Reimagining an oil and gas organization’s business model

Client need

One of the world’s largest energy organizations needed to reimagine its business model in preparation for a future with limited oil and gas usage. The organization’s leadership team proposed shifts such as restructuring the business to explore future ideas, as well as hiring and upskilling people in order to bring those ideas to fruition.

However, the organization’s leadership team found that one of the biggest challenges was helping people shift their mindsets about what the future of the industry might look like. To bring about these mindset shifts, the organization’s leaders partnered with BTS to develop an experience that would help their people gain a fresh perspective on the industry.

The solution

BTS facilitators engaged the organization’s leaders in a leadership development program called the Disrupt Experience. In multiple simulation sessions lasting up to two days, cohorts of 15 – 125 high potential and new energy business unit leaders were “hired away” to a fictional company that 1) was equipped with different resources and capabilities and 2) planned to enter and disrupt the energy industry.

Throughout the Disrupt Experience:

• Participating leaders were “onboarded” to the fictional company. During this process, they received a guide called the Disruptor’s Playbook that offered tactics for competing with their previous organization and the disrupting industry at large.
• Next, they met with a potential customer whose aims included helping the province become greener, preserving jobs, investing in the energy industry, and even becoming prime minister. The participating leaders used the Disruptor’s Playbook to explore how they might help the customer achieve these aspirations. The Playbook consisted of five chapters: define strategic intent, discover customer problems, ideate, refine, and conduct disciplined experimentation.

Results

Throughout the simulation experience, the client’s leaders had to think ahead and imagine what their industry might look like, who their customers might be, and what efforts would be needed for success, building new skills with every challenge. Participating high potentials and new energy business unit leaders provided an average rating of 8.7 out of 10.

Ultimately, participants walked away with a fresh perspective on meeting their customers’ changing needs, as well as some practical first steps towards restructuring their business model. After experiencing four sessions to date, the organization’s leadership team has requested five more sessions in the year ahead to reach as many of its leaders as possible.

Testimonials

• “Strength in numbers to implement this new way of thinking quickly — our company needs it!” – Maintenance and Reliability Manager
• “Very enjoyable and thought-provoking.” – Business Development Analyst
• “[The Disrupt Experience] opened my eyes to a new way of thinking.” – Geological and Geophysical Operations Team Leader