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    Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology
    Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology
    Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology
    Ebook226 pages2 hours

    Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology

    By Water Environment Federation

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    About this ebook

    Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology is a tool for utility leaders to better understand how groups can work together to ensure better performance; value to the organization, community, and environment; coherence; and well-being of the utility through the application of systems thinking and a methodology for improvement. The authors examined the management of water sector utilities from a "systems thinking," or holistic, point of view, starting with the complete system, then defining the components, considering the interactions between them, measuring key variables of value creation and impact, making adjustments, and learning. The overall goal is to establish a knowledge-based roadmap for improvement, including practical methodologies based on science and grounded in the real needs of water sector utilities. A systems approach acknowledges that an integrated system has qualities that the sum of the individual components cannot explain. It is by a holistic view that the system can be learning and developing in a more sustainable way so that a much broader value can be created—both monetary value and better organizational performance.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWater Environment Federation
    Release dateOct 13, 2022
    ISBN9781572784314
    Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology

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      Book preview

      Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking - Water Environment Federation

      Front Cover of Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology

      Improving Utilities with Systems Thinking: People, Process, and Technology

      Zdenko Vitasovic, Gustaf Olsson, Pernille Ingildsen, & Scott Haskins

      2022

      Copyright © 2022 by the Water Environment Federation and the International Water Association Publishing. All Rights Reserved. Permission to copy must be obtained from WEF and IWAP.

      Water Environment Research, WEF, and WEFTEC are registered trademarks of the Water Environment Federation.

      ISBN 978-1-57278-429-1 WEF

      ISBN 9781789063134 IWAP

      IMPORTANT NOTICE

      The material presented in this publication has been prepared in accordance with generally recognized engineering principles and practices and is for general information only. This information should not be used without first securing competent advice from an industry professional with respect to its suitability for any general or specific application.

      No reference made in this publication to any specific method, product, process, or service constitutes or implies an endorsement, recommendation, or warranty thereof by WEF or IWA.

      WEF and IWA make no representation or warranty of any kind, whether expressed or implied, concerning the accuracy, product, or process discussed in this publication and assumes no liability.

      Anyone using this information assumes all liability arising from such use, including but not limited to infringement of any patent or patents.

      WEF and IWA work hard to ensure that the information in this publication is accurate and complete. However, it is possible that the information may change after publication, and/or that errors or omissions may occur. We welcome your suggestions on how to improve this publication and correct errors. WEF and IWA disclaim all liability for, damages of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on information included in this publication to the full extent provided by state and Federal law.

      About WEF

      The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 30,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, our mission is to connect water professionals; enrich the expertise of water professionals; increase the awareness of the impact and value of water; and provide a platform for water sector innovation. To learn more, visit www.wef.org.

      About IWAP

      The International Water Association (IWA) is a network and an international global knowledge hub open to all water professionals and anyone committed to the future of water. With its legacy of over seventy years, it connects water professionals around the world to find solutions to global water challenges as part of a broader sustainability agenda.

      As a non-profit organization with members in more than 130 countries, IWA connects scientists with professionals and communities so that pioneering research offers sustainable solutions. In addition, the association promotes and supports technological innovation and best practices through international frameworks and standards. Each year, IWA organizes and sponsors over 40 specialised conferences and seminars on a wide variety of water and sanitation topics worldwide. Further, IWA publishes 14 scientific journals and 30+ books per year by IWA Publishing. Meet us at the IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition, the IWA Water and Development Congress & Exhibition, and our Specialist Groups Conferences worldwide. For more information, please visit www.iwa-network.org.

      Introduction of Authors

      Contents

      INTRODUCTION OF AUTHORS

      FOREWORD—BARRY LINER

      PROLOGUE: FROM SMART TO WISE—A WAKE-UP CALL

      GUIDE TO THE READER

      INTRODUCING THE DOCUMENT

      THE TOPIC

      THE INTENDED READER

      KEY MESSAGES

      EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      1 THE UAIM FRAMEWORK EXPERIENCES

