New operating model

It involved introducing standardisation, predictability and a similar approach on all the platforms operated off Norway by StatoilHydro. While predictability would contribute to safe and efficient operation, standardisation facilitated greater personnel rotation between units as well as the creation of a uniform culture and effective organisation. A key concept in the model was flexibility – particularly in relation to resource use and increased workforce rotation. Employees were to become considerably more mobile than before. People would now rotate between offshore and land and between critical and planned maintenance, while managers changed jobs every three-four years.

This not only allowed the company to secure a more flexible disposition of its human resources, but also provided opportunities for expertise development. The workforce would also acquire a broader perspective on the company’s business, and greater exchange of experience between installations would be achieved. Standardisation was a precondition for achieving such resource flexibility. The new operating model built on a principle of standardised work processes. Before its introduction, these processes varied between former Hydro and Statoil installations. Local solutions and different cultures also prevailed on each platform.

A system to describe work processes was accordingly adopted. This work-process oriented management (Apos) solution built on a flow chart which had been used by Hydro. Introducing similar organisational entities, work routines and other systems was intended to make it easier to move personnel between entities and platforms. Redeployment of employees could thereby be achieved quickly as needs arose in each entity or project. A system of internal personnel hire was also adopted. The new organisational model created flexibility for the company, but demanded such flexibility on the part of the employees.