Thread regarding Schlumberger Ltd. layoffs

It's a Train not a Bus. Looks like you guys missed the stop all round!

We were forced to work with the transformation teams consultants as they rewrote our standard work instructions. Of course they had never worked in our segment and it took them a week to write one SWI that we would have done in a few bours ourselves. We did try to object but were told we either collaborate or we will be replaced!

This company is so political it's crazy

During my career at SLB, I was able to design innovative products and got awards from this company. I always received good performance reviews, but in the end, politically savvy people with powerful friends have survived. Is this what you call “transformation”? If you can really see, look around. There is no morale and real motivation left in this company.

I thought so too when I was with the Transformation team, until I got laid off in May

I really liked the previous long message about SLB transformation effort and where it did not work well. The message was well thought and I believe reflects the thinking of many front line product managers and experienced engineers. I hope the top SLB and EMS management can read the message and reflect how they can do a better job in the execution of these good ideas. My suspicious is that many managers have heard of and realized the same thing but the SLB organization is so large that it is hard to make adjustment.

Even though I left SLB prior to all of these transformation initiatives but still wish Schlumberger well. Schlumberger is viewed as THE leader in oil field service and its success is good for everyone in the industry in an environment where operational efficiency and safety is the king. With increasing competition and cost cutting from clients, transformation is needed for Schlumberger to move to the next level of performance and it will take some effort and time to get it right. The industry is moving towards less people and more automation and knowledge and process capture are important to achieve that. But Schlumberger should never forgot that the employees are the most critical for its success.

Also just want to say to the people who left or got layoff by Schlumberger, you are an excellent bunch and you will find many companies are ready to take you when the business picks up again in 2017. Good luck to you all.

There will be always well-protected people no matter what. Incompetent executives and center managers, useless VPs, self-promoted people at the top SETC ladder with no real contribution, clueless managers with nothing to really mange etc… you name it. SLB transformation (or simply layoffs) will just continue working on easy targets, which is the reason why real problems will never be solved.

I have consistently done very good productive work for the company by any measure, Maybe 1/8th ends up in GEMS. SLB is going to lose ,more money by mistakes over these layoffs then it will save in salaries. So many useless people will never get cut because they are good at politics or just plain lying. They should stop looking at titles and start making lists of accomplishments not checking of lists like pension, years with company, salary or like me who have already been told that I will be gone as soon as I come back from medical leave because I miss too much time off because I am handicapped. I have seen Steven Diana do so many illegal and unethical things it makes me sad. I may go to youtube to male may case.

If you can call "laying off your own colleagues" as a real job...

Actually the only thing that proves effectiveness is cash flow. I'm sure our resident Warren Buffett knew that already.

Those were certain comments for a transformation program that has still a lot to prove.

I give you my take. The transformation program is logical. This is not rocket science, but is not sufficient. Most people in this company would have come up with similar initiative.

It is necessary but not sufficient. It is forcefully implemented, and rushed, there is a lot of resistance. The initiatives should come from the bottom. As a consequence, employees do it because they have to not because they believe.

Mapping / processes are clearly good but the company relies too much on it. It is forgetting the human dimension, this is far too engineered. We are getting too close to a weber type org. The organization is becoming to rigid. First, People spend too much time figuring out the process than actually doing something valuable. Second people are taking refuge behind the process, it becomes an argument for not acting. In a nutshell over mapping kills creativity.

In addition the company is becoming too fragmented the functions within a product lines are sealed off, they need to be permeable. Support Functions are being added as a patch to fix an issue but they are not accountable. Those support function facilitates and advise only. They should produce and be elevated to feel part of the adventure. We need real integration.

Paal, apparently is finally starting to doubt his transformation as it might not be rolled out everywhere. He wants to measure its effectiveness. However, the fear climate and his bold nature make his surroundings tell him too much what he wants to hear. The Kpis can be biased and they are, numerous examples from service quality to equipment cost and delivery time...I beleive him and his teams want the truth but they don't get it as the layers below are afraid.

So true we can measure with net profit, but to make a direct link to the transformation is another story. The cause and effect is not that simple. When a company invest so much in a program it has to say it is successful. The stakes are too high.

Schlumberger is a technology company and now needs to focus on sales and tech differentiation. The priority should be to strengthen relationship and understand the environment to adapt. The transformation is using too many resources to enable that. We are still laying off sales and experienced operation personnel.

Finally I doubt that the transformation will delivered as promised. The magnitude of it requires investment in resources. I do not doubt that we will have somewhat good business systems and nice colorful charts with lots of data to be captured. The risk is to end just like clms did (at least in the product lines I know) with poor quality data or reporting as the project manager is not adequately supported to comply efficiently and effectively. In a nutshell r&d is not giving the means for clms to succeed. It seems like the transformation is taking the same route.

For the field personnel transformation or not, engineers spend most of their time chasing equipment, and that is so wasteful. Why those guys were not engaged? The vision comes from the top but the details and ideas from the bottom.

Moreover as the new Accenture Ceo said, if a compagny's vision is summarized by 30 bullet points there is no vision. As for "being the best run compagny in the world" this is not a vision, it is an objective.

We want to do more with less but we are flirting with doing less with more.

-yyy,

If The Transformation is that successful then why isn't it prominently mentioned in the last earning call?

SLB's financial performance was already better than its competitor's for a long time. That didn't have much to do with The Transformation and a new way of doing business - SLB was already very cost conscious well before current market conditions. You obviously have a strong grudge against DDs. I agree that there are many poor DDs that don't bring value to the client (and likely subtract value), but Remote Ops engineers don't really bring much value to drilling either due to a severe lack of experience and knowledge on the rigs. They only reduce the headcount a little for the client. Working in an office will never get them that experience before they transfer to some other position in the company. The Remote Ops guy might be able to steer the wellbore, but there is more to drilling that that. Steering is just a small part of the equation to drilling efficiently. You could project that thought further up and across the hierarchy as well when managers are swapped around so frequently. A lack of knowledge and experience is a big reason the industry continually re-learns old lessons learned when the same mistakes are repeated - that goes for SLB and its clients. [That, and no one is accountable anymore.]

I would certainly like to hear much more regarding all the success of The Transformation on a broad scale, not just individual instances. How has The Transformation impacted or improved HSE, purchasing, billing, HR, management bureaucracy, field utilization, manufacturing, etc. The industry as it currently stands, does need to change, but you can count on SLB's competitors realizing that too and making their own Transformations.

Wow, people on the bus sure feel themselves are elite and smart. No wonder so many people are trying to get on that bus.

clown - look at the financial performance versus our peer group to see where the bus is taking SLB. Let me guess...you are a DD that is used to be king of the mountain but now with the innovations being introduced via Remote ops and other people that can be trained to do your job you are not as hot as you thought you were....or let me guess again. You sit by watching the clock until you put in your 8 hours only caring how quickly you can get home to watch "the Voice" while playing W of W not caring to improve how things work or even more importantly improving yourself

So...

1. yes there is a full timeline with a lot to be delivered

2. a budget is fixed - so wrong again

3. the only thing that proves its effectiveness is net income - I know a confusing concept for you but I am sure if you google it you can find finance for dummies

4. and yes, you are either on the bus or off the bus. It appears you have made your choice....see you in the rear view mirror