The projects in the Soviet Union are pretty specific as they usually did not rely on the traditional market approach as the country rejected capitalism. Therefore, projects such as Baikal-Amur-Mainline (BAM) were unique in their technical characteristics and stakeholder participation. For a proper stakeholder analysis, it is vital to identify the agents involved in the process of BAM building, their input, motivation, and interest (Murray-Webster and Simon, 2006). The mapping of the stakeholders can be addressed with the interest-influence matrix, which divides stakeholders into four categories: high interest and influence, low interest and impact, strong interest/low influence, and low interest/high influence.
Identification
The USSR was mainly ruled by the command-administrative system, with Communist Party being the only party and the general secretary representing the party’s will. Therefore, the general secretary, Leonid Brezhnev, is one of the main stakeholders along with the communist party. The building was a long-term project that lasted nearly a decade, from 1974 to 1984. Typically, for the Soviet Union, the biggest project had utilized the youth workforce to push the party’s agenda (Pallot and Shaw, 2021). The workforce can be divided into Komsomol workers and experienced railroad workers (Ward, 2009). Due to the project’s complexity involved numerous scientists who worked hard to develop a railroad project for different environments, some of which were permafrost (Kuklina, Povoroznyuk, and Saxinger, 2019). Finally, the army was involved in building BAM as it provided control and security for workers.
Analysis
The most influential and interested stakeholders were Leonid Brezhnev and the Communist Party. BAM was necessary for both to provide society with the idea of progress and movement towards the communist utopia. Hence, they had a strong influence and interest in completing the project. The workers involved did not have much influence on the project in the decision-making stage, but they realized the idea. Hence, they may be considered high interest/low influence groups. However, some Komsomol workers who showed progressive thought might have low interest and influence (Povoroznyuk, 2019). The scientists whose projects were selected should have fitted the ideological doctrine of the Communist party. Therefore, they had a high interest and a great influence on the project. Finally, the army had low interest in the project and had a rather low influence on it. A possible implementation could have been bonuses and certain remuneration for individuals within the army, such as a reduced active-duty time or additional visitations to improve interest and influence.
Reference List
Kuklina, V., Povoroznyuk, O. and Saxinger, G. (2019) ’Power of rhythms–trains and work along the Baikal-Amur Mainline (BAM) in Siberia’, Polar Geography, 42(1), pp. 18-33.
Murray-Webster, R. and Simon, P. (2006) ‘Making sense of stakeholder mapping’, PM World Today, 8(11), pp. 1-5.
Pallot, J. and Shaw, D. J. (2021) Planning in the Soviet Union. Routledge.
Povoroznyuk, O. (2019) ‘The Baikal-Amur mainline: memories and emotions of a socialist construction project’, Sibirica, 18(1), pp. 22-52.
Ward, C. (2009) Brezhnev’s folly: The building of BAM and late Soviet socialism. Pittsburgh, Pa.: University of Pittsburgh Press.