Shelton Stringer asks whether risk aversion is stifling
innovation in project development. “Risk-aversion can be very
costly for project development. To play it safe is not the
entrepreneurial spirit that built this great nation” The United
States leads in technology innovation. However, risk aversion
seems to be increasingly prevalent in today's business culture.
Is this aversion to risk suppressing innovations that could
result in significant savings in project development? Are we
satisfied with the status quo? What are the costs of playing it
safe with "tried and true" technologies and methods? Project
investors and owners stand to benefit the most from innovations
and can best assume the risks innovation entails. However, some
have the attitude "not on my project" or "I am not going to be
the guinea pig." But are the existing technologies that much
safer? How can innovations that are perceived as unproven be
assessed and compared to current methods? At what point is an
innovation accepted as proven? Engin