Abstract
Infrastructure megaprojects straddle multiple stakeholder boundaries who have an interest in the project and are affected by the project. Multiple papers in the literature stress the need for holistic approaches to stakeholder engagement, as existing approaches only address the concerns of the noisy stakeholders. This research proposes an innovative approach in which Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is used for understanding stakeholder concerns, complemented by the use of Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) for identifying innovative solutions to address conflicting stakeholder goals. The researchers simulated the stakeholder engagement of the Coimbatore metro rail project, in India, through a workshop setting in a classroom to check the feasibility of this approach for stakeholder engagement. The 15 participants of the workshop were divided into four groups representing different stakeholders of the project. Data was collected through participant observations by the authors and oral feedback from the participants. The results show that while SSM helped to capture the concerns and goals of each stakeholder, TRIZ helped to identify and dissolve conflicts among these goals through innovative solutions. The theoretical, practical and pedagogical contributions are highlighted.
Highlights
Infrastructure projects are essential for the socio-economic development of an area in a country [1].Due to this, many countries invest in infrastructure that turns out to be a megaproject due to its scale.This rise in megaprojects, i.e., projects that cost more than 1 billion USD, is supported by Flyvbjerg [2], who claims that the size of infrastructure projects has grown by 1.5% to 2.5% annually—equivalent to a doubling in project size two to three times per century
It was seen that combining Systems Methodology (SSM) with TRIZ enabled a holistic stakeholder engagement
While the rich picture created a holistic view of the problem of each stakeholder, the CATWOE analysis resulted in clarity of thought, and TRIZ provided innovative solutions that effectively addressed the various stakeholder concerns
Summary
Many countries invest in infrastructure that turns out to be a megaproject due to its scale This rise in megaprojects, i.e., projects that cost more than 1 billion USD, is supported by Flyvbjerg [2], who claims that the size of infrastructure projects has grown by 1.5% to 2.5% annually—equivalent to a doubling in project size two to three times per century. The distinguishing features of these megaprojects are their wider reach, longer duration, larger risks and uncertainties, widely disparate actors, broader areas of controversy, and excessive legal and regulatory issues [5]. These disparate actors, stakeholders, are defined as “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives” [6] These disparate actors, stakeholders, are defined as “any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives” [6] (p. 46)
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