The importance of understanding the national and professional culture of the project sponsor and stakeholders as a factor in the successful execution of megaprojects

Walker, PA; Walsh, A

Abstract

Megaproject construction requires a successful union between the critical actors involved in the project delivery: the Stakeholders or Sponsors and the construction delivery team. This study analyses the experience of Western Consultants in the Gulf Cooperation Council (the GCC 1), a hotbed for construction megaprojects, to focus on managerial tensions within megaprojects. It examines the views of programme managers, typically senior Western construction professionals, who execute the project requirements based on the Sponsors directives. A productive interface between these key actors is crucial to the timely execution of the venture, yet cultural differences often disrupt this relationship when the principal actors are not united. Cultural dissonance between the parties contributes to an increased churn among predominantly Western project directors. Through semi-structured interviews, megaproject sponsors and the programme delivery directors provided their opinions on the source of such cultural tensions. The research indicates that GCC megaprojects are frequently disrupted by cultural dissonance, and this is a frequent source of programme delay, creating an additional cost and time burden on the megaproject. The research indicated that the programme delivery directors were aware of the implications of cultural discord and had views on how best to prepare for such cultural challenges and understand the significance of a more careful approach to managing cultural differences.

Citation

Walker, P., & Walsh, A. The importance of understanding the national and professional culture of the project sponsor and stakeholders as a factor in the successful execution of megaprojects. Presented at OTMC 2022, Dubrovnik, Croatia

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: OTMC 2022
• Conference Location: Dubrovnik, Croatia
• Acceptance Date: Jul 15, 2022
• Publication Date: Sep 24, 2022
• Deposit Date: Oct 6, 2022
• Publisher URL: http://www.otmc-conference.com/
• Additional Information: Event Type : Conference