International Energy Services and Solutions Company

Our Approach

Unpacking the strategy 

• We first sought to help “unpack” each of the company’s three strategic priorities to understand the role of the UK residential arm in relation to them. 
• To reach this common articulation of the strategy, we engaged people across the business, including holding focus groups with a cross section of employees across the country. Taking their input we worked closely with the MD and executive team to design two day-long sessions to engage the wider leadership team. 
• The outcome was a set of three narratives that clearly described the purpose of the UK residential arm in relation to the wider organisation strategy. The collaborative approach we took was vital in engaging the employees in the analysis of the strategy, and involving a significant number of the organisation helped increase employee engagement since the work completed. 

Aligning strategy and structure 

• The analysis of the strategy led to clear implications for the operating model, and so we embarked on a redesign of the organisation with the business.
• The outcome was a single energy business structured around an end-to-end value chain and new operating model.  
• This included integrating front and back end customer operations (from contact through to billing and collection) to create a truly consistent focus on customer outcomes.  
• The new operating model integrated Smart activities across the value chain, rather than as a stand-alone business unit as had previously been the case.  
• The design also established: a single commercial function focused on the full residential customer segment and more closely aligned with the central organisation’s commercial team, and a single change team, responsible for managing an overall change portfolio prioritisation model (another outcome of the work). 

A collaborative approach 

• The defining feature of the client–Q5 relationship was collaboration. From the beginning there was absolute clarity on how we would work together. Our team supported the client by bringing robust organisation design and programme management methods, both proven and intuitive. Combined with the close partnership working, we maintained a vital external perspective via independent facilitation and supportive challenge.