Technology and innovation are critical drivers of business performance. That’s why energy companies increasingly task their teams with accelerating the adoption of new solutions. Yet one question remains stubbornly difficult: how do you turn innovation into tangible business value?
Navigating competing demands in a complex landscape
Technology & Innovation Managers often find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side are internal customers who are under constant time pressure and focused on meeting deadlines. On the other side is an overwhelming landscape of potential technologies, each promising improvements but requiring careful assessment. Balancing these competing demands while meeting senior management’s expectations is no small feat.
Making technology & innovation matter
The starting point is clarity. You need a structured, up‑to‑date overview of business needs at the right level of granularity. Prioritisation is essential; without it, even the best innovation efforts risk becoming scattered and ineffective.
Finding the right solutions
Of course, knowing the needs is only part of the game. Identifying solutions that genuinely address business needs takes time and discipline. This is why easy access to curated content, rich data, and expert insights is indispensable. It enables fast, confident decision‑making. Not just for you, but also for the internal customers you need to convince and who need to gain and maintain trust that the solutions you propose are enablers, and not create a burden on the organisation.
From shortlist to deployment
Once you’ve narrowed down the options, the next step is selecting the solution that offers the highest business impact and the greatest likelihood of successful deployment. Practicality matters just as much as potential!
Executing like any other project
Once you’ve chosen the technology to deploy, the next step is straightforward: treat the deployment like any other project. That means assigning a project manager, putting a solid project plan in place, and ensuring the usual governance and support structures are there.
Just as importantly, make sure the organisation benefits from the experience. Share the lessons learned, celebrate the successes, and highlight the results. Visible wins build confidence, and they’re one of the most effective ways to spark even more technology and innovation activity across the business.
Want to learn more?
Would you like to learn more, and discover how we can support you with unleashing Technology & Innovation for maximum business impact, addressing the points above in more detail? Sign up for the webinar taking place on 3rd February 2026, or watch the recording following the webinar. If you prefer a direct discussion, then please send a message to eriknijveld@technologycatalogue.com. Or book a meeting in my calendar: https://calendly.com/eriknijveld/30min.
About the author
Erik Nijveld is Co-founder and CEO of TechnologyCatalogue.com. The platform, launched in 2018, supports energy companies in efficiently identifying technologies to solve today’s challenges. It is used by more than 10,000 professionals around the globe. Before starting TechnologyCatalogue.com, Erik worked at Shell for almost 20 years. Over the years, he gained strategic and hands-on experience in what it takes to deploy both digital and non-digital technologies. The global technology task force he led between 2010 and 2017 resulted in more than 600 deployments, delivering significant business impact.