ABSTRACT
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest a connection between the competitiveness of an organization and the health of the communities in which it operates. These communities consist of ‘stakeholder groups’ (Freeman, 1984), both inside and outside the organization, with the term ‘stakeholder’ being broadly defined as anyone who affects or is affected by an organization (Clarkson, 1995; Freeman, 1984; Mitchell et al., 1997). Where the organization is seen to be operating in the positive interest of local society and the natural environment, studies have shown that creative and innovative solutions to everyday ‘internal’ organizational challenges can often come from external ‘secondary stakeholder groups’ and people in the local community (Beleno and Andres, 2014; Howaldt et al., 2014). Green building design is becoming a popular area of sustainability innovation for minimizing impacts on the natural environment and improving human health through improved working conditions indoors. Environmental health studies suggest that people spend 90 per cent of their time indoors and therefore the ‘health’ of the indoor environment has a direct impact on human health and holistic wellbeing (Allen et al., 2015). However, most studies rely on people’s perceptions of comfort and aesthetics of ‘green buildings’ and there is conflicting debate about the real impact of ‘green building’ on improved human health (Paul and Taylor, 2007). The issue of ‘innovation’ towards sustainable development of improved performance and enhanced quality of service in healthcare is an ongoing international challenge (EURAM, 2012). Some studies have developed ‘health performance indicators’ which suggest the benefits of green building hospitals include faster patient recovery, improved staff performance and reduced infection rates (Allen et al., 2015).
