Digital Workforce: How Human Factors Evolve Through Digital Applications

The oil and gas industry has recently adopted many technologies such as Big Data Analytics, Remote monitoring, Artificial Intelligence, IoT sensors, Digital Twins, RPA, Cloud Computing, Additive manufacturing, Drones, Video Analytics, Mixed realities. These tools have been used in various ways and can be combined to significantly increase the potential for value generation.

The real challenge is how can we implement technology in the field and get people to use it? The oil and gas industry poses certain challenges when it comes to Digital Transformation with regard to its workforce, which is exacerbated in the case of offshore workers.

Resistance is a significant challenge in the industry, with fear of replacement as a major issue for employees who are hesitant to adopt new technologies, impeding progress and innovation. Also, many employees may not fully understand how new technologies work or be skeptical about their reliability.

Some employees may likewise struggle to adapt to new tools and technologies. This can lead to a skills gap and make it more challenging to recruit and retain workers. Furthermore, the oil and gas industry struggles to attract young talent and is not perceived as appealing to the values and career of many young professionals.

Success in the modern oil and gas industry requires workers to continually adapt to new technologies, regulations, and business models, which demands ongoing training and development and represents a significant investment.

Necessary to invest in technology, provide employees with training and development and retain the next generation of workers. Also, mixing experienced people with younger generations can create a more resilient, innovative, and diverse workforce.

New skills opportunities

Some new skills are becoming very important and being frequently demanded and prioritized by most organizations, such as Digital Literacy; Active learning and learning strategies; Emotional Intelligence; Critical thinking and analysis; Complex problem-solving. Demand for these skills reflects the organizations’ changing needs of organizations in response to technological advancements.

"Success in the modern oil and gas industry requires workers to continually adapt to new technologies, regulations, and business models, which demands ongoing training and development and represents a significant investment"

Despite challenges, digitalization creates opportunities to address industry issues by enhancing human capabilities, allowing faster and more efficient decision-making, processing large amounts of data, improving information access and “our memory” and enabling workplace flexibility including remote work.

Digital is one of the ways that will make our industry more attractive to younger talents.

Ocyan digital journey

Ocyan has taken a holistic approach for digital transformation, implementing programs and initiatives that focus on engagement, culture, purpose, and company modernization. By embracing innovation, collaboration, and agility, the company is well-positioned to pursuit the digital future and drive continued growth and success. There are some important topics to highlight in this journey:

Ocyan Waves, an Open Innovation Program that encourages interaction with startups, fostering an environment of collaboration and idea sharing. This program allows for new ideas and fresh perspectives to be introduced into the company, which can help spur innovation and drive digital transformation.

Intralab, to ensure that the company is embracing a new mentality and agile approach to work, Ocyan has implemented Intrapreneurship initiatives, which encourage employees to take on an entrepreneurial mindset and take ownership of the projects assigned to them. This approach enhances a culture of innovation and experimentation, which is essential for digital transformation.

Digital Maturity and Roadmap, to evaluate the company's internal digital maturity and identify areas for improvement, Ocyan has implemented an Internal Digital Maturity Evaluation. This program helps the company identify gaps in its digital infrastructure and processes and provides actionable insights to inform the development of a Digital Roadmap that outlines the steps the organization needs to take to achieve its digital goals.

C-Level Engagement & Support, providing support and commitment to its digital transformation efforts, which ensures that the company's digital initiatives are aligned with its overall business strategy and are given the necessary resources to succeed.

Flexibility in the key

We need to keep investing on the traditional 3-pillar people, processes and systems, to be able to support the technological progress.

In conclusion, digital transformation is a game-changer for the oil and gas industry, enabling companies to optimize operations, reduce costs, and unlock new sources of value. However, to fully realize the benefits of digitalization, companies must also address the cultural and organizational challenges that come with such a profound change.