“Before any project can start, the communication has to be right"

Bringing groups of people with different skills and ideas together isn’t always as straightforward as it might seem; add a global pandemic into the equation and the need for innovative ways of working becomes more imperative. Simona Caruso, Senior Geoscientist, explores how to get all stakeholders involved for the benefit of the project.

As a dual national citizen, learning new cultures and adapting to a different way of working is something I have naturally had to factor into my work. For the clients I work with, who themselves are often located in completely different timezones, having a point of contact who has an appreciation of the challenges they are facing when working in an unfamiliar area brings a sense of reassurance.

For me personally, bringing my experience of moving to a new country and the technical knowledge I’ve gained from my career to a client and to colleagues is what makes collaboration possible. But before any project can start, the communication has to be right.

Each side involved in a project – consultants, researchers, and investors, amongst others – needs to have an open mind and communicate with each other efficiently. If we take the ways in which Covid-19 forced everyone to adapt operations, it is now less challenging for these groups to get into one ‘room’, and this process is something that is here to stay in the form of online workshops.

Collaboration from other areas can be good sources of inspiration. Sport is one such example, one that I have experienced in my personal life. It is a perfect model to follow for collaboration in action – while team members have individual ability levels, we are all working as one towards the same outcome.

This is what is needed in the energy transition. While we are all unique in our abilities, in the end, what matters most is that we continue to share knowledge and experience. At the same time, we also need to be active, rather than simply talking about what needs to happen. Otherwise all the collaborative efforts from across the entire energy sector will be in vain.