5
would stakeholders not believe in what the technical team
are doing? The earlier adopters and most influential stake-
holders did not understand and believe in the work of the
technical team. A simple, aligned and commonly believed
purpose statement was absent. From the functional strategy
workshop, the Kennecott Technical group’s purpose state-
ment is detailed as follows:
We are the Custodians of the Ore Body and its
effectiveness. We are responsible for developing and
supporting the delivery of the Value Stream Plan to
unlock the optimal value for the short and long term.
This purpose statement highlights the importance of
each technical role in defining and handling the ore body
across the different lifecycle stages to maximize value. Be it
the Geologists interpreting drilled core or the Metallurgists
refining copper cathode, technical professionals play a piv-
otal role in Kennecott’s decision-making.
A method statement articulates how the team will
deliver on its purpose. The Kennecott Technical group’s
method statement is detailed as follows:
• • Investing and Retaining World Class Technical
capability of the value stream
• • Conducting exploration and evaluation of new
development opportunities.
• • Identifying, Defining, and Delivering Improvement
Projects
• • Establishing and ensuring adherence to Operating
and Technical limits
• • Quantifying threats and opportunities and devel-
oping actions to optimize the integrated plan
• • Establishing and ensuring the integrity of critical
data and systems
• • Safely managing major hazard risks to the business
(i.e., open pit wall stability and molten metal)
The stated actions are broad but encompass key value
chain touchpoints. With a pre-disposition for risk aver-
sion, focus was placed on value creation in addition to risk
mitigation.
The true essence of the workshop came back to align-
ing the values of Kennecott Technical group to Rio Tinto’s
core values of Care, Courage, and Curiosity. The Kennecott
Technical group’s fundamental beliefs are detailed below:
• • We have a seat at the table and a voice that is heard
and respected – Care and Courage
• • We value diversity and inclusion -Curiosity
• • We challenge, learn, and grow with humility -Care
• • We collaborate within and across teams to develop
effective partnerships -Care
• • We give and receive constructive feedback
-Courage
• • We deliver timely solutions (find the “How to”)
-Curiosity
• • We are always present in our behaviors and actions
– Care
These simple fundamental beliefs serve as the glue that
keeps the team together and centered on aspired behaviors.
With the current and future states of the garden under-
stood and the plant types selected, a landscaping plan was
prepared to support and accelerate sustainable change. The
landscaping plan is akin to the functional strategy road
map. Routines were assessed and reset via the Management
Operating System, which comprised a calendar of non-
negotiable technical deliverables and routines (e.g., resource
and reserve statements, capital projects study deadlines,
quarterly integrated plans for annual budgets, and plant
centerline tracking for stability). Technical staffing was
optimized by re-establishing clarity of role competencies
and behaviors. Some technical roles were repurposed, some
new technical roles were created, and some existing techni-
cal roles were resituated to other parts of the Kennecott
Technical group. Organic growth of technical leadership
capability was achieved through a balanced dose of pro-
motions, sprinkling of new Rio Tinto talent from outside
Kennecott and injection of new personnel from outside Rio
Tinto. It is important for technical professionals to see dif-
ferent challenges and different ways of thinking to add to
their experiences and perspectives.
Emphasis was also placed on building and celebrat-
ing technical capability. Fundamental skills to play the
difficult line were delivered by way of formalized train-
ing programs on Project Management, Problem Solving,
Decision Making, Crucial Conversations, Everyday
Respect Upstander techniques, Media and Stakeholder
Communications, and Unconscious Bias. Branding cel-
ebration of technical professionals was achieved through
career profiles and work showcasing. Technical profession-
als recognized as being at the pinnacle of their chosen fields
were appointed as RioExperts within the Rio Excel pro-
gram. RioExcel was created by Rio Tinto to formally recog-
nize technical professionals who seek to specialize in their
chosen fields. Rio Experts are expected to continue sharing
and communicating their knowledge to others within the
business to aid capability development. There was also an
uplift in the awarding of signature Copper, Silver, and Gold
Coins by senior leaders for demonstrations of care, courage,
and curiosity by technical professionals.
would stakeholders not believe in what the technical team
are doing? The earlier adopters and most influential stake-
holders did not understand and believe in the work of the
technical team. A simple, aligned and commonly believed
purpose statement was absent. From the functional strategy
workshop, the Kennecott Technical group’s purpose state-
ment is detailed as follows:
We are the Custodians of the Ore Body and its
effectiveness. We are responsible for developing and
supporting the delivery of the Value Stream Plan to
unlock the optimal value for the short and long term.
