The Rapid Response Institute

Tag: critical infrastructure

  • Leadership Selling

    Leadership Selling

    “The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill

    I recently watched a documentary about Three Mile Island.  I did not fact check it or try to assess bias but if much of what went wrong were correctly portrayed, leadership was missing in action.  The father of the US Nuclear Navy, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover and his demand for excellence was referred to on several occasions.  He was rightfully positioned as THE sector leader during that era when nuclear power generation was an emerging technology.

    In the context of leadership, the following is attributed to him, “Responsibility is a unique concept… You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you… If responsibility is rightfully yours, no evasion, or ignorance or passing the blame can shift the burden to someone else. Unless you can point your finger at the man who is responsible when something goes wrong, then you have never had anyone really responsible.”  This is a very telling statement that is applicable to the many human foibles that have resulted in cataphoric failures, even warfare and almost all high visibility major industrial incidents.

     A clear explanation of the difference between Management and Leadership.

    What Does All This Have to Do with Selling?

    Typically, organizations refer to the process of revenue generation as Sales.  However, a more accurate description this process is Selling.  The action verb, selling can result in a sale or series of sales.  Yet, for each competitive engagement most of these costly attempts at revenue generation will result in no sales–zero revenue.   Fail at enough opportunities and the firm’s Cost of Sales can skyrocket.

    Moreover, increasingly B2B solutions are a combination of products (seller product line and possibly third parties) as well as services (can include Cloud subscriptions).  By definition, Complex Sales is getting more complex and interrelated with other new/existing systems.

    Failure is Not an Option!

    “SUBSAFE was born in 1963, just two months after mechanical failures resulted in the loss of USS Thresher (SSN-593).  The program was started with a simple goal in mind: ‘. . . provide the maximum reasonable assurance that the ship will not have flooding but if flooding does occur, assures that the ship will get safely to the surface.’”  The program is deemed as a major life saving success, partially by enabling real responsibility to all including contractors.

    Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS) are a similar construct.  Most organizations in Critical Infrastructure sectors incorporate SEMS into their Operations Management Systems (OMS).  For our purposes here, we will repurpose and slightly change the nine tenants of the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement’s BSEE, SEMS.

    We posit that the following Tenants comprising our Selling Management System (SMS):

    1. Commitment to Values and Actions. Leaders demonstrate a commitment to societal and organizational values in their decisions and behaviors.
    2. Issue Identification and Risk Management. Issues potentially impacting the deal and its successful delivery are promptly identified, fully evaluated, and promptly addressed or corrected commensurate with their significance.
    3. Personal Accountability. All individuals take personal responsibility for process and personal behavior, as well as the stewardship of those entrusted to them.
    4. Work Processes. The process of planning and controlling work activities so that the selling action items are in accordance with organizational mission and policies as well as boding well for success.
    5. Continuous Improvement. Opportunities to learn and codify selling and delivery knowledge, ensuing future success and organizational learning.
    6. Environment for Raising Concerns. A work environment is maintained where personnel feel free to raise issues and concerns without fear of retaliation, intimidation, harassment, or discrimination.
    7. Effective External and Internal Communication. Communications maintain a focus of the selling efforts and processes.
    8. Respectful Work Environment. Trust and respect permeate the organization with a focus on teamwork and collaboration.
    9. Inquiring Attitude. Individuals avoid complacency and continuously consider and review existing conditions and activities in order to identify discrepancies that might result in error or inappropriate action.

    It is not surprising that action items focused on revenue generation should align with business imperatives towards effective and efficient operations.  This is especially true when operations personnel are assigned to the pursuit team as they will play a major role assuring successful delivery, i.e. most capital (CAPEX) goods and services.

    Tenant 6, Environment for Raising Concerns is perhaps one of the most important when enabling junior leadership.  For example, if a material issue is identified by a new college graduate in her or his field and unnoticed by more senior individuals schooled in early technologies, failure to be “heard” may have deal failure ramifications, i.e., engineering or software errors.

    Leadership is not part of a title, except by self-serving politicians who routine call themselves leaders.  Leaders are not born either, they are individuals (all ages and genders) who when needed, rise to occasions great and small.  The Rickover Mind Model enables leaders to emerge and that includes leadership during selling processes.

