Page 66 - Impiantistica Italiana Maggio Giugno 2014

Speciale Ipma Italy

addressing the social issues can produce Appraise phase is in most cases managed
serious consequences that can make diffcult by the Project Owner with small project
the project execution and involve a loss of organizations and interacting with National
reputation for the Company. or Regional Public Stakeholders to start the
permitting procedures provided by the local laws
1.1 What are the additional and regulations. These organizations normally
take decisions about the Project approval only
abilities that a Project Manager based on laws and regulations. Despite of
these formal permitting procedures there may
shall have to face the above be groups of people, like communities, social
conditions? organizations etc. which think that these laws
and regulations do not suffciently protect the
The basic elements for Social Management are local and social environment. It may happen
two: that the local political Authorities are not giving
• Social Impact Assessment (SIA); suffcient information to the local communities.
• Public Involvement (PI). These tend to be contrary to any new project
because they are not informed and involved.
SIA is a factual process through which the It also may happen for large national projects
Owner of a project assesses the potential that the political communication is done at
consequences on the social environment. national level but not at local or regional level,
From this assessment the Project Manager where the most involved social stakeholders
can defne a project execution strategy that are. The lack of Social Management with
will take in consideration and solve-reduce the local social stakeholders in this initial phase
social impacts of the project. The SIA can also of the project, e.g. lack in communicating the
identify which activities that are to be developed social objectives of the project and in hearing-
for the project can create opportunities for the understanding their concerns, may create a not
development of the social environment. expressed strong opposition to the project that
All these subjects shall be included in a Social will become expressed and sometime violent
Plan that will be part of the Project Execution Plan. when the project will start the execution phase.
PI is a more complex process that requests a So to avoid this risk the Project Owner shall become
Public Communication Plan. This plan shall proactive, if necessary in coordination with the
inform and clarify to all public stakeholders local or regional political authorities, to develop
what is the Social Plan for the project. This an early Public Communication Plan. The effects
Public Communication Plan aims at creating a of Social Management from the early phases of
supportive environment for the project. the project can be understood in two business
In the next paragraphs we will analyse what are cases described in the following paragraphs.
the processes and procedures that a Project
Manager can implement in a Project to perform
Social Management and what are the specifc 1.2 The High Speed Railway
skills needed. Turin Lyon [1]
A key issue of the Social Management is the
early involvement of the social stakeholders and This Railway Project is important for the
the early start of the Communication Plan. Social development of the European social
Management efforts shall be started at the early environment. It is a key portion of the High
beginning of the Project, from the Appraise Speed Railway foreseen in the Trans-European
phase, to start positive communications Networks - Transport (TEN-T) plan published by
and properly understand the concerns and the European Community on December 1992
expectations of the social stakeholders. in the White Paper “The Future Development
This early involvement will inform the public of the Common Transport Policy: a Global
stakeholders about Project characteristics and Approach to the Construction of a Community
about the intention to develop a suitable Social Framework for Sustainable Mobility”.
Plan. This early information is vital to create a The main political and social targets of the
transparent relationship and, if possible, trust. TEN-T are:
It is important to start a positive communication • free movement of goods and persons
on Project objectives before the negative throughout the Community;
communications that will be started by the • development of coherent, integrated
groups of social stakeholders which are contrary transport systems for the Community as a
or have interests to be contrary to the Project whole using the best available technology;
development. • strengthening of economic and social
For large and important public works the cohesion;

62 62 Impiantistica Italiana - Maggio-Giugno 2014