Understanding Why Stakeholders Matter

Engineering management seeks to achieve optimal results. In many cases, analysis is satisfactory. However, when public acceptance is required prior to implementation, other factors are more important than analysis, and engineers often have difficulty in understanding why there is a problem. The present paper discusses the explanation, from behavioral psychology, in the context of hazardous-waste treatment. “Stakeholders” are those who may be affected by a project. For a project to be carried out in the current political climate, almost all interested stakeholders must feel that the benefits of a proposed project outweigh the perceived risks. Involvement in the decision process markedly improves the acceptability of a specific risk-benefit value. Many hazardous-waste treatment projects have been delayed or canceled by failure to take full advantage of this effect of involvement.