    Complex Deal Pursuit Team

    A deal Pursuit Team is a formal group assigned to drive revenue opportunities for a single deal/long-term strategic relationship or even partnership.  It can be an ad hoc assemblage or more effectively the assembly of experts with this type of experience.  Ideally, for a significant opportunity this team has a sole focus during its lifecycle, but that is not always the case or even practical in some firms or deals.

    Team composition can include, Sales Representative(s), Sales Management, Sales Support Team (as required) Executive Sponsor (if appropriate), Subject Matter Expert(s), Project Management, Third Parties (subcontractors and/or technology/professorial services providers), and others as needed.  Not all participants will be required full time.

    Typically, there are three phases to this process:

    • Relationship and Opportunity Development–The relationship building processes between seller and buyer as well as identification of value that can be added from seller products/services/solutions.
    • Formal Proposal Submission–Development and draft (with revisions) of a documented Scope of Work/Products, Deliverables and Pricing.
    • Proposal Assessment and Acceptance–Buyer review, changes and agreement to move forward–The Deal!

    Leadership is required throughout this process, and it may come from very unlikely sources.  Often top-level technologists and engineers are not the most outgoing folks.  However, their thoughts can be game changing.  It is important that those on the quiet side be actively ‘Included,’ and their ideas sought out and given serious discussion.

    Role of AI Agents

    “AI sales agents are autonomous applications that analyze and learn from your sales and customer data to perform tasks with little or no human input. These agents can perform a wealth of functions, from top-of-funnel tasks like nurturing leads with email outreach, answering questions, booking meetings with sellers, and quote creation to tasks more deeply integrated inside sales teams, like active buyer roleplays and coaching. What makes them different from simple workflow automation is that agents are capable of learning, using data analysis to work more efficiently, taking action on their own.”

    The Pursuit Team is responsible for winning the deal and AI is another tool, not unlike product demonstrations and marketing efforts.  AI inputs should be calibrated and interpreted just like other data sources and analyses.

    Final Thoughts

    Remember that people buy from people and individuals on both the selling and buying teams have personal agendas, such as getting promoted.  Sellers who identify many/most of these concerns stand a better change of closing the deal.

    Closing deals generates jobs.  Both by the vendor and its ecosystem as well as the client who will use the product/service/solution to increase the stakeholder value ecosystem.  Stakeholders are broadly defined including local communities and customer’s customers.

    It is safe to say that the complex selling process is dramatically changing.  Time to get on board!

    Nothing happens until somebody sells something!  How is your company assuring the selling process is routinely successful?

    Pre order our new book

    Navigating the Data Minefields:

    Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making

    We are living in an era of data and software exponential growth.  A substantive flood hitting us every day.  Geek heaven!  But what if information technology is not your cup of tea and you may even have your kids help with your smart devices?  This may not be a problem at home; however, what if your job depends on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

    Available April 2025

    Ordering Information

    We are also pleased to advise our loyal readers that CRC Press has accepted our proposal for this forthcoming book, Nonlinear Big Data and AI-Enabled Problem-Solving: Transforming From A Spreadsheet Society.  Stay tuned for more details.

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is the coauthor of the 2023 book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    We are also pleased to announce our forthcoming book to be released by CRC Press in April 2025, Navigating the Data Minefields: Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making.  This is a book for the non-IT executive who is faced with making major technology decisions as firms acquire advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross-Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg and his book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • How Effective at Multitasking are We?

    How Effective at Multitasking are We?

    According to no less than the Cleveland Clinic, ” Studies (regarding multitasking) show it makes us less efficient and more prone to errors.”

    Cleveland Clinic goes on to make the case:

    • When tasks are easy and routine such as, “like listening to music while walking, or folding laundry while watching TV,” these are generally not a problem.
    • However, when tasks are difficult and complex the situation changes dramatically and attempts at multitasking can be dangerous and even deadly.

    Many of us live in neighborhoods where drivers can be fined if they talk on a cell phone (even handsfree) in a school zone.  Another example is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Sterile Cockpit Rule which states, ” requiring pilots to refrain from non-essential activities during critical phases of flight, normally below 10,000 feet (3,048 meters).”

    Moreover, multitasking does not just have to be balancing a number of concurrent tasks, it can also  include managing tasks against some criteria, i.e. budget constraints.

