Utility Week

UTILITY WEEK | NOVEMBER 2021 | 27 Customers in association with A s we come to the close of the year we are also coming to the close of this series of Expert Views for Utility Week, which started back in February with our look at how to deliver megaprojects on time and on budget. The common thread throughout the series is that organisations can • nd them- selves trapped in a certain way of thinking simply because that's the way they have always done it. But it doesn't have to be like that. So, for instance, when it comes to managing huge pro- jects, our approach, combining integrated project delivery with commitment-based manage- ment, draws on the way we act as members of a community, and the way that communi- ties manage complexity and role integration. This is not what we're used to doing in business. Our predecessors created amazing institutions: highly disciplined military organisa- tions (think of Napoleon's armies or the Prussian mili- tary), hospitals, prisons, fac- tories, schools and scienti• c laboratories. In these institu- tions, people had narrow roles and were drilled in narrow skill sets. Managers observed and cor- rected relentlessly. People were classi• ed by their propensity to learn certain skills and then by their competence. Managers kept records. These organisa- tions were amazing because, by design, they functioned according to causal chains. Indeed, one of the found- ing ideas was to keep causal chains as independent as possible. That was obviously essential for scienti• c experi- mentation. But it is also criti- cal for maximising the bene• ts of division of labour. On the assembly line, you want the person who puts the top on the bottle to be brilliant at that and the person who washes the bottle to be brilliant at that and you do not want one person trying to do it all. With such independ- ent causal chains, it becomes possible to identify root causes when something goes wrong and then to make repairs. The French philosopher Michel Foucault describes how we came to think that many of our institutions were of this sort, and if they were not, that we should try to shape them up to function that way. The mistake that the world has made with megaprojects is to run them like these institu- tions. And the mistake that people working in megapro- jects have made is to think of their role as the role of the individual, rather than being part of a community. Individuals make over- optimistic predictions of outcomes. They make autocratic decisions that prove defective. They give in to people on the ground, relax performance standards and miss deadlines. They lose their legitimacy. They create winners and losers. The way to resolve this is to think as a community rather than as an individual. That's what commitment-based man- agement delivers. To download the report How to Fix Megaprojects, visit: https://utilityweek.co.uk/how- to-• x-megaprojects-and-all- capital-projects-that-matter, or visit visionconsulting.co.uk VISION is an international consulting organisation that helps businesses transform their operational practices, leadership, and culture for the long term. Our thinking is deeply rooted in philosophy – timeless wisdom that helps our clients navigate complex challenges. For more, see: www.vision.com EXPERT VIEW VISION CONSULTING Make the commitment to new ways of thinking . 9 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 5 6 6 6 8 8 10 16 19 33 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Other Improve/upgrade infrastructure Don't know Improve water pressure Better management of drains required Service is adequate in current circumstances Better account management required Should keep promises Better meter reading service required Better service/response during pandemic/lockdown Take greater responsibility Resolve metering issues Better management of supply – resolve issues Lower bills/reduce prices Better management of leaks Provide better online service/website/app Better billing – frequency/accuracy/timeliness Room for improvement No problems with service Better workforce – more efficient/considerate/better organised Resolve issue – deal with problem (issue not resolved) Nothing – can't think of anything Should be more responsive – resolve issues quickly Customer service/relations should be improved – communication/notifications/ease of contact % participants 8 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 8 9 14 15 28 31 36 36 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Other Price/tariff is good – affordable/discounts Happy with meter reading – advice/provision etc Metering is good Good service/response during pandemic/lockdown – social distancing observed etc Professional Good account management – including opening/closing etc Supply is good/well managed Easy to contact Good management of infrastructure – drains/blockages etc Kept promises Good understanding/supportive Good online service/website/app Good management of leaks Payment system is good – issues rectified Billing is good – amendments made/issues rectified Efficient Good timescale/timekeeping – prompt etc Everything – great service/easy etc Workforce is good –standard of work etc Resolved issue Good communications/provision of information Responsive/quick Good customer service/relations – staff are polite/friendly/helpful/knowledgeable % participants WHAT WATER COMPANIES ARE DOING WELL WHAT WATER COMPANIES COULD DO TO IMPROVE Weighted base: 8,263 who gave a score a satisfaction of 9 or 10. The base includes 207 responses recod- ed from the following question. Note: all response categories of 2% and over shown. More than one response code could be assigned to each open response so percentages sum to more than 100%. Weighted base: 2,754 who gave a score a satisfaction of 7 or 8. The base includes 93 responses recoded from the previous question. Note: all response categories of 2% and over shown. More than one response code could be assigned to each open response so percentages sum to more than 100%.

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