Driving carbon reduction strategies adoption in the Australian construction sector – The moderating role of organizational culture

• Numbers of strategies were advocated but failed to foster carbon reduction in built environment.
• The relationships among carbon reduction drivers, strategies adoption and organizational culture (OC) are investigated.
• Stringent regulations may not necessarily induce adoption of carbon reduction strategies.
• Relationship between the carbon tax and the adoption of carbon reduction strategies can be further enhanced by OC.
• Assisting organizations to reduce carbon is vital for fostering sustainable development of built environment.

In recent years, numbers of strategies were advocated to foster carbon reduction in built environment. However, few studies have acknowledged that strategies adoption is a matter of organizational culture (OC). In this study, a conceptual model that depicts the hypothesized relationship among carbon reduction drivers, strategies adoption and OC is developed. The model is then tested with data collected via a survey conducted in Australia. The results suggest that the significant relationship between the carbon tax and the adoption of carbon reduction strategies can be further enhanced by OC in terms of goal clarity, rewards, and innovation. Surprisingly, stringent regulations may not necessarily induce adoption of carbon reduction strategies in built environment even if OC exists.