    Safety, Safety, Safety

    In the blog series, as well as a host of publications include our 2014 book,  Implementing a Culture of Safety: A Roadmap to Performance-Based Compliance we have sought to drive the need for ALL organizations in the Critical Infrastructure sectors to live have a strong Safety Culture coupled with High Reliability operating performance.

    Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

    Similarly, many executives seem to prefer to spend their days going from meeting to meeting.  The belief is often that keeping busy is a proxy for progress.  In reality, it usually is not.

    Final Thoughts

    The referenced Cleveland Clinic article goes on to say, “The more we multitask, the less we actually accomplish, because we slowly lose our ability to focus enough to learn.”  In this multitasker, this sentence says it all.

    It is easy to watch TV while doing daily chores.  I do this all the time.  It is an entirely different matter to managing an offshore drilling process multitasking.  The systemic mistakes made in 2010 on the Deepwater Horizon are capture in detail in the book, Deepwater Horizon: A Systems Analysis of the Macondo Disaster.  Lessons learned are applicable to all in complex working environments.

    Does your organization favor multitaskers over those who focus?  If so, stakeholder value is likely degrading.

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor of the just published book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg ands his latest book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • When Does It End?

    When Does It End?

    Once Again Organizational Safety Cultures Have Failed.  Why Does This Keep Happening?

    The controversial Normal Accident Theory suggests that in complex systems accidents are enviable.  So it would seem with continued major disruptions in Critical Infrastructure Sectors.  We have argued that this is not necessarily correct.

    Systemic Safety Culture

    Following the Deepwater Horizon incident in 2010 and building off our 2014 book, IMPLEMENTING A CULTURE of SAFETY A ROADMAP FOR PERFORMANCE BASED COMPLIANCE, we continue to address the issues associated with safety failures and developed a Roadmap towards the High Reliability Organization (HRO).  An HRO faces the same challenges are its industry peers; however, it has robust processes in place to quickly mitigate safety and critical operational exposures.

    As part of our practice, we have developed a robust toolkit to facilitate the rapid transformation to an organizational Safety Culture without business disruption.  Many of the tools are provided at no cost and are easy to use–their details are available.

    Culture Eats Strategy

    The aircraft manufacture Boeing and its supply chain are undergoing increased scrutiny as result of the Alaskan Airline Max 9 inflight door failure.  This is entirely appropriate.

    As part of this process, the aircraft producer’s culture has come into question.  Some argue the firm moved away from an engineering culture to a safety culture.  This pundit believes that they are one in the same for this sector.

    A more appropriate argument is that the firm has recently exercised other values at the expensive of aircraft manufacturing technology.  Is this a loss of focus and a deviation from core values and capabilities?  Always a danger, i.e., New Coke and Bud Light.

    Get Smart

    In our recent book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability, ” we make the case that the smart extended factory floor (including supply chain partners) adds significant value to organizations in that sector.  This approach supports engineering/safety cultures while enabling certain social behaviors.

    We believe that a simple Safety Culture is insufficient in complex environments.  It must be coupled with High Reliable Management.  Only then can organizations capitalize on ‘Smart’ coupled with new solutions such as Artificial Intelligence.

    Is your Safety Culture Adequate?  If not, what are you doing about it?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor of the just published book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg ands his latest book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our recent blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • What a Turkey

    What a Turkey

    How many times have you seen someone do something incredibly stupid, even risking their life?  What a turkey!

    Story goes that Benjamin Franklin proposed the turkey as the American National Bird.  Almost 250 years later, this bird often carries a different connotation.  Often maligned, this tasty fowl has its day once a year.  Even two are granted a presidential pardon.

    Enter Safety Culture

    This pundit has spent his career around field operations and heavy equipment, first with the military and later as an oilfield field engineer going on to extensive international travel.  I have seen and done silly, stupid and often dangerous things, yet I emerged uninjured–lucky.

    As a physicist and MBA I started looking at business/technical process from a systems perspective.  A big influence was Peter Senge’s classic book, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization.  I could relate to its view of behavior from functional structure perspective.  This led me to Systems Dynamics from which we build several models.

