Page 26 - Dinner Souvenir Prog 2021 ebook

Campaign Awards
Gold Award

“G=ixi: Fueling Growth through Multiplying Innovation Special Award
by Implementation” Excellence in Cultural Change

The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited

About Towngas
Founded in 1862, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) is Hong Kong’s first public utility. Towngas has grown with Hong Kong,
evolving from a simple gas company supplying fuel for street lamps to its current leading position in the clean energy industry of mainland China and
beyond.
Business Challenges
As the demand for high standards of service and safety continues to rise, so does the acute manpower shortage for manual roles and younger talent. At
the same time, the ongoing development of a Smart City has become a catalyst at the macro level for digitalization and automation, alongside escalating
expectations from investors and society for ESG performance. As a result, Towngas has met with the pressure to unleash the potential of staff to innovate
and grow our businesses in a smart and sustainable way.
Objectives and Program Design
G=ixi is a corporate cultural change programme with a view to fostering business growth through integrating innovation and implementation while
benefitting our staff, customers, investors and society. It has become a corporate strategic direction encompassing learning, innovation, implementation
and staff recognition.
G=ixi was designed to “provide staff with a stage” to unleash their potential. Engaging staff from all levels, there are six “spotlights”, or themes, to inspire
staff to perform and create impact: Stimulus, Open Minds, Communities, Encouragement, Support and Recognition.
To stimulate staff, Towngas drew up training programmes on topics such as agile innovation, inventive problem solving and quality improvement tools
that can be applied to innovation projects at work. To cultivate open minds, overseas study missions were organized for staff to learn the best practices
from leading companies. Communities for knowledge sharing and idea exchange were formed to provide face-to-face brainstorming opportunities and
online discussion platforms.
Senior management encouraged staff to innovate by sharing insights and sponsoring innovation awards for staff. The Innovation Funding initiative was
established to provide financial support for promising innovation proposals from staff. As a means of staff recognition, the Hall of Innovation was set up
to showcase outstanding staff creations. Patents of inventions also included the names of the staff involved.
In addition, an atmosphere of fun and passion has been reinforced to keep up the momentum for staff to pursue new ideas and implement them as
solutions for customers in the market.
Measurement and Impact
Measurement metrics were built in to ensure the achievement of the objectives in terms of realising growth for stakeholders. For the growth of staff, apart
from active participation, skills enhancement was demonstrated by the application of inventive problem solving in day-to-day work and new innovation
projects.
In terms of customer service growth, 310 new innovation projects were delivered between 2017 and 2020, enhancing safety and efficiency, saving man-
hours and costs, and making contributions to ESG. For example, the staff-invented Water Heater Hydropower Generator saves up to 1.6 million batteries a
year.
As for investors, the ROI from 2017 to 2020 reached 912 per cent, thanks to innovation projects bringing on-going new revenue and cost savings. And
for society, under the strategy and culture of G=ixi, new green business projects have been carried out in Hong Kong and mainland to bring about social
good.
G=ixi has transformed the company’s learning and innovation strategies by providing a platform for staff to unleash their potential. The success in Hong
Kong was expanded to mainland China through well thought-out nationwide training, funding and contests, elevating the standards of safety, quality and
services across 27 provinces of our home country.

Comments from Adjudicators
A comprehensive programme on innovation and mindset change which was fun and filled with passion. The objectives were clearly defined to transform
learning and innovation by providing a platform for staff, which specifically addressed the organization strategies to retain and develop talents and
sustain growth.
With good management buy-in and all-rounded support, the programme successfully engaged and empowered employees from all levels to innovate
and turn ideas into actions. A good blend of exposure activities, trends, platforms, rewards and recognition for success. Compliments to the skills
enhancement, the wider community involvement and sustainable social impact of this initiative.
The result was impressive with cost saving and high return of investments in four years’ time through the generation of innovative ideas. A remarkable
programme that demonstrated Towngas does not take past success for granted, but kept focusing on ways to drive exceptional results and improvements.

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