The Journey to Organizational Change

Hello, I'm Frank Koczwara, President of CSQ3 Corporation and author of "Achieving Organizational Excellence is Easy." This book draws from global benchmarking and significant performance improvement initiatives that transformed the culture and effectiveness of a major international corporation.

Reflecting on my journey, I recognize that li

Hello, I'm Frank Koczwara, President of CSQ3 Corporation and author of "Achieving Organizational Excellence is Easy." This book draws from global benchmarking and significant performance improvement initiatives that transformed the culture and effectiveness of a major international corporation.

Reflecting on my journey, I recognize that life is indeed a journey, and I want to share my experiences to lend credibility to the content of this website.

Family Background

As the sixth of seven children, my parents experienced the "seven-year itch." My two older brothers are Eddie (wise) and Jim (meticulous), followed by my two younger sisters Vicky (artistic) and Margie (athletic). Seven years later, my sister Helen (achiever) and I were born, followed by our youngest brother Joe (witty). 

While we never had the luxury of a proper family vacation, and I didn’t achieve the valedictorian or salutatorian honors that some siblings did, I valued the diversity in our ages, their commitment to educational excellence, and the gradual evolution in my father’s management approach.

Purdue University

To gain real-world experience and support my financial goals, I participated in a cooperative education program while studying at Purdue University. Each semester, I worked with CBI Industries in various roles, including Research, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Construction. The experience, particularly in construction, was enriching, yet it sparked my curiosity about how these diverse departments could align towards a unified strategic direction.

I graduated with both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree (with distinction) in Civil Engineering from Purdue.

Exxon Research and Engineering

Following graduation, I joined Exxon as a mechanical engineer in the downstream sector of the oil industry. You might wonder how a civil engineer transitions to a mechanical role—my background in civil structural engineering encompasses beams and columns, while my master's training in civil engineering includes plates and shells, which relate to piping and pressure vessels.

At Exxon, I traveled internationally, teaching engineering courses and consulting. I published a paper in Hydrocarbon Processing titled “Simple Method Calculates Shell Tank Distortion” and served as a panelist at a major ASME Convention by the age of twenty-six. However, my mentors advised me that the upstream sector offered more potential for growth.

Amoco/bp/CSQ3 Corporation

In an interesting turn of fate, while on vacation in Merrillville, Indiana—where my future wife lived, I stopped for gas at an Amoco station. I unexpectedly ran into a fellow Purdue student whom I had lent Physics notes. He informed me about an upstream position he had interviewed for, suggesting I would be a great fit. This led to my move to downtown Chicago, working out of the Standard Oil Building.

My role in the Construction Department was fulfilling, involving process, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and project engineers. Our goal was to establish onshore and offshore facilities for hydrocarbon processing worldwide, often working on projects ranging from $100 million to billions.

I was determined to uncover the secret to achieving excellence in cost, schedule, and quality for our projects, despite conventional wisdom stating that one must be sacrificed for the others. As the mechanical engineering manager, I spearheaded a revision of outdated specifications, collaborating with fellow engineering managers to develop updated standards that are likely still in use today. Additionally, I initiated the creation of the “Black Book,” delineating the scope of Construction Department projects with an overall cost estimate goal of +/- 15%.

Frustration over departmental power dynamics fueled my desire for the Construction Department to achieve “Best-In-Class” status. Thus, with management's go-ahead, I led a worldwide benchmarking initiative of past projects, revealing significant opportunities for improvement. This effort positively altered the overall culture and performance of our global organization, resulting in motivated and empowered employees and considerable productivity gains.

Key performance enhancements stemmed from establishing cross-departmental work teams, implementing a phased approach to projects, conducting decision quality workshops, and requiring management approval at each project phase. While some departments initially resisted the phased approach, they ultimately became advocates for our improvement efforts.

To illustrate the broad application of this phased work effort approach, I undertook several consulting assignments, all yielding positive results:

Strategic:

• New      Country Entry
• Operational      Strategy – Eurasia
• NGL      Strategy – Egypt
• Staffing      in the E&P Sector

Commercial:

• LNG      Projects – Trinidad, Egypt, Turkey
• Oil      Field Acquisition – Bolivia
• Mid-East      Deals – Jordan, Iran, Qatar

Projects:

• 3D      Worldwide Seismic
• North      America Energy Group – Performance Improvement
• Deep      Water Development E&P – Angola
• Emergency      Management - E&P Sector
• Offshore      Developments – Trinidad and Venezuela
• Worldwide Construction Projects (Onshore & Offshore)

I presented a paper I co-authored at the 2nd International Conference on the Dynamics of Strategy at the University of Surrey. Titled “Ideas to Reality,” the paper provides an overview of the business processes that enhance the functionality of complex business systems for shareholders. It outlines a three-tiered system for performance management, where Strategy informs Commercial initiatives, which in turn drive Projects. By incorporating all relevant efforts into this system—complete with team member roles and decision tables for each phase—we created a streamlined approach to managing and rewarding performance.