    Finally, in the early to mid 1990s (as part of my doctoral dissertation) we developed our construct of Structural Dynamics which we defined as Structural Dynamics is defined as the morphology or patterns of motion toward process equilibrium of interpersonal systems.

    All of this prepared me for what was to happen next.  In April 2010, Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.  My colleagues and I started looking at this incident through the systems lens described above.  What we saw was very different than conventional wisdom.

    For decades Charles Perrow’s Normal Accident Theory posits that we can expect accidents from complex systems–they are inevitable.  Enter High Reliability Management in Process Industries: Sustained by Human Factors, which suggests that accidents are NOT inevitable and management systems can be put in place to adequately manage even the most complex system of systems.  Moreover, we now know that many disasters failures such as an airliner crash are of the function of many smaller issues happening concurrently.

    This led us to develop four major solutions for better safety in Critical Infrastructure sectors.

    This solution set enables organization of all sizes (public and private) to meet their high performance, high reliability goals while maintaining a sate workplace across their ecosystems.  Also check out our book, Implementing a Culture of Safety: A Roadmap for Performance Based Compliance and perform your own Self-Assessment of your organization’s ecosystem Culture of Safety Maturity.

    A final note.  One of the best books I have read in this regard is Deepwater Horizon: A Systems Analysis of the Macondo  Disaster.  The lesson therein are useful across industry sectors.

    We all know that ‘birds of a feather flock together.’  On a complex project there are many opportunities that might bring out the turkey in us.  Tools are available to limit or prevent the foul damage.

    What processes and procedure does your organization have in place to herd your flock?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor of the just published book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg ands his latest book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our recent blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • ESG Explained

    ESG Explained

    According to Investopedia, “Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria are a set of standards for a company’s operations that socially conscious investors use to screen potential investments.”  Definitions of the three components are pretty straightforward:

    • Environmental–Generally refers to the stewardship of the planet and how organizations facilitate that responsibility.
    • Social–Facilitating organizational responsibility to the global society, at all levels from the globe to the local communities firms operate in.
    • (Corporate) Governance–Typically, the umbrella organizations put in place to assure issues such as transparency, fraud, safety culture and ethics are in compliance with social norms and local regulations.

    Since the Deepwater Horizon incident of April 2020, operators (oil and gas companies) have extended and enhanced the above criteria to their supply chain ecosystem and in some cases even customers with a Safety and Environmental Management System (SEMS).  This is true of most other Critical Infrastructure sectors as well.

    Likewise, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 enhanced transparency and increased fraud protection after the Enron (and other) scandals.  Other incidents have triggered governance changes as well and some are referred to in linked materials.

    Why Is ESG Important?

    By one account, approximately $12 trillion in investments made in 2018 were driven by those who consider themselves socially responsible.  According to Forbes, in 2019 this accounted for almost 25% of total investments and are seen through the lens of sustainability.  Moreover, between 2016 to 2018, the growth rate in such firms grew at 38 percent.

    These numbers confirm our research going back to the turn of the century and perhaps earlier.  In 1993 we controversially posited that the Principles of Scientific Management were applicable to software development by Knowledge Workers.  Developed by Frederick Taylor, his monograph was published circa 1911.

    In other words, owners (investors) have always demanded top notch, legal and ethical performance.  Activist investors, i.e. Carl Icahn are not new.  As always, they have a very important role to play in the current markets.

    Asset/Equipment Integrity Governance

    There is a buzz of newness to ESG; however, from a contrarian perspective, this is not necessarily the case.  After the Deepwater Horizon failure with significant loss of live and many billions in economic losses to many parties including BP, it became clear that traditional Governance models did not have a focus on operations and the management of capital assets, i.e., manufacturing plants, marine vessels and other revenue producing sources.

    In our book we addressed a New Risk Environment from large corporate operations in which ‘failure is really not an option.”  We stated as a risk element, “Escalation of Consequences: The level of consequences of a disaster in the energy industry can now be larger than from the accidental release of a multi-megaton nuclear weapon.”

    Still governance models continued to struggle.  We believe that in the critical infrastructure sectors there is a lack of strong bonding, in other words top management is still hands off and operating from historical ‘control’ models that are no longer relevant or applicable.

