How do decisions get made in organisations? And what does it look like to support the decision-making process really effectively? And how might human behaviour be accounted for?

Clym Stock-Williams is Head of Operational Excellence in the Offshore Wind Division at the renewable energy company Vattenfall. In this episode, Clym explains how effective decision systems align people, data, processes and technology with organisational strategy. And we explore how to design for human thinking and behaviour. 

Sarah and Clym discuss:

• How Clym’s background gives him a way to combine different approaches in supporting decision-making: thinking about human behaviour alongside data, technology and engineering processes. 
• What operational excellence means – delivering outcomes by aligning resources, people, processes, incentives and technology with the organisational strategy.
• Designing systems by starting from the value you’re trying to create, then mapping backwards to consider what needs to happen for that value to be realised.
• How to provide decision-makers with the appropriate level of detail for different types of decisions.
• The concept of ‘black box’ services – how much do people actually need to know?
• The role of trust and transparency in building systems that work.
• How behavioural science is shaping Clym’s approach to systems design and operational excellence.

Clym is expressing his own views, rather than representing the position of Vattenfall.

Episode Resources

Find Clym at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/clym-stock-williams-68007212/ 

During the discussion, we refer to the following:

Joseph Paris / Operational Excellence:

Joseph Paris, State of Readiness

Operational Excellence Collection

David Rock / SCARF:

Rock, David (2008) "SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others", NeuroLeadership Journal, 1

Rock, David and Cox, Christine (2012) "SCARF® in 2012: updating the social neuroscience of collaborating with others", NeuroLeadership Journal, 4

Scarf Model Motivate Your Employees

Scarf Assessment

Susan Michie, UCL / The Behaviour Change Wheel:

The Behaviour Change Wheel

UCL Behaviour Change/ Training

Human Behaviour Change Project / Webinars

Progressive Disclosure / Design Principles:

Progressive Disclosure

User Centred Design

Nonviolent communication:

What is NVC

Paul Gibbons:

The Science of Organizational Change

Speak to the human is a podcast by Acteon, a communication and learning agency that harnesses behavioural insights to help organisations connect with their people and deliver positive change. Find out more at acteoncommunication.com.