Utility Week - authoritative, impartial and essential reading for senior people within utilities, regulators and government
Issue link: https://fhpublishing.uberflip.com/i/507450
UTILITY WEEK | 8TH - 14TH MAY 2015 | 11 Utility Week Live: review Conference & exhibition Utility Week Live, 21-23 April, Birmingham Leadership is the showstopper The inaugural Utility Week Live exhibition and conference identified that leadership and trust are the defining ingredients of success. 4 TO THINK ABOUT... Leading change • The "old guard" hierarchical nature of many of the large utilities means that creating a change in culture or vision can be difficult to commu- nicate and sustain. • The shifting pres- sures of a changing political landscape mean leaders are focused on reactive strategies rather than a proactive vision. • Lessons in how to thrive in turbulent times can be learnt from other sectors, and new entrants should be seen as a prompt for incumbents to raise their game. See more on p12 Gaining trust • People can have a "contradictory" at- titude towards utilities depending on whether they are viewing them as a customer or a voter. The way they regard the trustwor- thiness of utilities can depend on which role they assume. • There is a failure of leadership in most organisations when it comes to modelling the behaviours needed in frontline employees for rebuilding trust. • Recruitment must be improved and made more rigorous to reflect a "hire for attitude, fire for at- titude" ethos. See more on p13 Nurturing innovation • Risk aversion is the norm while there is an obsession with the regulator and its requirements for in- novation "outcomes". • Relatively immature cultures of innovation tend to confuse it with continuous improvement or fail to embrace the intrinsic link between technology innovation and business model innovation. • There is a lack of purposeful collaboration or clear structures for assimilating innovation into business as usual. See more on p14 Preparing for the unexpected • Understand the complexity of long- term weather fore- casting and develop plans for responding when forecasts show an increase in the likelihood or impact of extreme weather. • Keep a long-term view despite short- term regulatory peri- ods and consider the combined long-term impact of parallel trends like climate change and popula- tion growth • Develop a coherent approach to a multi- impact threat by col- laborating with other stakeholders. See more on p15 U tility Week Live highlighted the disruptive changes hitting utili- ties from a multitude of angles as big picture trends in customer behaviours, political interven- tionism, climate and – not least – technol- ogy come to bear. Content around all of these issues pro- voked thought and inspiration at the exhi- bition, seminar programme and keynote conference, making it a stimulating first year for the event, which has grown out of the long-standing Iwex exhibition. The following pages distil some of the most pertinent messages for leaders across the water and energy sectors that emerged from Utility Week Live. The themes of change and leadership are central, arching over the perennial difficulty of creating a dynamic and innovative skills base for the sector and running alongside the contextual challenges of regulation and climate change. "Take steps to shape your future, you might not like the outcome of a wait-and-see approach." John Scott, director, Chiltern Power "Delivering crap customer service does not save you money. Delivering crap cus- tomer service costs you money." Colin Skellett, chief executive, Wessex Water "The way you achieve your results should be as important as the results you achieve." Andrew McMillan, former head of customer service, John Lewis Talking points Industry champions Utility Week Live played host to the Institute of Water's National Drilling and Tap- ping Championship – now in its 27th year and formerly a popular feature at Iwex. The winners were: • Ladies: Northumbrian Water • Men: Anglian Water