12 impact BUSINESS 12 impact BUSINESS

BUSINESS
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Building a winning team
How change management and team building can help to optimise operations
New technologies and good
operating practices can help
to enhance process plant
operations, but it is often the way that
changes are applied and managed
that can make the difference to business
performance.
Saudi Petrochemical Company (Sadaf)
is one of the largest petrochemical
complexes in the Middle East, and is a
joint venture between Saudi Basic Industries
Corporation (SABIC) and Shell Chemicals
Arabia LLC. The Sadaf vision is simple:
to be the best petrochemical company.
This objective is the driving force behind
a sustained improvement effort that has
involved every employee and all of the
technical and business operations.
In February 2005, Sadaf brought in
an extensive, on-site team of consultants
from Shell Global Solutions to review its
operational models; examine corporate
structures, internal communications and
performance; and identify strengths and
areas with potential for improvement.
The intention of this major initiative was
to support the Sadaf vision to be the best
petrochemical company.
Sadaf President, Fahad Al-Sharef
explains, “Many senior Sadaf employees
had been with the company throughout
their careers, and the procedures they
followed were well established. We
saw an opportunity for improvement by
building on what SABIC has done through
its various organisational effectiveness
programmes, and felt that Shell Global
Solutions had the practical experience
to help us make this transformation. They
were not just experts in human-resource or
change management: they were people
who had practical experience of operating
manufacturing facilities, and they brought
this experience to the project.”
The first step was to interview a large
cross section of the organisation. From
these interviews, it was determined that
the Sadaf transformation would be a
major change-management programme
and should focus on five key topics:
core values and behaviours; roles and
responsibilities; work prioritisation; skills
and competencies; and work practices.
Al-Sharef continues, “Many improvements
were targeted during the transformation.
For example, we wanted to enhance
the management and effectiveness of
our maintenance programmes. This was
an area where there was scope for
improvement, and it was a key deliverable
of the transformation.
“Before the transformation, our weekly
level of attainment from maintenance
planning (the proportion of planned
maintenance achieved) was typically
67–72%. Better weekly planning and
a new prioritisation system helped us to
achieve levels of 91–98% for several weeks
in a row. This has made maintenance
more efficient, and it has helped us to
make better use of resources. Ultimately,
this should reflect in increased equipment
availability and better plant performance.
“Another aim was to improve the
accountability behaviour across the
company, starting with management. To
do that, we began with defining our core
values, and behaviour and accountability
was one such area. We then developed
what are called RACIE charts (RACIE
= responsible, accountable, consult,
inform and execute), which are basically
tables that describe each job in a simple
and straightforward way. These charts
constitute an excellent tool that will greatly
contribute to enhanced understanding
of roles and responsibilities, whether for
new employees or existing ones who are
changing jobs,” Al-Sharef concludes.
Review and team building
In February 2007, with the transformation
process well established, the Sadaf
leadership team asked Shell Global
Solutions to conduct an independent
review that would examine the progress
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that had been made towards the
transformation project goals and assess
the performance of the managers who
reported to the Sadaf leadership team.
Al-Sharef explains, “It was apparent to
the leadership team that to institutionalise
and build on the changes we had
brought to the organisation during the
transformation, we had to change
ourselves and the way we managed.
So we embarked on our own journey.”
The team-building programme, designed
and facilitated by Shell Global Solutions,
took two years to complete and involved
a series of intensive teamworking sessions
with the leadership team and the newly
extended leadership team. The work
capitalised on SABIC’s leadership
programme, which had been taken by
most of the Sadaf managers.
Performance is now evaluated and
tracked using a balanced scorecard
approach, which helps to determine
whether operational activities are aligned
with strategic objectives and to measure
the key drivers of business activities. This
method enables the leadership team to
further optimise the management processes.
The team-building
programme
Reshaping and extending the leadership
team to include the managers who
reported directly to it was recommended.
The aim was to create a more effective
leadership force. At the same time, there
would be a new emphasis on developing
personal charters and styles for individual
managers – formally recognising that
people work in different ways and
acknowledging individual preferences for
operating in a business environment.
During 2007 and 2008, workshops
were run that, in addition to helping
to transfer new insights and skills,
encouraged Sadaf staff to share and
define their experiences of best practice,
and to examine previous initiatives to
understand the reasons for their outcomes.
Using the information gained from these
workshops, the key parts of the day-to-day
business processes were examined and
re‐engineered to help make them be
more effective.
Managers were encouraged to define
the necessary input, purpose and aims of
every meeting: to create space and time in
their schedules to examine strategic themes
rather than focusing on immediate issues
and performance. Changes were made
to the appraisal system, so that it reflected
the importance of individual performance,
teamwork and contributions to the core
values and strategic aims of the business
in addition to performance within an
individual’s professional discipline.
So that the transformation and teambuilding
processes would be ongoing,
Shell Global Solutions trained 4 general
managers and 15 other members of the
Sadaf workforce as facilitators and coaches
to act as change agents in the company.
Al-Sharef says, “Throughout my career, I
have pushed for change and improvement,
and it is great to see the changes that have
taken place at Sadaf through the efforts
of our staff. Our change journey is about
taking control of our future and creating
a work environment where Sadaf people
can be the best that they can be.”
“Shell Global Solutions
were not just experts
in human-resource or
change management:
they were people who had
practical experience of
operating manufacturing
facilities, and they
brought this experience
to the project.”
For more information contact:
Alan Fuller
Email: alan.fuller@shell.com
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