Abstract
Intelligent Energy (IE) is a broad initiative to improve asset performance and boost corporate value. IE includes the following major concepts, all of which require new work processes, workforce adoption, and, ultimately, changes in behavior:
Fully-integrated operations
Task and process automation
Digitally-enabled technology
Increased recovery
Improved HSE
Innovative and efficient methods to maximize production
The concept of Intelligent Energy was formally introduced to the oil and gas industry in 2003 with the release of Cambridge Energy Research Associates' multi-client study on the digital oilfield. Although the technology exists for this initiative to succeed, the industry has not seen the expected level of uptake or success. This lack of implantation is attributed in part to organizational transformation, which must accompany the adoption of these new work processes if the IE initiative is to succeed. Transformation includes convincing employees to embrace new ways of working, commiting themselves to learning, and ideally to mastering the application of the new operating principles. Unfortunately, corporate objectives and individual motivators are often misaligned, causing delays and resistance to the changes necessary for widespread adoption.
Lessons and insights extracted from seemingly unrelated disciplines can be applied to the oil and gas industry to great advantage. For example, several concepts from the field of psychology, dealing with organization and human behavior, may prove to be beneficial to the adoption of Intelligent-Energy initiatives and the transformation of production operations. These concepts include Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, the "10,000-Hour Rule," and "The Magical Number Seven" (also known as Miller's Law).
