Introducing a new grid control system also changes what is required of the people responsible for monitoring and controlling electricity and gas networks. A regional subsidiary of a European energy infrastructure group therefore needed to prepare employees in critical roles for new ways of working and responsibilities.
with a shared vision, a change story, and a change roadmap aligned with the overall program plan.
through interviews and leadership workshops, alongside the introduction of a change champion role connecting the project with the organization.
through a skills gap analysis to identify future training needs and the development of an upskilling strategy.
* To respect our clients’ confidentiality, we do not publish project-specific metrics. The results presented describe the qualitative impact of our collaboration.
Critical network operations face new requirements
The energy transition is changing how electricity and gas networks are monitored and controlled. Distributed generation, regulatory requirements, and the growing need for resilience in crisis situations are increasing the complexity of network operations. To ensure the networks can continue to be operated reliably, the group aimed to standardize its previously heterogeneous operational technology (OT) landscape and introduce a shared grid control system.
For the regional subsidiary concerned, this involved far-reaching organizational change. New functions and technologies would affect workflows, responsibilities, and the skills required. Employees and managers needed to understand early on what the transition would mean for their day-to-day work and what would be expected of them in the future.
The challenge was to translate the system change planned at group level into the specific needs of the regional subsidiary. This meant taking into account both the requirements of critical network operations and the different perspectives of the areas affected. At the same time, organizational preparations had to keep pace with the technical program.
Embedding change management in the transformation program
4C GROUP took over the change activities already underway and developed them into an integrated approach for supporting the transformation. First, the team reviewed the project’s existing results, identified relevant stakeholders, and conducted focused interviews. This assessment showed where the organization stood in the change process and which areas required particular attention.
Building on this work, 4C GROUP developed a shared vision and a change story that clarified what the transformation meant for the areas affected. A change roadmap aligned with the overall program plan structured the measures, work packages, and timing dependencies. Change management was also integrated into project governance so that dependencies and potential risks could be addressed early.
Engaging employees and managers was a key focus. Stakeholder interviews surfaced expectations, questions, and potential concerns, providing a basis for targeted measures. 4C GROUP supported leadership workshops and introduced a change champion role. Project team members were to act as multipliers, bringing the change into the affected areas and relaying feedback from the organization.
Regular intranet updates and in-person events provided information on project progress, upcoming milestones, and the reasons for the change. The events also gave employees a forum to ask questions and speak directly with the project team.
In parallel, 4C GROUP prepared the capability-building activities. A skills gap analysis identified differences between existing and future requirements. Based on the findings, the team developed an upskilling strategy and initial training concepts, aligning the required qualifications with the system rollout at an early stage.
Our employees are responsible for safe network operations every day. When we fundamentally change how they work, we need to explain early on what lies ahead and take their experience into account. The structured change support gave us the right foundation to do that.
Preparing employees for future network operations
The integrated change approach gave the regional subsidiary an aligned roadmap for preparing the organization for the new system. The effects on the areas concerned were assessed systematically, relevant action areas were identified, and change measures were aligned with the overall program plan.
Stakeholder engagement surfaced different expectations, questions, and potential concerns. This enabled communication and engagement measures to be tailored more closely to the groups affected. The change champion role also created a structure to support ongoing dialogue between the project and the organization.
The capability-building work also produced concrete results: future skill requirements were defined, and existing gaps were identified. An upskilling strategy and initial training concepts set out how employees should be prepared for their new responsibilities.
These measures established the organizational foundations for supporting the introduction of the new grid control system and preparing employees for their future responsibilities.
“Introducing a shared grid control system is a group-wide initiative. What it means for each area only becomes clear on the ground. That is where we focused: on employees’ requirements, managers’ responsibilities, and the skills needed for future network operations.”
