Megaprojects can be seen as the absolute generally intriguing wonders in sociology. They speak to the real accomplishments by assemblages to impact the
31 advancement and course of society and the assembling of aggregate solidarity to imbue major institutional change. In the past few decades, megaprojects have been interrelated with state prestige, radical economic progress and supposed public and infrastructural development (Halder 2018). Van Marrewijk (2017) expresses that mega projects are looked upon as contemporary indicators for noble standing, advancement, and political supremacy (Van Marrewijk 2017). Many countries use megaprojects as a way of nation- wide upgrading, but it is critical to note the liability necessitated by a wide variety of risks that are associated with megaprojects (Halder 2018) They are significant, along these lines understanding their temperament also, elements are absolutely a significant assignment for sociology. Understanding the method of reasoning behind the choice to execute a mega project will lead us to look further into what appears to drive the
megaproject business and why megaprojects are viewed as alluring to stakeholders who are driving these endeavours forward. Flyvbjerg (2014) presented the structure of the four sublimes of megaprojects from which he clarified the variables that drive
megaproject advancement and that assume a huge job in megaproject basic leadership.
He recognized the mechanical, political, financial, and stylish sublimes as the most significant ones to clarify the quick extension of the matter of the megaproject. Surely, propelling a megaproject is a way of getting consideration, a method for completing things—of making dreams and high desires. Researchers take part in different huge scale ventures, filling in as post-doctorates also, later on as executives of research in structure the worldwide learning of material science and science. The undertakings work as "activity areas" (Grabher, 2004) that enact inert ties, assemble new ties for cooperation and learning and build up future ties moulding the bearing of modern and innovative improvements.
32 Although mega projects have been seen to yield astonishing results and benefits to the whole world in their respective environments, a lot of research shows that the performance of projects is extremely below par especially in relation to overruns in expenses (Gbahabo and Ajuwon, 2017). Additionally, megaprojects are known to result in disappointing outcomes for stakeholders, the environment and the target population (Merrow, 2011). A synthesis of research by Garemo, et al. (2015) attributed the failure in Megaprojects to three basic reasons. Firstly, extreme complexity coupled with over- optimism has been identified as a leading cause (Garemo, et al., 2015). When projects managers are looking for financial support and investment for mega projects, there is a tendency to underestimate the costs of the project while simultaneously over-estimating future benefits. In the end, the project managers with the most cost-effective strategies win funding, thus, leading to unexpected outcomes when the actual project is executed.
The tendency to underestimate costs while overestimating future benefits of projects is a common cognitive bias and Garemo, et al. (2015) claimed that project managers often manipulate data analytically to yield attractive values that are deemed affordable to financers and other potential stakeholders. The underestimation of costs and extreme over-optimism are detrimental to mega projects in the long run, however, Garemo, et al.
(2015) notes that without such measures there would be little support for pursuing mega projects. Further, over-complexity resulting from the innate characteristics of mega projects is also known to impact the success of mega projects negatively.
The second factor contributing to unsuccessful mega projects is related to poor execution of the projects. Garemo, et al. (2015) claimed that challenges arising from the aforementioned underestimation of cost lead to poor execution resulting from
unfinished designs and attempts to take short cuts that ultimately lead to failure. The
33 final reason is connected to the actual structure of the organizations involved in the execution of mega projects. While poor execution is connected to low productivity due to budget constraints, weaknesses in the organizations and firms involved in mega projects also contribute to failure. Garemo, et al. (2015) argued that project managers are often placed at more than three levels below the leadership chain. Notably, the different levels of the organizational structure have different ambitions and perceptions of cost and expenditure thus, making it difficult for project managers to deliver. Further, Garemo, et al. (2015) notes that top levels in the leadership chain may have goals that are not aligned to those of project managers, thus, impacting the ability to effectively deliver on mega projects. For instance, contractors and subcontractors may be more interested in profits while projects managers focus on delivering on time and within cost constraints. Despite the immense focus in the literature on cost overruns, there has been no noteworthy improvement to ensure the dependability of the projected cost
approximation and real cost (Ahiaga-Dagbui, Smith, Love and Ackermann, 2015). Even though this research is focused on the interplay between cognitive bias and decision- making, it is crucial to take note of the other variables that hinder the ability of project managers to deliver successful Megaprojects. Notably, other environmental variables have an influence on the success of a Megaproject.
Even though mega projects are rife with inconsistencies that lead to failure and disappointment to stakeholders, investors, local populations and the environment, their prevalence is increasing. In fact, more ambitious projects with extreme budgets are coming up. The above phenomenon has been coined the “mega project paradox”.
Currently, megaprojects are increasing in number and scale to meet the economic needs of human beings. Moreover, the challenges commonly associated with mega-projects do
34 not seem to deter investors and stakeholders from participating; this is because of the role mega project play in society and human progress. Specifically, mega projects attract a lot of attention due to their uniqueness and magnitude thus; they are used for political mileage. In the end, the political impact of a project may overshadow the benefits of the projects when costs and its impact on the environment and economy of a nation are considered. One explanation behind such increasing scale and magnitude in megaprojects can be gathered from the forecasts of the infrastructure required to meet the globe’s ever-growing need for financial and economic development and
enhancement. An illustration of the above-described phenomenon was given by
Garemo, Matzinger and Palter (2015) who projected that the world needs to spend about US$57 trillion on infrastructure by 2030 to remain at par with the normal Gross
Domestic Product development. Further, OECD a key organization in projecting the world economic activities projected that the globe needs at least $6.3 trillion to meet global growth and development needs for the next 14 years to 2013. In addition, megaprojects are relied upon to expand quickly to 24% of the worldwide GDP in the coming decade (Frey,). Further, it is predicted that the ventures are meant to control hazardous climatic events, handle and manage a lot of information in the data age, and tackle human issues, such as illnesses and deadly diseases. In that regard, there is by all accounts a general agreement among many driving examiners that megaprojects are definitely not just on the ascent, they are likewise expanding in size and assortment.