Context

To achieve the goal of supplying 100% renewably sources of energy by 2040, SHV Energy embarked on their strategic journey to tap into the full profitability potential of the current business, and build the new business model in parallel with the means of today. The energy ambition will impact every vessel of the business sooner or later. The success of this journey will be determined by the ability of change leaders to execute this strategy.

Customer challenge

SHV Energy’s change leaders worked primarily ‘in the system’. They were not educated or trained to lead change ‘from the system’ as they had been working in a stable environment for years in terms of business processes, activities and client portfolios.

Moreover, the headquarters was established in its current shape only in the last 3-4 years and has grown rapidly from about 30 to about 150 people. For the first time in SHV Energy’s history, a global strategy had been outlined, with a veritable associated portfolio of global change initiatives.

With the launch of their track to support the transition to a non-fossil fuel enterprise, the number of change projects quadrupled. This confronted business leaders with the ongoing struggle of how to implement both planned and unplanned organizational change into their daily reality. It places a greater demand on their ability to lead change effectively, let alone successfully. To grow this internal capability and improve the way leaders lead change, they turned to LQ.

Solution

In January 2019, we started in a hands-on manner, first focusing on one change project. We worked with the program team of the ERP implementation project to gauge their change readiness and identified how the program plan could be adjusted to land with the intended outcome.

The report-out of the six battery scan made it clear that the success of the program was partially at risk in one of the target entities for roll-out, due to factors that were outside the scope and mandate of the program team. This insight led to two decisions: 1. the entity was de-prioritized in the ERP Program roll-out schedule. 2. The six batteries scan was used as a tool to support the Management Teams of the first two roll-out entities, such that they could begin to get their organizations ready to implement the upcoming ERP change.

Meanwhile, we spread the word about the energize for success change management approach through in-house training modules. We taught leaders how to change the way they lead change, resulting in business success rates of 95% instead of 30%. Participation was voluntary.

Future leaders presented their insights back to the CEO. After which the latter presented the six batteries scan to his Managing Board to apply this change leadership methodology on the Head Office operations. They worked together to assess the global headquarters’ readiness for change and identified what it needed to recharge all its batteries. Convinced of its added value, the Managing Board decided to launch the six batteries scan globally and equip a community of about 20 internal change enablers to facilitate the process.

Knowing that managing organisational change is a daily activity to date, it is key to grow every leader into a capable change leader and change the way they lead change. Therefore, enabling all leaders to energise their organisations for success leads change with 95% instead of 30% business success as a result.

Business impact

In August 2020, 18 entities of SHV Energy measured their ability to implement change at the organizational level for the first time in their history using the six batteries scan. The picture that emerged was colorful and diverse; ranging from entities with six deep red batteries to entities with six dark green batteries and everything in between. Customized work sessions with the Management Teams and their direct reports led to in-depth conversations about how to get their organizational entities ready for perfect business execution today while mobilizing them on the future journey.

As an outgrowth of this measurement, entities have since then begun to recharge their organizational batteries. For some, this means specifying their three- to five-year strategy, for others investing in the execution power of their change projects or reprioritizing their portfolio of activities.