Critical Success Factors for Sustainable Enterprise Risk Management: A Case of the United Arab Emirates Construction Industry

Integrating sustainability principles into enterprise risk management has become a strategic priority for construction organizations seeking resilience and long-term value creation. Despite growing attention to sustainability-driven risk governance, limited empirical research has examined the underlying enablers that determine the successful adoption of Sustainable Enterprise Risk Management (SERM) in the construction context. This study identifies and validates the critical success factors (CSFs) that facilitate effective SERM implementation, focusing on the construction industry of the United Arab Emirates. A multi-method research design was employed, encompassing a systematic literature review to extract potential CSFs, followed by a quantitative phase involving Relative Importance Index (RII) analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) applied to data from 106 industry professionals and expert interviews. The analysis uncovered 22 CSFs structured into four interdependent dimensions: ‘strategic risk governance’, ‘risk culture and leadership’, ‘regulatory and process integration’, and ‘risk infrastructure and communication’. The findings reveal ‘strategic risk governance’, significantly influencing ‘risk culture and leadership’, which in turn mediate the development of robust risk infrastructure and communication systems, thereby enabling comprehensive SERM integration. The validated conceptual framework offers practical insights for enhancing resilience, regulatory alignment, and long-term competitiveness in construction organizations. This study advances theoretical discourse by repositioning SERM as a system of interdependent enablers rather than a compliance-driven function and contributes actionable strategies for embedding sustainability into enterprise-wide risk governance.