Sustainable enterprise risk management in construction: Insights from the United Arab Emirates

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) frameworks are widely adopted in the construction industry; however, their integration with long-term sustainability objectives remains limited, particularly in rapidly developing countries such as the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Bearing this in mind, this study explores the key drivers and barriers affecting the successful implementation of Sustainable Enterprise Risk Management (SERM) frameworks in the UAE construction sector, with the goal of ensuring that risk management practices are resilient, forward-looking, and responsive to evolving project demands. A structured, multi-phase research design was applied. The study began with a systematic literature review to identify critical factors influencing SERM adoption. This was followed by semi-structured interviews to establish success criteria and inform hypothesis development. A structured survey of UAE construction professionals was then conducted, with the resulting data analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Finally, expert validation interviews were conducted to confirm the model’s practical relevance. Findings point to 54 influencing factors (organized into 11 thematic categories) affecting the successful implementation of SERM frameworks in the UAE construction sector. Analysis suggests that ‘Governance and compliance’ had the strongest positive influence on the successful implementation of SERM while ‘Technological and data limitations’ emerged as the most critical barrier. The findings offer actionable insights for firms seeking to future-proof their risk management strategies by incorporating sustainable principles into their organizational processes.