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SKYGUIDE: Mr Gehri, what role does Tata Consultancy Services play as a partner of skyguide accompanying its transformation process?
Heinz Gehri: Tata Consultancy Services is the strategic IT partner to skyguide, primarily to help skyguide succeed in their strategic mission to deliver the Virtual Centre (VC). Skyguide will benefit from the extensive experience that Tata Consultancy has amassed across the globe in accompanying such transformations.
How do your company’s activities integrate in the organizational structures of skyguide? And how does skyguide benefit from your experience in adjusting these structures?
HG In the future, Tata Consultancy Services will be a strategic partner to support skyguide with our expertise, services and resources. As for now we are talking about a pure extension of capacities, since Virtual Centre Tranche 2 (VCT2) stretches the capacities of skyguide. From skyguide, we first have to acquire specific know-how and trust, but in due course, we will take on more and more responsibility for the results on our side of the endeavour. Skyguide does not strive for a total overhaul of its organization. But the implementation of VC will have deep structural implications. Skyguide will adapt certain best practices of Tata Consultancy Services and we will be able to assist with skyguide’s organizational change management programme, too.
In your opinion, how important is the VC Programme for the future of skyguide?
HG We consider the Virtual Centre Programme to be the right step for skyguide to embrace the future. The Virtual Centre will enable skyguide to stay relevant, cost effective and competitive as the Airspace Navigation Services industry evolves into the future. The Virtual Centre is also positioning skyguide to be the leader in achieving Europe’s vision to move towards one Single European Sky.
In your view, what are the main challenges and difficulties skyguide is facing?
HG The major challenge appears to lie in skyguide’s transformation of its current organization in order
to adapt to the changes that are being introduced by the Virtual Centre Programme. These include changes in business operations, technology, infrastructure, processes and skyguide’s operating model. Historically, Operations and IT at skyguide had been set up vertically whereas the need for a horizontal integration and coordination was minimal. The Virtual Centre Programme is transforming the entire organization to become more horizontally focused, and hence it is a major cultural shift for the employees as well, particularly in the way they are working.
