Leadership for Sustainability: Understanding How Top Management’s Green Commitment Shapes Organizational Culture and Construction Project Environmental Performance

The importance of construction project environmental performance (CPEP) in the global sustainability drive has been acknowledged by scholars. However, the organizational related enablers of CPEP have not been explored exhaustively. To address this, this research analyzed the effect of top management green commitment (TMGC) on CPEP, the mediating role of green organizational culture (GOC) on the TMGC–CPEP relationship, and the moderating impact of TMGC on the link between GOC and CPEP. This study’s data were collected face-to-face via a questionnaire survey of construction project managers and site managers in Nigeria using the probability sampling technique. A total of 278 useable responses were obtained, an 89% rate of response. The partial least-squares structural equation modeling approach (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the study’s data. The results of the study suggest that TMGC has a positive significant effect on CPEP, and GOC mediates the relationship between TMGC and CPEP. In addition, the relationship between GOC and CPEP is significantly moderated by TMGC, and the effect of GOC on CPEP increases when TMGC is high, and decreases when TMGC is low. This research’s findings demonstrate the significance of TMGC and GOC in actualizing CPEP. Hence, regulators can better tailor laws and incentives to help companies make sustainability a top priority in their processes. Additionally, this study offers valuable insight regarding the mechanisms that can drive environmental sustainability within construction projects, which could be valuable to construction industry stakeholders.