Management of intrinsic competencies for sustainable organizational growth : The study of the Swedish construction industry

Sammanfattning: Introduction: The study focuses on organizations that operate in the construction industry. The organizations studied are Skanska, Veidekke, and Serneke. The three organizations are established organizations in the Scandinavian construction industry. The study focuses on Skanska, Veidekke, and Serneke – three companies in the Scandinavian construction industry. Aim: The aim of this study is to develop an understanding regarding the impact of the company’s intrinsic competencies on the company’s internal development, which leads to sustainable organizational growth. This study identifies three intrinsic competencies: communication, organizational structure and behavior, and the organization’s motivation and cohesion. Methodology: The authors have interviewed the CEOs of each company and have further interviewed two managers at each company. The study followed a qualitative approach to tackle the concept of sustainable organizational growth. Findings & Conclusion: This study provides an insight regarding how companies view the importance of internal growth of the companies. All the companies analyzed in this study have put a high importance on the development of their intrinsic competencies to maintain internal organizational development. The companies have also identified that the internal organizational development is a vital criterion that leads to sustainable organizational growth. Theoretical Contributions: The theoretical framework developed for this study identifies the gap in the research and further enhances the understanding of sustainable organizational growth in the Swedish construction industry. Managerial Implications: The organizations studied have portrayed a focus on environmental sustainability as a key determinant for sustainable organizational growth. This study further highlights that without the development of the organization’s intrinsic competencies and internal organizational development, environmental sustainability is not feasible. The three organizations studied have exhibited a foundation that focuses on the development of their intrinsic competencies and internal organizational development. The foundation that the companies developed enables sustainable organizational growth, which encompasses environmental sustainability. Limitations: The study focuses on three companies in the Swedish construction industry and ascertains conclusions based on the findings of the three companies. The external validity of this study is a limitation as the findings can differ if the study is conducted on a different sample pool. Suggestions regarding future research: The framework provides a foundation for future research to be conducted on construction industries similar to the Swedish construction industry. The study uses Hill & Bowen’s (1997) framework to develop the foundations that enabled the development of this study’s theoretical framework. This study’s theoretical framework can be further examined and used to expand the findings of this study and future studies regarding the Swedish construction industry.