A Framework for effective stakeholder management within the decision-making process of building energy efficiency retrofits

Abstract

Though currently many organisations are under pressure to adopt Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits (BEER) and minimise energy consumption, still there is comparatively low level of implementation of BEER. This has been attributed to, inter alia, lack of proactive guidance for project teams to ensure that they make the right decisions to achieve the desired Energy Efficiency (EE) outcomes, involvement of numerous stakeholders from different disciplines in BEER projects, existence of complex interrelations among such stakeholders and reluctance to involve all such stakeholders within the internal decision-making process. Thus, it appears that informed decision-making and effective Stakeholder Management (SM) are essential to ensure successful implementation of BEER. Hence, this study was aimed at developing a SM framework to ensure effective SM throughout the decision-making process of BEER. A mixed method design following the “sequential exploratory” research design was adopted to achieve the research aim. Four Sri Lanka National Energy Efficiency Award (SLNEEA) winning hotel retrofit projects were selected from the Western province of the country, representing shallow and medium retrofit projects led by in-house teams and ESCO. Structured and semi-structured interviews were conducted with the stakeholders involved in the selected BEER projects. The collected qualitative data were analysed using the computer-based thematic and content analysis while the quantitative data were analysed using Social Network Analysis (SNA) and mathematical equations. This research identified the decision-making processes followed in in-house led and Energy Service Company (ESCO) led BEER projects. Findings further revealed, 24 stakeholders involved in the decision-making process along with their functions. 7 roles reflective of the nature of their involvement in the BEER project (i.e. decision-maker, performer, monitor/ observer, supporter, advisor, consultant, and informer) were also discovered. Moreover, SNA results also revealed 6 roles of stakeholders in different relationship networks of BEER (i.e. recipient, disseminator, peripheral actor, isolate, gatekeeper/broker, and focal actor). The “Facilities Manager” (FM) was identified as the “key player” with the highest level of influence and interest in in-house led projects. On the other hand, in ESCO led BEER projects, both the “ESCO” and “FM” were revealed to be the “key players”. Findings also revealed 20 CSFs and 62 strategies to ensure effective SM during different stages of BEER projects. These strategies include 8 strategies to effectively manage different stakeholder interests, 42 strategies to effectively deal with the identified CSFs for the effective SM, 9 suitable engagement approaches for managing stakeholders with different characteristics, and 3 strategies to improve stakeholder relationships. This study is novel in offering a framework that could help in ensuring effective SM within the decision-making process of BEER. The proposed SM framework consists of four main sections, addressing the decision-making process of BEER, stakeholder involvement, SM process, and CSFs for effective SM. It is believed that the outcomes of this study will serve as a roadmap for industry practitioners in implementing BEER projects whilst effectively managing the stakeholders, which could in turn enhance the level of adoption of BEER in the long run. Key words: Building Energy Efficiency Retrofits (BEER), Decision-making process, Hotel Sector, Social Network Analysis (SNA), Stakeholder Management (SM)