. Problem solving,
analytical, decision-making, and effective team-working skills are essential competencies for
a green project manager (Hwang and Ng, 2013), because these skills help the project manager
to overcome their challenges and manage risks effectively. However, in this context, we found
that team-working and decision-making skills were not considered to be as valuable as
problem-solving skills. Furthermore, problem-solving skills were considered second only to
schedule management for green project managers.

Our research has indicated that while there were no standards for the training and development
of green project managers, most organisations have a process to look back at past projects and
learn from them. Furthermore, in some organisations project managers were also provided with
ongoing feedback on their critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as their ability to
manage schedules and stay within budget. Team, conflict and human resources management
related training programmes are provided by many organisations. However, it is also important

12
to note that there are organisations that do not provide any such training for project managers
and have not adopted a green project management philosophy. Yet, even companies that do
not have a green project management philosophy expect their managers to stay within budget.

It is also apparent that mitigating against fluctuations in raw materials and labour costs, through
pre-construction project planning helps to increase the sustainability of projects. Furthermore,
unlike in many other economic and industrial contexts, it was evident that sourcing high quality
raw materials at a reasonable cost was not difficult, even though there are frequent fluctuations
in their costs. Therefore, while green project management exists in this area, the conceptual
notion and implementation of green project management is still evolving and therefore the
focus of organisations is to stay within budget. While there are several different quality-related
risks that are experienced by organisations, the inability to source sub-contractors that provide
green services is considered to be one of the most significant challenges faced by the industry.

7.2 Main lessons from the study

It is evident that while most organisations strive to train and develop their project managers
and help them to acquire green project management skills, there are no set standards in the
industry and there are also companies that do not provide any training even though their
managers are expected to stringently adhere to budgetary constraints. Based on the outcomes
of this study, and looking at the extant literature, we summarise key points in our findings, and
provide directional recommendations to address these challenges.

Pre-Construction Project Planning: pre-construction project planning allows for

contingency planning and the more efficient allocation of resources, which in turn will help the
organisation to have better control of its raw material, labour costs, and mitigate against price
fluctuations (Dainty et al, 2012). It also enables project managers to look ahead and identify
potential risks before contracts and agreements are signed, thus ensuring that identifiable
financial, quality and other risks are taken into consideration when estimating budgets,
scheduling, carrying out scope management and other related activities (Dainty et al, 2012).

Green Project Management Culture: cultivating the environment for a green project
management culture within the organisation would also help to synergise the processes and
procedures within the company and enable the organisation to focus on different areas such as
the quality of deliverables as well as the budgetary constraints on the project. Crucially, such a
culture would help to increase the emphasis on the acquisition of skills and abilities for
employees which supports green project management (Maylor, 2017).

Training and Development: project managers should be provided with ongoing training and
skills development in schedule, stakeholder, communications, human resources, problem
solving, critical thinking, decision making and team working, and these should be the
consideration of their performance (Chapman and Ward, 2011; Hwang and Ng, 2013; Maylor,
2017). They should be provided with ongoing feedback on their progress and a knowledge base
should be created with the aim of learning from past projects to continuously improve
organisational processes and procedures in green project management (Chapman and Ward,
2011; Maylor, 2017).

7.3 Limitations of the study

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There was inability to survey and interview a wider sample of participants. Since only 33 of
respondents actually participated in this research study, we felt that the biggest limitation of
the study was that the sample did not reflect the wider population as extensively as we would
have hoped.

Although the location for this fieldwork is a thriving multi-billion dollar industry – the
construction industry in the United Arab Emirates country of Dubai – the research could benefit
from verification across a wider geographical area.

There are some interesting contradictions in relation to the literature, and although these are
explicable in the findings, and indeed, we sought to identify uniqueness and difference in the
area, this makes repetition and verification in similar locations an interesting basis of future
research.

A further area for future research is to investigate the differences between project managers in
their attitudes to green project management. We suggest that length of experience, and
experience of different locations or industries could have had an impact on the manner in which
they responded to the issues addressed in this research.

The aim of the research was to gain an understanding of the different skills that were essential
for green project managers. Therefore, to gain multiple perspectives from recruitment agencies
and industry experts would also be potentially beneficial.

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