Working towards a net zero future requires change and adaptation from us all. Innovation offers many potential solutions on how to successfully make that change within the oil and gas industry. Consequently, maximising the value that technological innovation presents is vital for delivering a sustainable net zero. Yet, the oil and gas industry has developed a reputation for being conservative and reluctant to adopt new technology, with companies sometimes referred to as "fast followers". In recent years, the industry has begun to change with an incremental increase in innovation activities. Despite these efforts, and a need to accelerate innovation, there appears to be a resistance to adopt new technology. Evidence from O&G industry bodies indicate that psychological factors play a key role in technology adoption; not surprisingly, as workers, managers, investors, and regulators can all have a powerful influence on an organisation's receptivity to new technology. Recent research has provided insight into the psychological factors that influence technology uptake decisions in the oil and gas industry. Through a series of studies, the psychological technology adoption framework (P-TAF) was developed which outlined the 15 key psychological factors that influence technology adoption decisions. These are organised into 6 categories: personality, attitudes, motivations, cognitive factors, social factors, and organisational level factors. The work emphasised the influence that overarching organisational culture can have on how people respond to and introduce technology within their company. Whilst technology readiness levels are commonly applied to start-ups and their innovations, less is known about the readiness culture which facilitates innovation uptake. To bridge this gap, a preliminary measure of organisational innovation adoption culture was developed as based upon the previous psychological research, empirical innovation measures, and organisational culture models. This was piloted as an online survey with 36 people working in the technology space in O&G in June 2020. These results were used to later refine the culture measure to develop a 33-item scale consisting of eight categories. This new measure was deployed as part of an industry benchmarking study of innovation adoption culture within O&G consisting of 82 managers from 12 companies and in December 2020. Participating organisations were given the opportunity to receive a snapshot of their technology adoption culture. An overview of the measure and a summary of survey results will be given during the presentation as well as recommendations on how to support an innovation adoption culture. A considerable volume of new technology needs to be developed and adopted to be able to reach net zero and understanding the psychological and cultural barriers is imperative to delivering that.
What use is technology if no one uses it? This question underscores the critical interaction between people and the technology, highlighting the importance of understanding the underlying psychological factors that influence technology uptake. This study focuses on the corporate decision-makers who are the "gatekeepers" to the introduction of new technologies by their organizations. The offshore oil and gas industry has been characterized as reluctant to adopt new technology. Our thematic analysis of an interview study with 37 innovation technology stakeholders from this sector identified a set of six categories encompassing 15 psychological factors that influence the organizational decision-maker. The categories were labeled personality, attitudes, motivations, cognitive factors, social factors, and organizational factors set in a Psychological Technology Adoption Framework. This is the first attempt to focus exclusively on the main psychological factors that relate to this key decision-maker in the adoption of new technology. With further development, this preliminary psychological technology adoption framework can be used to develop interventions that support the successful technology uptake in the oil and gas business and similar industries.
The UK and the international community have an increasing interest in the benefits of a hydrogen-based economy. Existing and emerging technologies that are inherently carbon-neutral and potentially carbon-negative are increasingly attractive, given the challenge of meeting climate targets to prevent climate change and build a clean growth strategy. The integration of clean energy technologies across the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS) can increase the flexibility of the energy system, driving efficiency, cost reduction and enhancing the value of natural resources. There are over 250 platforms and 45,000 kilometres of pipeline installed within the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS). As these assets near the end of their economic life oil and gas operators are planning to decommission these facilities in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Current cost forecasts for this activity exceed £58bn with approximately 50% borne by the operators and 50% borne by UK taxpayers. The Hydrogen Offshore Production (HOP) project identifies an alternative to decommissioning by providing re-use options for offshore infrastructure while addressing the national challenge of a low carbon energy supply. In doing so, the project will prove the feasibility of several decentralised hydrogen generation, storage and distribution options that collectively provide a scalable offshore hydrogen production solution, whilst offsetting a portion of decommissioning costs that are currently forecast for all offshore assets and infrastructure. HOP will tackle the challenge of bulk hydrogen production by (1) proposing viable environmental and economic technology solutions to be deployed offshore, (2) developing a new Industrial Hydrogen Production test site to both prove the industrial benefits and to aid commercialisation of emerging technology and, (3) conducting market analysis and producing the business case for the transformation of existing offshore infrastructure, re-purposing assets and demonstrating the viability for decentralised generation of hydrogen. As part of the project, an Industrial Hydrogen Production test site will be established with Flotta (Orkney Islands) being proposed as the location. This will provide a test bed for technology, fast-tracking its development and providing a route for accelerated commercial deployment. Within a region of considerable renewable energy generation, the island of Flotta is ideally placed to benefit from local expertise, existing supply chain and advanced technology solutions. For example, the Industrial Hydrogen Production test site would greatly benefit from lessons learnt at the nearby Orkney Water Testing Centre.
Innovation is critical to the future success of the oil and gas industry. Yet, the sector has a reputation for being conservative and reluctant to adopt new technology with companies sometimes referred to as "fast followers". Compared to other sectors, O&G has a set of unique characteristics that has the potential to hinder technology adoption. Research in other industries indicates that there is a range of sector, organizational and psychological factors that can hinder the introduction of new technologies. Evidence from O&G industry bodies indicate that the psychological factors play a key role in technology adoption; not surprisingly, as workers, managers, investors and regulators can all have a powerful influence on an organisation's receptivity to new technology. The psychological factors do not appear to be well understood but may include risk aversion (Wood Review, 2014), lack of ownership and leadership around technology (OGTC, 2018), and an attitude of reluctance to change (Oil and Gas Authority, 2018). This new research project is designed to examine how the particular attributes of the upstream oil and gas industry on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf interact with the underlying psychological processes that govern adoption and deployment decisions. The presentation will first outline what can be learned from about the psychological factors that influence technology innovation and adoption from the broader consumer behaviour and human factors literatures. Then the preliminary results of an interview study with stakeholders involved in technology innovation and adoption on the UKCS, will be reported. Roles include senior managers, innovation leads, and end users from a spectrum of established and new comer companies. A summary of the key themes identified will be discussed including personality (e.g. innovativeness), attitude (e.g. risk aversion), cognitive (e.g. risk perception), social (subjective norms) and organisational level factors (e.g. leadership and organisational culture). These results are being used to develop a preliminary framework of the psychological factors that influence technology adoption in O&G and to produce tools and guidelines on how to support the introduction of new technologies.
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