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Australian Energy Producers Journal Australian Energy Producers Journal Society
Journal of Australian Energy Producers
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Non peer reviewed)

Leading transformations – a holistic approach to leadership development

Scott A. Marshall A * and Eva Freedman B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Woodside, 11 Mount Street, Perth, WA 6000, Australia.

B AGSM, High Street, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.




An Engineer, Scott Marshall joined the Oil and Gas industry with ExxonMobil in 2006 before joining Woodside in 2012. Holding many roles across the Operator Value chain; from facilities engineering, projects, business advisory, cybersecurity and audit. This breadth of understanding, coupled with a natural passion for leadership and genuine interest in people, placed him well for his current role as a disrupter in Human Resources. Scott regards energy as the ‘coolest gig in town’ and sees lots of opportunity in the capability space to bring in data to provide insights and inform people decisions.



Eva Freedman is an Adjunct Associate Professor at AGSM. With more than 30 years’ experience in strategy and human resources, she delivers successfully through rigorous, personal understanding of the strategic drivers of business performance and the ability to align and apply innovative interventions that enables business outcomes. Email: eva.freedman@agsm.edu.au

* Correspondence to: scott.marshall@woodside.com

Australian Energy Producers Journal 64 S73-S77 https://doi.org/10.1071/EP23259
Accepted: 9 April 2024  Published: 16 May 2024

© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of Australian Energy Producers.

Abstract

So, what was Woodside’s challenge? How does an organisation lead through a business transformation, an industry transformation and a global energy transformation simultaneously? And what was Woodside’s answer? To redefine a whole of business approach to leadership and uplift leadership capabilities. The first step was to create a framework to revolutionise the concept of leadership and uplift leadership capability. Woodside wanted every employee to identify as a leader and lead, no matter what their role. In 2021, Woodside partnered and co-created a leadership development program with the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) at UNSW. The program was designed for employees to uplift their leadership capability while empowering Woodsiders to be more deliberate in developing themselves and the organisation into the future. The commitment to date has seen thousands of employees undertake residential immersions and other learning experiences. Leadership and inclusive leadership capability have been uplifted and the framework has been leveraged as Woodside has successfully transformed operating models and completed a large merger. What was originally a stick drawing drafted on a napkin between two Woodside colleagues is now a conclusive framework known as Navigator. Since its inception in 2021 more than 2600 employees across all five countries have attended a Navigator immersion and more than 2500 Apply Learning experiences have been completed globally. Navigator has expanded its global reach across Woodside’s operations in Australia, China, the USA, Trinidad, and most recently in Dakar, Senegal.

Keywords: immersions, inclusive behaviours, leadership development, Navigator, organisational capability, phases.

Biographies

EP23259_B1.gif

An Engineer, Scott Marshall joined the Oil and Gas industry with ExxonMobil in 2006 before joining Woodside in 2012. Holding many roles across the Operator Value chain; from facilities engineering, projects, business advisory, cybersecurity and audit. This breadth of understanding, coupled with a natural passion for leadership and genuine interest in people, placed him well for his current role as a disrupter in Human Resources. Scott regards energy as the ‘coolest gig in town’ and sees lots of opportunity in the capability space to bring in data to provide insights and inform people decisions.

EP23259_B2.gif

Eva Freedman is an Adjunct Associate Professor at AGSM. With more than 30 years’ experience in strategy and human resources, she delivers successfully through rigorous, personal understanding of the strategic drivers of business performance and the ability to align and apply innovative interventions that enables business outcomes. Email: eva.freedman@agsm.edu.au