This purpose statement highlights the importance of
each technical role in defining and handling the ore body
across the different lifecycle stages to maximize value. Be it
the Geologists interpreting drilled core or the Metallurgists
refining copper cathode, technical professionals play a piv-
otal role in Kennecott’s decision-making.
A method statement articulates how the team will
deliver on its purpose. The Kennecott Technical group’s
method statement is detailed as follows:
• • Investing and Retaining World Class Technical
capability of the value stream
• • Conducting exploration and evaluation of new
development opportunities.
• • Identifying, Defining, and Delivering Improvement
Projects
• • Establishing and ensuring adherence to Operating
and Technical limits
• • Quantifying threats and opportunities and devel-
oping actions to optimize the integrated plan
• • Establishing and ensuring the integrity of critical
data and systems
• • Safely managing major hazard risks to the business
(i.e., open pit wall stability and molten metal)
The stated actions are broad but encompass key value
chain touchpoints. With a pre-disposition for risk aver-
sion, focus was placed on value creation in addition to risk
mitigation.
The true essence of the workshop came back to align-
ing the values of Kennecott Technical group to Rio Tinto’s
core values of Care, Courage, and Curiosity. The Kennecott
Technical group’s fundamental beliefs are detailed below:
• • We have a seat at the table and a voice that is heard
and respected – Care and Courage
• • We value diversity and inclusion -Curiosity
• • We challenge, learn, and grow with humility -Care
• • We collaborate within and across teams to develop
effective partnerships -Care
• • We give and receive constructive feedback
-Courage
• • We deliver timely solutions (find the “How to”)
-Curiosity
• • We are always present in our behaviors and actions
– Care
These simple fundamental beliefs serve as the glue that
keeps the team together and centered on aspired behaviors.
With the current and future states of the garden under-
stood and the plant types selected, a landscaping plan was
prepared to support and accelerate sustainable change. The
landscaping plan is akin to the functional strategy road
map. Routines were assessed and reset via the Management
Operating System, which comprised a calendar of non-
negotiable technical deliverables and routines (e.g., resource
and reserve statements, capital projects study deadlines,
quarterly integrated plans for annual budgets, and plant
centerline tracking for stability). Technical staffing was
optimized by re-establishing clarity of role competencies
and behaviors. Some technical roles were repurposed, some
new technical roles were created, and some existing techni-
cal roles were resituated to other parts of the Kennecott
Technical group. Organic growth of technical leadership
capability was achieved through a balanced dose of pro-
motions, sprinkling of new Rio Tinto talent from outside
Kennecott and injection of new personnel from outside Rio
Tinto. It is important for technical professionals to see dif-
ferent challenges and different ways of thinking to add to
their experiences and perspectives.
Emphasis was also placed on building and celebrat-
ing technical capability. Fundamental skills to play the
difficult line were delivered by way of formalized train-
ing programs on Project Management, Problem Solving,
Decision Making, Crucial Conversations, Everyday
Respect Upstander techniques, Media and Stakeholder
Communications, and Unconscious Bias. Branding cel-
ebration of technical professionals was achieved through
career profiles and work showcasing. Technical profession-
als recognized as being at the pinnacle of their chosen fields
were appointed as RioExperts within the Rio Excel pro-
gram. RioExcel was created by Rio Tinto to formally recog-
nize technical professionals who seek to specialize in their
chosen fields. Rio Experts are expected to continue sharing
and communicating their knowledge to others within the
business to aid capability development. There was also an
uplift in the awarding of signature Copper, Silver, and Gold
Coins by senior leaders for demonstrations of care, courage,
and curiosity by technical professionals.