Identifying and prioritizing drivers for improving and developing green management processes in Iranian oil and gas industry projects
Subject Areas : Environmental Planning and Management
Keywords: Green approach, green management, project processes, Iranian oil and gas industry, strategic foresight.,
Abstract :
The aim of this research was to identify and prioritize the drivers for the improvement and development of green management in the project processes of Iran’s oil and gas industry. This study employed Structural Cross-Impact Matrix Analysis with a strategic foresight approach as its methodology and is classified as developmental-applied research in terms of purpose. The statistical population consisted of 17 experts, including university professors and senior managers from Iran’s oil and gas industry, selected purposively. Data were collected through structured interviews and qualitative scoring questionnaires ranging from zero to three based on the structural cross-impact matrix, and analyzed using MICMAC software. Findings revealed that the drivers of education, development, and empowerment of human capital in the field of green management, development of intelligent systems and integrated green management of project processes, and promotion of environmental culture at managerial levels in oil projects were identified as influential (driving) drivers. Additionally, drivers such as revising and designing localized green standards in project processes, improving industrial waste management mechanisms with a circular approach, and optimizing the consumption of natural resources and renewable energies in operational processes were classified as dependent (driven) drivers. Finally, the drivers of increasing environmental agility and resilience of operational teams in oil and gas projects, and adoption of novel technologies for reducing environmental pollution in oil and gas projects were categorized as independent (autonomous) drivers. The results demonstrate that identifying and prioritizing these drivers provides a purposeful and effective planning pathway for reducing environmental impacts, directing resources and efforts towards key factors, enhancing environmental and operational efficiency of projects, and positioning Iran’s oil and gas industry on a trajectory toward sustainability, global competitiveness, and social responsibility.
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