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Why Diversity is Crucial for Success

By Betty Shanahan, Lori Dalrymple, and Rubén Caligari
9 Dec 2015

From the exploration and production of oil and gas to the ultimate distribution of
petroleum-based products to customers, the oil and gas industry is global and
multidisciplinary. The global nature of the industry is re،ected in the membership of
SPE: Professional members of SPE live in 147 countries, and a review of the student
membership suggests that the Society will become even more diverse in the years to
come.

Given that mergers and acquisitions are the global climate in the industry today, as a
young professional, how do you feel about change? Do you feel con،dent that your
job is secure and you have room for growth, or are you worried? It is inevitable that
change will be part of your future in this industry, and soft skills hold the key in
helping you successfully navigate it.

If you imagine yourself standing in front of a pyramid face (Fig. 1), there is something
that you cannot see—the third corner at the back of the pyramid. But without it the
pyramid cannot stand. Such is the role that soft skills play in career success.

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Fig. 1—Soft skills are an integral part of career success.

Take the case of a major professional sports team with highly paid players. They all
want to win, but sometimes they let their own importance get in the way of the team’s
success. Diversity is having a team of players, each with his or her own unique level of
physical capabilities and experiences. Inclusion is all of the team members, including
the star players, accepting the talents, strengths, and experiences of others, along
with the insight of the coach, to move the team to a higher level of excellence.

Embracing Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and the ability to accept, adapt, and change with the global climate of the
industry is a gift that not every person possesses. To appreciate a gift, you have to
understand how valuable it is to you.

In a 2014 Ernst & Young series called “The DNA of the COO: Time to Claim the
Spotlight,” a report titled “An Oil and Gas Sector Perspective” states that mergers and
acquisitions are on the rise as oil and gas companies seek to divest noncore assets.

Three-quarters of the chief operating o،cers polled for the report said that highly
developed leadership qualities and interpersonal skills are the most crucial attributes
to success, while 60% emphasized communication and in،uencing skills. These are
professional people in charge of the operations of major oil and gas companies who
cited soft skills as a large percentage of the most important attributes they needed to
be successful.

Few petroleum engineers work alone. Oil and gas projects are complex and often
require large teams. It is common to ،nd participation from engineers, scientists,
technologists, and business professionals in a team. The global nature of our industry
demands that individuals from di،erent cultures and backgrounds transcend their
di،erences to form a cohesive work group.

To contribute in this work environment, petroleum engineers must understand that

their technical contributions alone are not su،cient. Without the soft skills to
collaborate
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technical contributions will be limited. Studies published in other engineering
disciplines also show that one of the keys to career success for engineers is to develop

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and hone communication skills, ethics, teamwork, and other interpersonal skills
(Kumar and Hsiao 2007).

Diversity Drives Innovation

If you aspire for a leadership position in the industry, go beyond being capable of
working in a diverse team to leveraging team diversity to drive innovation. Research
shows that the best solutions are developed by diverse teams in which individuals
from di،erent generations, and with di،erent backgrounds, experiences, and
approaches collaborate to create solutions that none of them individually could
develop.

In his book, The Medici E،ect: What Elephants & Epidemics Can Teach Us About
Innovation, Frans Johansson, a business strategist who emphasizes innovation, argues
that extraordinary innovations occur when ideas and concepts from diverse
industries, cultures, departments, and disciplines collide. In other words, great leaders
not only understand the value of diversity, but they also actively seek it and embrace
it.

According to Scott E. Page, a professor at the University of Michigan and the author of
The Di،erence: How the Power of Diversity Creates Better Groups, Firms, Schools, and
Societies, in solving problems and making predictions, “diversity matters just as much
as ability.”

For problem solving, especially in times of mergers and acquisitions, diverse teams
bring di،erent approaches so that when one person gets stuck, another ،nds an
improvement. Diverse perspectives result in diverse predictive models and improve
the team’s analyses. Wise leaders realize that working e،ectively within a diverse team
is the scenario that will deliver the best solutions.

Obtaining the value of diversity requires each team member to participate

authentically. Each team member must recognize that di،erent communication styles,
problem-solving approaches, cultural values, life experiences, and expertise must be
respected and included in the team dynamics. It must be anticipated that a new,
diverse team will take longer to become e،ective than a homogeneous team.
However, the additional time investment is rewarded by the far superior solutions a
diverse team will be capable of generating.

Diversity and inclusion are more than soft skills. They are “foundational skills”
necessary for career success. 

Betty Shanahan is a consultant to the executive vice president of administrative

services at Michigan State University. From 2002 to 2014, she served as the executive
director and chief executive o،cer of the Society of Women Engineers. Before joining
the society, she spent 24 years in development, engineering management, and
marketing in the electronics and software industries. Shanahan holds a BS in electrical
engineering from Michigan State University, an MS in software engineering from the
Wang Institute of Graduate Studies, and an MBA in strategic management from the
University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business.

Lori Dalrymple is the owner of Architecture of Communication, a company providing

soft skills training for oil and gas industry professionals. She developed a global
multicultural business training program aimed at increasing employees’ ability to
understand and conduct business with customers and colleagues globally. Dalrymple
also o،ers training in presentation skills and one-on-one communication skills for
clients who speak English as a second language.
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Rubén Caligari is a professor of petroleum engineering at the Instituto Tecnológico de

Buenos Aires. He recently retired as a senior technical adviser of nonconventional
resources from Petrobras. Previously, he worked for PESA, an energy company based
in Argentina, and BJ Services. With more than 30 years of experience, he has served in
several technical and managerial positions in exploration and production operations
in Latin America. Caligari holds a petroleum engineering degree with honors from the
Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Argentina and is an alumnus of the University of
Michigan’s Ross School of Business and the Universidad Di Tella in Argentina. A
Distinguished Member of SPE, Caligari was its regional director for South America and
the Caribbean in 2008.

The Way Ahead is generated by SPE young professional members. TWA editors for this
article are Rita Okoroafor, Asif Zafar, and Michael Stratton. For more, visit TWA.

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