Recently, former President & CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical, former President of Chevron NA Exploration & Production and current Alexander Proudfoot Advisory Board member, Ray Wilcox had the opportunity to speak at this year’s Operational Excellence in Oil and Gas Summit held in Calgary. His keynote speech “Bridging the Execution Gap” was well received by the many oil and gas executives that were in attendance.
A 40-year veteran of the oil and gas industry, Mr. Wilcox’s presentation cited execution as the most important element of operational excellence. He mentioned several reasons why execution gaps occur, including mergers and accidents, as well as key focus areas (portfolio, organization, services, standardization and capital allocation/expenses) that impact operational excellence.
In line with our methodology, a common theme Mr. Wilcox emphasized throughout his speech was the human factor – working closely with people to reinforce efficient behaviors on the front lines where the bulk of the work is performed. He explained that winning the hearts and minds of people in this fashion can be a difficult task if the organization lacks the interpersonal expertise needed to drive step change initiatives. In addition, he said an unbiased outside perspective can often gauge whether or not an organization is in over its head.
Expertise is also needed to conduct Lean programs, which require a fundamental change in the way a company does business. Based on our findings, many companies often do not have the knowledge or discipline to sustain activities associated with Lean. Knowing how to reach people and helping them understand the big picture involves a degree of specialization that some organizations simply do not have.
On behalf of everyone at Proudfoot, we would like to thank Mr. Wilcox for taking the time to share his insights with fellow industry executives. He is an invaluable resource to our organization and we look forward to his next speaking engagement.
Additional resources:
- Slides used during the keynote speech >>>
- OPEX Calgary interview with Ray Wilcox >>>
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