Читать книгу Integrating Sustainability Into Major Projects - Wayne McPhee - Страница 52

These differences in perception of space and time can have a significant influence on how the project is perceived by each of the key players. For example, changing the timespan and location can affect the perception of risk and the balance between risk and reward. A government agency may view the economic rewards to an entire region or country from jobs and taxes generated by the project as a justification for the project risk. However, the local communities who bear the risk of social disruption and environmental damage may not see the risk-reward balance in quite the same way.

The impact of different perceptions of space can often be seen on major projects that have more than one location and where the project benefits and risks are not evenly distributed across each of the locations. In a linear infrastructure project, for example, the positive impacts are created where the urban center is located but the negative impacts could be felt by communities along the highway or commuter rail route that receives the noise and potential environmental impacts from spills, without getting any of the economic benefits.

The difference in the perception of time can create a difference between a typical transactional (often litigious) approach to relationships seen in major construction projects, where the project team, contractors and consultants are often focused on maximizing their share of a fixed project budget (a zero-sum game) and a cooperative approach to relationships where the project team and the local community focus on building trust-based relationships for long-term, mutually beneficial outcomes.

There is no way to eliminate the differences in perceptions of the project in time and space. At a minimum, project teams must understand the large disconnect between the key players on the project and use that understanding to adjust their approach.