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Maximise talent
With experienced engineering and technical staff nearing retirement in increasing numbers, the oil industry faces significant challenges in the short-to-medium term. What steps can executives take to increase the flow of entry-level professionals into the industry and to promote the effective transfer of knowledge?
Being able to adjust rapidly to evolution in technology, skill demands and shifts in workforce geography and demographics is imperative for organisational growth. The need to maintain crucial skills and knowledge is leading many businesses to implement new personnel strategies.
Develop your teams’ competencies to drive business growth
Well-developed human resources can contribute to improving long-term business performance, shareholder returns, market value and profitability.
For your organisation to achieve its potential and respond to competitive pressures, you need people with the best possible skills. Investment in training can help your people to increase their knowledge, gain new skills and improve their performance so that your organisation maintains its edge within the rapidly changing energy industry. Training can help an organisation to develop the skills of a local staff pool, which can be critical in expanding production, meeting new market demands and responding to changes in legislative energy policies.
Furthermore, your leadership’s ability to empower personnel through clear communication that aligns corporate strategy with individual performance at every level is critical to workforce stability.
Continuous business improvement calls for developing measurable, definable goals and expectations for roles and responsibilities. Mechanisms enabling ongoing assessment and understanding of best practices can establish benchmarks to define and reward positive performance, and to target opportunities to help improve poor performance.
Shell Global Solutions’ competency consultancy and training services can be delivered at your site or from our learning centres in Rijswijk, the Netherlands; Houston, USA; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Tokyo, Japan; Beijing, China; Bangalore, India; and Dubai, UAE. Our professionals bring real-world operating experience and up-to-date information.
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New processes are introduced as leaders strive to maximise the potential from their organisation. The resulting changes require focus and systematic preparation to help mitigate the risks during the transition period and provide sustainable results.
Opportunities for incremental performance improvements or margin increases can outweigh the accompanying risks associated with intensive organisational changes. However, effective management of change is crucial; without it, value can be lost.
It is universally accepted that any change in working practices can create anxiety. So, Shell Global Solutions’ approach often involves helping the people within an organisation to understand how the changes would benefit their lives, that they do not constitute a threat and why the changes are necessary.
New work processes have to be adopted by all employees; without their support and commitment, a programme is unlikely to be truly effective. A major communication programme is often advised to align all the stakeholders – from management, workforce and unions through to shareholders. Experience shows that this generates trust and enthusiasm at all levels and a common understanding of what is needed to move forward.
To make the results sustainable, key personnel from the client organisation govern the implementation process. Our consultants, who are based at the client’s site for the project duration, guide the team through the complexities of the change process and provide full-time project support, leadership and business coaching.
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