    We do not believe this will change until a Strong Bond (tightly coupled) model is adopted.  We define the term as, “A strong model is used by High Reliability Organizations (HRO) and as part of that model, trained; knowledgeable personnel are empowered to make the right decisions in the field.  The strong model provides an organization with the capability to become and remain and HRO.”

    In 2011, we released our monograph, Asset/Equipment Integrity Governance: Operations–Enterprise Alignment; A Case for Board Oversight (AEIG).  In addition to developing a financial model documenting the Return on Investment (ROI) from strong governance, a Compliance Model, as well as a robust AEIG Matrix which incorporates an Asset Maturity Model are part of the solution.

    The AEIG extends the enterprise governance model to include the full ecosystem including subcontractors to its primary supply chain partners.  While not directly addressed at the time, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is implicit in the model.

    This roadmap is comprehensive and is a good starting point for developing and implementing a vigorous ESG initiative.  Other monographs in our Changing the Dialogue series (exploring our New Business Dynamics) include Structural Dynamics and Rapid Response Management are available online.

    Relationships, Behaviors, Conditions

    Scroll down on The Rapid Response Institute, Operational Excellence Platform page and you will find our R B C Framework Cultural Transformation model.  Shown below for ease of readership.

    The R B C model was originally developed to research international (cross cultural) negotiations.  We have extended it to support the transformation process to a robust and model organization culture such discussed herein.  Readers should note that this model is focused on Operational Excellence and is comprised on Processes & Methods supported by Enabling Tools.

    Built on Structural Dynamics which was developed as part of Dr. Shemwell’s doctoral dissertation in 1996.  It is defined as, “The morphology or patterns of motion towards process equilibrium of interpersonal systems.”

    This proven Framework is grounded in Management Science yet is a useful tool (Roadmap) that real originations can successfully and cost effectively implement.  We believe it is the best approach for attaining ESG.

    Summary

    One can view the current ESG status as part of a continuum to hold organizations accountable as appropriate and frankly, increase their Operational Excellence.  We have long known that firm’s that are well managed command superior stock market multiples and greater equity value.

    Many ‘self-serving’ consultants and pundit would have us believe ESG is breakthrough Thought Leadership in need of their help.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

    In the early 1990s, we document the history and evolution of Management Science/Thinking.   It is not written in stone, like most human endeavors it evolves and has for thousands of years.  ESG is a step in this continuum.

    How is Your Organization Addressing the Requirements of Active Investors?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  Two current online games; Safety Culture and Diverse Teams specifically address issues raised by ESG Criteria.  If you have any questions, please contact this author as well.

    Graphic Source: The Rapid Response Institute derived from a Storyblocks image under license.

  • 100

    100

    This edition marks the 100th post in our Critical Mass Blog series.  We have sought to provide thoughtful, unbiased insight into the contemporary business and organizational challenges we all face.  Since our first blog post on November 27, 2017 our world has turned over in ways none expected.  Likely, this trend will continue.

    This series continues a tradition of newsletters, opinion pieces and other on line punditry first begun in 1998 with our New Millennium News.  A bi-monthly email with a subscription base of approximately 7,000 readers.  A huge number at that time.  We estimate that hundreds of thousands or more have benefited from this knowledge transfer.

    Coincidentally, we reach this milestone as we begin the new year–a time of renewal.  We will continue to address critical issues individuals, businesses, agencies and others face as we all navigate an increasingly perilous path.  This series has addressed Human Resource issues including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Teams , the arrival of Smart Technology, International Business, Covid-19, Supply Chain Management, Operational Excellence, Cultural Transformation (including Safety Culture) Sales, Risk Mitigation and of course Leadership.  Today’s organizations must be very good at all of these disciplines!

    Available Tools

    The mission of the Rapid Response Institute (RRI) is to enable our clients with the ability to posture themselves in their market segments so that they can thrive in volatile markets and capitalize on uncertainty, not suffer because of them.  This is especially important for those economic actors in Critical Infrastructure sectors.

    In support of this mission the firm has developed a suite of Intellectual Property (IP) which includes Know How, practical roadmap Books and guidelines as well as Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions among others.  Many readers know that once a process has been standardized with minimal configuration required, the data is the ultimate driver.  This is the heart of most Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

    With advances in technology, RRI has taken these once multi-million dollar solutions to a price point as well as Use Case where all organizations can utilize this capability.  Moreover, our advancements in work flow such as epitomized in our Cross Cultural Serious Games, Economic Value Proposition Matrix, and Smart OpEx (Operations Management System) and Risk Simulation Modeling add immediate and significant value to the challenges faced as articulated above.  Other Free Tools are available as well.