      2 WATER INTRAPRENEURS FOR SUCCESSFUL ENTERPRISES—A VISION

      2.1 URBAN WATER CHALLENGES—GLOBALLY AND REGIONALLY

      2.1.1 Nature and Water

      2.1.2 Climate Change

      2.1.3 Sustainability Goals

      2.1.4 The WISE Approach

      2.2 QUALITIES OF A WISE UTILITY

      2.3 THE ROLE OF SYSTEMS THINKING

      2.4 THE WISE FRAMEWORK

      3 VALUE CREATION

      3.1 VALUE CREATION—BUSINESS PROCESSES

      3.2 VALUE CREATION—PEOPLE

      3.3 VALUE CREATION—TECHNOLOGY

      3.4 INTEGRATION—THE CORE OF SYSTEMS THINKING

      4 EXTERNAL IMPACT

      4.1 THE OUTCOME

      4.2 SAFEGUARDING FUTURE WATER SUPPLY

      4.2.1 Water Reuse

      4.2.2 Influencing Customer Behavior

      4.2.3 Tariffs and the Value of Water

      4.3 EXTERNAL IMPACT

      4.4 ADAPTATION TO HUMAN SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT

      5 ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT

      5.1 ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGE OF EXTERNAL ADAPTATION

      5.2 ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

      5.3 UNDERSTANDING HOW HUMANS MAKE DECISIONS

      5.4 UNDERSTANDING HOW ORGANIZATIONS MAKE DECISIONS—ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

      5.5 A CONTINUOUSLY LEARNING ORGANIZATION—A PATH TO WISDOM

      5.6 DEALING WITH WICKED PROBLEMS

      6 UAIM RESULTS—MODELS AND METHODS

      6.1 THE UAIM EFFORT TOWARD WISE

      6.2 UAIM RESULTS—BUSINESS PROCESSES

      6.2.1 Business Process Maturity Model

      6.2.2 Illustration of Continuous Improvement

      6.3 UAIM RESULTS IN THE PEOPLE TOPICS

      6.3.1 Workforce and Organizational Culture

      6.3.2 Change Management

      7 TRANSITION FROM UAIM TO WEF/WISE

      7.1 TECHNOLOGY IN THE SMART UTILITY ERA

      7.2 INTEGRATING ALL ASPECTS OF VALUE CREATION AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT

      7.3 A PROJECT BECOMES A MOVEMENT

      7.4 NEXT STEPS

      8 LEAP—LEADERS FOR EMERGING APPLIED PRACTICES

      8.1 THE PURPOSE OF LEAP

      8.2 WHY JOIN LEAP

      ABBREVIATIONS

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      REFERENCES

      ENDNOTES

      Foreword

      Barry Liner, PhD, PE, BCEE

      Chief Technical Officer, The Water Environment Federation, Alexandria, Virginia, USA

      At their core, water utilities have a noble mission for literally centuries: protect public and environmental health through stewardship of all water resources including drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater. Because of their critical mission, most water utilities are in the public sector and operate as monopolies in their service areas. While private sector businesses must focus on their competitive advantage, water utilities’ (whether public or private) competitive advantage is the public good. In the 21st century, utilities are facing challenges like funding for ageing infrastructure, workforce transformation, economic development, and technological innovation. Utility management professionals can use some techniques from business to improve operations, enhance efficiency, and instill a culture of embracing innovation.

      The Water Intrapreneurs for Successful Enterprises (WISE) movement, which evolved from the Utility Analysis and Improvement Methodology (UAIM) initiative, provides a way of thinking about the business of running a water utility. Because value creation at a water utility has nuances that only other entities serving the public good would fully appreciate, the WISE framework builds from expertise from utility managers worldwide. This publication explains the benefits of system thinking and maturity models, and how people, process, and technology interact. The business process mapping and other tools of the WISE framework enable utility management professionals at all levels to apply the best of business process improvement practices in a way that is tailored to the unique demands of value creation at water utilities. Watching the evolution of the movement from a handful of people developing UAIM to the tried and tested tools in the WISE framework has been fascinating. I look forward to the continued evolution and impact of the WISE community.

      Prologue: From Smart to WISE—A Wake-Up Call

      People in the water sector have the honor and privilege to work on a noble mission as stewards of a fundamental component of life: water. Water sector utilities are facing several challenges; each of us needs to consider if we are fulfilling all aspects of our responsibilities as water professionals, servants to our communities, and human beings that are part of nature.

      Our sector is facing different categories of challenges:

      1.Category 1—challenges in our role as purveyors of water and wastewater services. The focus of this challenge is on performing within a role that utilities have traditionally perceived as their core mission that includes efficient execution of tasks such as securing adequate quantities of water from the environment, providing water to their customers, collecting and treating wastewater, and managing stormwater. To meet these challenges, we need to implement methodologies that allow us to make decisions based on sound engineering and scientific knowledge.

      2.Category 2—challenges in our role as stewards and protectors of a precious resource that has a profound impact on the sustainability of the cycle of life as we

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