The Oil Ministry's deputy for management development and human capital has announced a program to identify and prioritize the industry's technology needs in human capital, in cooperation with the Oil Industry Technology and Innovation Park. The aim is for knowledge-based and technology firms to offer products and services matched to the oil industry's real problems.
Sediqeh Khazaei described the deputy ministry's approach to drawing on the country's innovation ecosystem in human capital. "One of our key approaches is not to examine the issues in this field solely within administrative structures, but also to draw on the capacity of the country's innovation ecosystem," she said.
Outlining areas of cooperation with knowledge-based companies, she said that identifying the industry's real needs, assessing solutions technically and economically, and creating room for pilot deployments are prerequisites for turning technology firms' capacity into solutions the oil industry can use. The deputy ministry is pursuing a program to identify technology needs and challenges in human capital management with the Oil Industry Technology and Innovation Park.
From technology-driven to problem-driven
Stressing that the cooperation must rest on identifying the industry's real problems, Khazaei said the core principle of the program is a shift from a technology-driven to a problem-driven approach. "First the industry's real problem is identified and defined, and then we look for a suitable technological solution to it," she said.
She said the areas under consideration include human capital planning and recruitment, talent management, performance appraisal, training and capacity building, succession planning, knowledge and experience transfer, human capital data analytics, and the modernization of administrative processes. The health, welfare and quality of life of employees and their families are also an important part of this approach.
She described the program's goal as a precise, measurable and prioritized definition of technology needs, so that knowledge-based companies can tailor their products and services to the oil industry's real requirements.
Support for product development and pilot projects
Referring to the potential for cooperation among the deputy ministry, the Oil Industry Technology and Innovation Park and the Innovation and Prosperity Fund, Khazaei said one of the main obstacles to technology development in Iran is the gap between producing an idea or technological product and bringing it to a real consumer market.
She explained that the same problem exists in human capital. A knowledge-based company may have a suitable solution but face financial and operational constraints in developing the product, piloting it and integrating it into organizational processes.
She added that cooperation among the three bodies could create a complete chain of support for innovation.
The deputy minister said that within this framework, the following can be put to use:
- financing for product development
- support for pilot projects
- facilities and support instruments consistent with the Fund's rules
- technical assessment of products
- easier links between technology firms and industrial consumers
Khazaei stressed that financing is effective only when it is based on real needs and on economic and technical evaluation. The priority, she said, is to support solutions that are not only innovative but also feasible, scalable and secure in terms of data, and that create added value for the oil industry.
She described the ultimate goal as moving knowledge-based companies beyond the stage of submitting proposals and making them part of the oil industry's problem-solving and performance-improvement system.
Proposed solutions must be distinguished from deployed products
Asked about solutions offered by knowledge-based companies for the oil industry's human capital problems, Khazaei said a distinction must be drawn among identified capacities, proposed solutions and projects that have reached the operational stage.
She added that one of the serious avenues of cooperation with technology firms is now a program to identify intelligent human capital management solutions, pursued with the participation of the Oil Industry Technology and Innovation Park.
Pointing to areas with potential for knowledge-based products, she named human capital data analytics, talent management, smart training, performance appraisal, succession planning, knowledge transfer and improved employee services.
By way of example, she said data analytics tools can help managers identify more accurately the makeup of the workforce, specialist needs and skills gaps. Knowledge management systems, she said, can help record and transfer the specialized experience of veteran employees.
Stressing the need to measure the real results of cooperation with knowledge-based companies, she said success should be judged by indicators such as shorter process times, more accurate decision-making, better service quality, lower costs and actual use of the product.
"In presenting achievements, we should rely on measurable results and avoid announcing merely showy successes," the deputy oil minister said.