The Strategic Pipeline Alliance (SPA) is creating hundreds of kilometres of new, interconnecting pipelines to help combat the impact of climate change and keep fresh, clean water flowing across the Anglian Water region.” The SPI team (Strategic Pipeline Integration) is responsible for ensuring these new assets and associated capabilities are adopted into business-as-usual operations within Anglian Water. Using the GC Index® and Explorer Index®, the initiative aimed to assess team strengths, energy for impact, and innovation readiness, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring cohesive, measurable results.
THE CHALLENGE
As the team grew over 18 months, new members joined at different stages, requiring repeated onboarding and revisiting of foundational work to align everyone with the programme’s complexity. Early on, limited resources made it difficult to define clear task ownership and deliverables. As capacity increased, a structured RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) be established to ensure clarity. The programme’s complexity led to overlapping stakeholder relationships, making engagement and decision-making challenging. Without a clear framework, this sometimes resulted in delays and uncertainty.
THE SOLUTION
The team was profiled using the GC Index® to assess individual and team energy for impact, and the Explorer Index® to gauge team members’ perceptions of their work environment.
Key areas for impact were identified, and an online workshop transformed insights into actionable steps. A follow-up session ensured actions were realistic, measurable, and achievable, with a clear execution plan. Responsibilities were aligned with individual strengths based on GC Index® profiles. The Explorer Index® allowed the team to discuss focus areas, identify controllable factors, and recognise elements they could influence through strategic engagement.
RESULTS
- Enhanced Clarity: The structured storyboard approach has led to more compelling internal communications, providing clarity on objectives and ensuring the change narrative is aligned with BU strategies—highlighting the “why” behind initiatives.
- Improved Accountability: With clear task ownership and progress tracking, the team improved its ability to meet deadlines and deliver on objectives.
- Stronger Collaboration: Realigning sponsor roles and reinforcing stakeholder engagement have strengthened external partnerships and internal teamwork.
- Better alignment: The insights from the GC Index® were used to redefine responsibilities, creating stronger task alignment with individual proclivities to maximise impact.
- Cultural Shift: Incorporating regular reflection sessions and safe brainstorming environments has fostered an open, innovative culture.
- Stronger Leadership & Change Capability: The framework has reinforced the idea that leadership is multi-dimensional. By analysing the GC Index® role scores, it was possible to identify emerging leaders and provide targeted development opportunities.
– Anna Durdle, Change Programme Manager, Anglian WaterImplementing the GC Index® and Explorer Index™ has unlocked our team’s potential by enhancing self-awareness, aligning roles, and fostering meaningful collaboration…these tools transformed our work culture, empowered proactive problem-solving, and ignited innovative thinking.
