An investigation into the integration of sustainability in project management for non-profit organisations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

The integration of sustainability (environment–social–economic) into project management has been explored through various approaches in the literature review, including the use of measurements of sustainability, integration within project management knowledge areas, proposed changes to core principles and practical of sustainability in the current and future for project management, with identified as the most effective approach for providing comprehensive in the organisations. That is led to make balance between the human needs without make any risk for future generations of human. Many researchers clarify how sustainability has been integrated into project management especially in environmental sustainability among cross countries. For example, they focused in constructures. In contrast, only a few studies offer comprehensive research on SPM and there is limited knowledge regarding social sustainability and economic sustainability. In the society field, there is a lack of knowledge regarding SPM in NPOs, as determined. The main aim of this research is to explore to what extent sustainability is integrated into project management in the NPOs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). To meet the main aim of this study, the following research objectives are set: (i) to assess the level of understanding of SPM among employees; (ii) to explore the current role of project management in integrating sustainability; (iii) to evaluate the current state of SPM practices; and (iv) to develop a strategic, SPM conceptual framework for embedding sustainability into project management processes. The mixed methods approach was adopted for the study. The first phase, descriptive analysis, was carried out by surveying 204 staff working in the project management field in NPOs of Saudi Arabia. The collected data were then analysed to explain the level of knowledge among staff in NPOs around. SPM and the implementations in the current state of project management. The second phase, the semi-structured interview, explored the issue in depth with project managers or those who are responsible for project management (34 interviewees) in the NPOs of Saudi Arabia. The mixed methods enabled the researcher to interpret the motivations underlying SPM in NPOs; to assess how the current project management process can be improved; and identify the obstacles to incorporating sustainability into project management and how these can be addressed. In this sense, the biggest issue that NPOs faced was that, in 2017, the Saudi Government removed the centralisation of NPOs so that they could rely solely on themselves without assistance. In order to integrate sustainability into project management (SPM) in non-profit organisations (NPOs), this study makes several theoretical and practical contributions (12 contributions from P197 to P208) to academics, policies, and practice. Additionally, the final conceptual framework will serve as a guide for decision makers in Saudi Arabia’s NPOs. Therefore, this research concludes that the lack of knowledge and implementation in terms of SPM (environmental sustainability–social sustainability–economic sustainability), and the limited related policy, can inhibit the implementation of SPM in NPOs in Saudi Arabia.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Dr Yu (Jack) Gong: orcid.org/0000-0002-5411-376X

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