Management and Innovation for a Sustainable Built Environment ISBN: 9789052693958 20 – 23 June 2011, Amsterdam, The Netherlands LEADERSHIP IN CONSTRUCTION ORGANIZATIONS AND THE PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES ALEX OPOKU University of Salford, School of Built Environment Salford, Greater Manchester, UK A.opoku@edu.salford.ac.uk CHRIS FORTUNE University of Salford, School of Built Environment Salford, Greater Manchester, UK Abstract The construction industry is a very important sector in achieving society’s sustainable development goals; however the change towards sustainability is a process that presents a leadership challenge. Construction organizations need leadership that provide the collective vision, strategy and direction towards the common goal of a sustainable future. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the role, drivers and factors affecting leadership in the effective implementation of sustainable practices in construction organizations. A review of relevant literature and preliminary qualitative results from an in-depth interview with eight (8) leaders in United Kingdom construction consultant organizations, including sustainability directors, managers and consultants is presented. The analysis of the collected qualitative data revealed that, the leadership role in promoting sustainability in construction organizations include the development of strategies and the formulation of policies. A major driver for construction organizations to pursue sustainability is to win more business, while increased capital cost for sustainability is still a major challenge to many organizations. This study establishes the basis for further investigation in an on-going doctorial level research on the role of leadership in promoting sustainable construction practices. Keywords: Construction organization, leadership, leadership style, sustainable practice INTRODUCTION Leadership is vital in the construction industry and a key success factor in the drive towards sustainability (Ofori and Toor, 2008). Construction organizations need leadership that provide the collective vision, strategy and direction towards the common goal of a sustainable future. Leaders should embed sustainability in their organizational activities and make sustainable development part of their overall business strategy. It is important that such leaders have both the ability as well as the sustainability knowledge to effectively guide their organizations strategically towards sustainability. The role of leadership in improving the performance and innovation in the construction industry has been receiving increasing attention in recent times (Bonssink, 2007). However, less attention has been given to the capability of organizational leadership in promoting construction organizations towards the delivery of sustainable construction projects. There is extensive literature on the subject of sustainability and leadership as separate entities; however, little has been written about the link between leadership and sustainability in construction management research. The issue of sustainability is growing ever more importantly and construction has perhaps the greatest impact on it than any other sector. The