On 25 June, my colleague Danit Larter and I joined our first WIRAM event – and WIRAM’s first digital event!
Women in Reliability and Asset Management (WIRAM)
Women in Reliability and Asset Management (WIRAM) is a special interest group that is part of the Association of Asset Management Professionals (AMP), a Florida not-for-profit association. The chosen topic was ‘Practical tools to lead change and influence behaviour.’ During the event, we heard more about change management and how this is important as customers navigate their digital CMMS/EAM journey.
~WIRAM Advocates: ‘Practical tools to lead change and influence behaviour’~
Change Management
As we know, failure to address change can be one of the most common reasons behind project failure. Remember that everyone’s journey is different, but they will still need the education and support in getting their new system stood up and delivering ROI. Identifying the ‘forces for change’ from the off is key and this needs to permeate from the top down. Why are you purchasing the software? What would happen if you didn’t? What are the benefits? The timeline? Identifying your change management agents (maintenance manager, supervisor etc.) is also key for success.
Inclusion
Not only did I learn a lot, but it was great to finally be a part of this community having seen the track at conferences previously (remember them?). Typically a minority, it is great to have a dedicated and safe space to network and share ideas with like-minded women. This notion of inclusion and advocacy is very important both to me, and to BPD Zenith as an organization. It was also International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June which celebrated our brilliant technical women and aims to encourage more women into STEM careers.
Traditionally, the IT/Asset Management space has been an industry dominated by men. However, within my own experiences, we have always had a lot of women involved in our teams and projects. This is great for bringing different opinions, backgrounds, experiences and skillsets to the mix. This drives a strong business and ultimately makes for a better world.
~This photo was taken with the Oil & Gas Maximo User Group community which I chair in Aberdeen. I feel it captures what I’m talking about really well.~
BPD & Diversity
I’ve also had great career opportunities at BPD. I’ve gone from an admin support role to building up our marketing team on a global scale. I report directly into the team of CEOs and the board level. I am heard, supported and valued.
At BPD, we have a diverse team selected for their expertise and potential: on merit and vision. This is part of our business strategy. And we have women in every department from board level to administration & finance to support to consultancy to development to sales & marketing. Our customers are different, so our staff should be! It is proven that businesses which are diverse make formidable business decisions.
Organizations such as WIRAM are helping to enable women to grow into leadership positions and facilitate growth among women in this market. I hope someday that we aren’t talking about ‘women IN’ reliability and asset management but just people or leaders!
