In the week of International Women’s Day, we recognise how diverse teams are critical to achieving a secure, affordable, and sustainable energy future for all.
As one of the least gender diverse sectors, energy represents a below average participation of women, compared to the broader economy. Women are key drivers of innovative solutions, business models, and inclusivity, which are all vital enablers for the energy transition. Women’s roles in utilities have never been more significant.
Diverse talent pool
Teams that demonstrate greater participation from a diverse talent pool are capable of outperforming others and can be instrumental to business transformation. Too often, professionals feel they can’t contribute to an industry sub-sector if they don’t have the specific engineering or science knowledge, but the energy transition calls for a broad spectrum of skills and experience.
Businesses benefit from recruiting employees who have been given opportunities to step outside of their comfort zones and gain experience in a different role, different part of the organisation, or even a different industry. Colleagues that are open and curious to learning new things contribute to a creative and innovative culture – and this is even more influential in leadership roles.
At 618 Insight, we work with leadership teams to help them challenge their organisation, manage risks, and maximise growth opportunities. We partner with organisations and connect with all areas of the business to maximise innovation and improve performance.
Inclusivity for success
Diverse perspectives naturally foster better solutions and are less likely to exclude any opportunities to innovate. To maximise this, organisations should build teams with diversity of gender, race, age, geographical background, and industry expertise.
Ultimately, teams that are better at solving problems generate a competitive advantage and provide the best outcomes for business – increasing revenue for their organisation.
A utility company’s ability to put together a diverse team can be critical to its success, and the success of the energy transition.
What other industries can we learn from to maximise the benefits of diversity in the utilities sector?