    Pulling It All Together

    The method to our madness is–Operations!!  As some are fond of saying with derision, “It’s All About the Benjamins.”  Well, it actually is.  If ‘for-profit’ firms are not profitable, they fail.  No amount of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) will save them if they cannot deliver to paying customers.

    Everything RRI does helps organizations to deliver stakeholder value, compliant with ESG standards.  That is our Bottom Line and we are also pleased that Dr. Shemwell, Managing Director has been an independent advocate for responsible corporate success since 2004.

    FYI, major losses and legal actions do not enhance stakeholder value.  Neither for employees, local communities or equity holders.  Everyone loses when in terrible scenarios such as Deepwater Horizon, internal bias corporate hubris, poor high reliability processes/human factor shortcomings or lack of actual DEI.

    This journey continues.  Stay tuned for the next 100 editions where will continue to provide our thoughts on relevant matters.  Thank you very much for your readership and support.

    How is Your Organization Positioned for the Next Four Years?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    For more on DEI Standards, see the newly released ISO-30415.

    You can contact this author as well.

  • Roadmap to Decision Making In the ‘Smart’ Era

    Roadmap to Decision Making In the ‘Smart’ Era

    “Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.”

    — Napoleon Bonaparte

    Volumes have been written on decision-making and this pundit has offered his share of insight and comment on the subject as well.  Some of our comments regard the appropriateness of the human intercession in electronic decision making.  Others raise questions regarding algorithm fallibility.  Moreover, Human Factors must be considered for any technology initiative which are becoming increasingly important.

    If one unpacks the previous paragraph a substantial level of complexity emerges.  As complexity increases so does risk and the need from proper governance.  However, many still see this potential transformation through the lens of just another IT initiative.

    Roadmap

    The oil and gas industry faced a similar dilemma at the dawn of the 21st Century.  At the time, referred to as DOFF or Digital Oilfield of the Future, a plethora of technologies became available.  The task was to transform 100 plus years of traditional operation to what is now referred to as the Digital Oilfield, aka Integrated Operations and a number or synonyms.  While this processes continues to evolve as new solutions emerge, i.e., Cloud, at the time much was trial and error.

    In conjunction with industry leadership, we released our Roadmap to Enterprise Optimization: A Guide to the Impact of Information Driven Field Operations on the Petroleum Corporation in the fall of 2004.  We believe it was the first industry (POSC) supported effort that was not simply research but a ‘bona fide’ action plan or roadmap to success based on industry/other knowledge, standards, economic value and best practices.

    Click for full size Integrated Operations Framework or graphic

    Since then, we have updated this roadmap into an Operational Excellence Platform.  Note that Integrated Operations is a key component.  The platform is a robust detailed solution that is available not just to the energy sector but all sectors identified by Homeland Security as Critical Infrastructure.  These sectors were recently identified as susceptible to hacking by the US government.

    Getting Smart

    Enormous corporate (shareholder) wealth has been destroyed implementing ‘game changing’ technology enabled transformation efforts.  Are we about to do that again, getting smart?  The easy answer is yes, but it does not have to be.

    Roadmap constructs are well understood and provide guidance.  In some models the step by step process provide practitioners with well defined models that can lead to success–defined as on time and under budget performance against Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

    We are in the process of writing a book, to be released in 2022.  One chapter will define a roadmap for the transformation to ‘Smart’ for a major industrial segment.  As with earlier works, it will focus on the human element aligned with a technology assessment process.

    Get Smart was a comedic TV show spoofing the Cold War ‘spy’ environment of the 1960s.  Getting Smart today may not be a lot different.  The goal under a ‘Cone of Silence‘ was to attain and sustain competitive advantaged achieving superior stakeholder returns.

    Getting smart in 2021 will require a ‘Roadmap to Smart.’  A set of ‘to do’ processes that assures success.

    What is your Organization’s Plan to put Smart Decisioning Making Processes in Place?

     

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    You can contact this author as well.