Supporting a Successful Merger: The GASCO 21 Journey (part 1) (page 3 of 3)

After sorting, root-cause analysis was performed, the results were prioritized and "Implementation Plans" were created to tackle Quick-Wins and long-term action items for each division.

These areas became know as GASCO's cultural attributes because they represented areas people felt the strongest about. The 8 attributes ultimately became the cornerstone for the majority of change activities introduced in the company. To build upon the earlier "branding" success GASCO 21 Journey posters and handouts were produced for the attributes. In fact, this initiative was so successful that during the 1st year the G21 Team created the posters but by the 3rd year the divisions took over the role of designing and selecting the attribute posters for the organization.

Leading the Journey: a New & Expanding Team

As the focus groups came to a close the responsibility for guiding the GASCO 21 Journey was shifted from the external consultants to the in-house team. The GM asked me to lead the organizational change efforts and I worked with the management team in selecting three high-potential UAE Nationals to serve as Change Champions for a 1-year assignment. As Change Champions the candidates were provided an opportunity to develop their management and leadership skills while supporting the Company's plans in "Realizing the Vision".

At the beginning of 2004 the management team held another strategic workshop to review and evaluate the Journey's progress. They were also tasked with identifying the priorities and goals for the coming year. At the workshop the decision was made by the management team to reconfirm their commitment to the GASCO 21 Journey and the "Commitment to Excellence" certificate was created, signed and then distributed throughout the organization.

It was also realized that additional Change Agents would aid the organizational change efforts underway within GASCO so each division manager nominated a part-time Change Agent to support the core team for the coming year. That had the effect of expanding the GASCO 21 Team from 4 Change Champions to a team of 21, even though 17 individuals were serving in a part-time role.

The success and impact the Change Agents have had on their divisions is clearly reflected by the size of the current GASCO 21 Team today. From 2004 through 2006 the team continued to grow and today there are more than 90 Divisional Change Agents.

Summary

In this article we laid the foundation of the GASCO 21 Journey that was implemented to ensure a successful merger between two gas producing giants within Abu Dhabi. In the next article more information will be provided on the tools and methods that were introduced to help keep the Journey on track!