Understanding green building practices adoption in the construction industry: an extension of institutional theory

Purpose The construction industry has risen among the top pollutants across the globe. Despite its contribution to holistic growth in any country, its environmental implications require critical attention. Green building practices (GBPs) have emerged as a strategic way of curbing the negative impact of construction activities. Despite the growing literature on the concept, it remains infantile in most developing economies, and thus its acceptance is slow. This paper examines how institutions could facilitate the adoption of GBPs in the construction industry. The study further proposed and validated civic and custodial forces as additional institutional forces to facilitate the spread of green building practices in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Design/methodology/approach The paper cross-sectional survey design to gather primary data from 233 firms purposively sampled from 889 government-accredited construction firms in Ghana. A questionnaire was used in the data collection. Items used in the questionnaire were sourced from previous literature and modified to suit the construction setting. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the reliability and validity of the data gathered. Hypotheses of the study were then tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Findings The study revealed that coercive and mimetic forces as well as custodial and civic forces, significantly influence the adoption of GBPs. The findings further showed that custodial force significantly amplifies the influence of coercive and mimetic forces on GBPs adoption. Finally, we found that the civic force positively and significantly moderates the path between coercive force and GBPs adoption. Originality/value The study advances the institutional theory and sustainable construction literature by theorizing and validating additional dimensions of institutional forces and how they interact with established institutional forces to facilitate the adoption of green building practices.