Subjectivity in megaprojects: A support strategy for social risk measurement processes

Abstract

This paper studies disturbances in social risks management generated by subjectivity using the case of the engineering megaprojects developed by a large Brazilian energy company and based on the perception of professionals participating in meetings for discussing the subject. This work also seeks to systematize the analysis of this issue within a framework for supporting social risk assessment processes. Methodologi-cally, the study involved interviews to 18 out of the 31 participating in-dividuals of the social risk assessment technical meetings, having a questionnaire validated by the academic literature as the starting point. Results confirm the interference of subjectivity in social risks assessment and allow identifying that variables such as training/education, experience on the job, and professional background create personal judgments that may compromise the technical process of social risks measurement. The research proposes a conceptual framework in which the main inter-fering subjectivity factors are correlated, giving an account of the existing distortions in the process for measuring social risks, which in the context of megaprojects could generate strong impacts on the financial performance, reputation, and the direct stakeholders of a given project.