Resistance is futile: Managing change in the power, energy and education sectors

Technology and organisational change don’t need to make your customers feel like they’re Engaging The Borg – the monochromatic cybernetic tech zealots that travel around the Galaxy in Star Trek Next Generation proclaiming to unsuspecting victims “Resistance is futile”, in a top-down forced assimilation of species and technology to achieve “perfection”.

The Power, Energy and Education sectors are each, unequivocally, all about people, not forced assimilation. Each sector is facing unprecedented change and none of it will be easy.

Rapid technological advancement means that not only is vast change required from a technological perspective, but people expect change to occur – they’re part of it and very interested!

Use the views of people and its power to shape your change agenda and then get the changes rapidly moving.

I’ve been involved in a few transformation projects over the years. They varied in scope and importance and my lesson from these experiences - it’s very easy to lock yourself away from humanity and work on the wrong things because you’re too scared to talk … with people!

Change is a lot of things but critically it’s about listening, intently and taking people on the journey with you. The scale of change that is required in the Power, Energy and Education sectors and a shared understanding and respect between provider and user is critical. Mistakes and missteps will occur, and they’ll need to draw on the intangible relationship assets to progress.

Good agents of change understand people. They’re led by them and to them. They’re an advocate and a voice for them. They set aside their own egos, beliefs, biases, and selfish motivations to connect people and business; by connecting business with purpose.

To understand people is to build a plan for success, by meeting their needs.

The best ideas are often not your own. Listening to people intently and using any good advice and sound thinking presented may well be the best way to get a great result. Better still, in doing so you may earn yourself a fan. If you do this often enough, you have an army of fans who become change advocates and they’ll support you if a mistake is made.

Have the discussion and any disagreement with people up front. Better that than develop something that is not fit for purpose or is poorly prioritised and then deal with a bigger disagreement once your change is complete.

Education is the key, and the lock.

The fundamental shift that is occurring in the Power and Energy sectors needs the Education sector to lock the changes in. The changes required in the Education sector can use the Power and Energy sectors as drivers of their own organisational, curriculum and technology changes. Power and Energy change of this scale cannot be properly landed without having a focus on technology evolution in our education system and the development of the skilled workforce needed to keep the transition progressing and evolving.

These three sectors are all in this together, and importantly, they must have an open (and brave) dialogue with people in their communities and with each other.

Use joy as an act of rebellion.

This is an exciting time to be alive and amazing change is occurring around us, right now. The possibilities and the path forward can be a shared journey - change is fun and can be joyful. Revel in it. Rebel against the naysayers and those who stand in the way.

Engage. Together.