When your ability to change becomes mission–critical

Utilities and public organisations are under pressure. Citizens, customers and regulators expect faster change, better service and new solutions. At the same time, technology is advancing faster than ever. AI, automation and new ways of collaborating are creating opportunities that were unimaginable just a few years ago. Yet many organisations are experiencing the opposite. Change takes longer. Projects become more expensive. Even essential improvements are difficult to implement.

We encounter this paradox time and again. And the explanation is rarely about technology alone. It lies in the organisation’s overall delivery system: its processes, capabilities, leadership models, budgets, contracts and suppliers. It is the sum of all the choices the organisation has made over the years.

Each individual choice often made good sense when it was made. But over time, complexity grows. New systems are layered on top of old ones. Workflows are adapted to local needs. Contracts are extended. Responsibilities shift. Temporary solutions become permanent. The result is a delivery system that becomes increasingly complex and difficult to evolve.

The consequences manifest themselves in several ways

We see organisations introducing new systems without achieving the expected benefits because workflows and governance models remain unchanged.

We see organisations where suppliers become so central that they effectively become custodians of critical knowledge. Not because the suppliers are doing anything wrong, but because the organisation itself gradually loses sight of the technical and organisational interdependencies.

And we see organisations that want to capitalise on the opportunities offered by AI and emerging technologies, but where culture, organisational structures or long-held views of the core mission become the real barrier.

The technology is ready. The organisation is not

This is why the challenge is increasingly also one of leadership. It is not only about finding the next technology, but about ensuring that the delivery system can evolve faster than its surroundings change. First and foremost, this requires a better balance between operations and renewal. Operations naturally take up most of the attention because they must function every single day. But without continuous renewal, tomorrow’s operations gradually become more expensive, slower and more vulnerable.

It also requires a new perspective on suppliers. Too many organisations either try to keep suppliers at arm’s length or hand over too much responsibility to them. Neither approach works particularly well. The best results often emerge when the organisation and its suppliers develop solutions together, while the organisation retains ownership of direction, priorities and critical knowledge.

Finally, it requires recognising that change also has a human dimension. Capabilities must be developed. New roles must be established. Workflows must change. The organisation must be able to keep pace. Otherwise, the ambition of continuous renewal quickly gives way to fatigue and resistance.

For organisations that are critical to society, the greatest risk is therefore not necessarily outdated technology.

The greatest risk is a delivery system that has become more difficult to renew than the environment it is meant to serve. The task of leadership is not merely to reduce technical debt or carry out yet another transformation programme. It is to ensure that technology, people, processes and partnerships evolve in the same direction. Only then can the organisation both deliver today and renew itself for tomorrow.

Building a delivery system fit for change

At Valcon, we work at the intersection of strategy, operations, technology and supplier management. We help organisations understand and strengthen their delivery system, enabling lasting improvements by ensuring that ambitions, investments, ways of working and partnerships evolve in the same direction.

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