PAPPAJOHN, STEVE, The Pacific Institute, 1709 Harbor Ave, SW, Seattle, WA

ABSTRACT: A Model For 21st Century Geoscientists As High Performance Leaders in the Global Energy Marketplace: Liberating Beliefs, Great Expectations, and Elegant Solutions

The resource-development potential of innovative technical personnel within the energy industry is grossly under-represented in the quality and quantity of today's energy exploration projects. In many cases, crisis-driven strategies, 'quarterly-dividend'-shackled visions, an aversion to change, an apoplectic adherence to traditional business concepts, and endless corporate restructuring have resulted in the creation of numerous constraints regarding individual and industry efficacy.

The 21st century is about ever-expanding knowledge that, in turn, perpetuates continuous change. Today, 'collective human knowledge' is doubling approximately every 18 months; by 2003, it is predicted to double every 6 months. As traditional career tracks disappear, continuous and accelerating worldwide change represents a spectacular opportunity for energy industry professionals and major corporations. Mutually networked and entrepreneurial organizations promote personal and organizational competencies, raise both self and collective causative abilities, and create a sense of confidence and security that fosters innovation and creativity.

The rapidly evolving professional landscape includes multidisciplinary team approaches, inventive strategic alliances, breathtaking technologies, and limitless access to information. Given the energy industry's heritage of developing elegant solutions to complex challenges, the liberation of beliefs creates great expectations for resources beyond coalbed methane, hydrates, and hydrogen, and for technologies beyond CO2 sequestration, horizontal drilling, 3- and 4-D seismic, high-tech stimulation procedures and super-enhanced recovery methods.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90915©2000 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section, Albuquerque, New Mexico