Setting up a Network Company for the Overland Transport of Petroleum Products

The scientific literature suggests that the network enterprise is a dominant strategy for many organisations that outsource to meet customer requirements for complex products to be produced or delivered. However, without adequate preparation, many network enterprises fail. This is why it seems justified to open up a line of research into the process of preparing a network company. How can a third party develop and experiment with a change process to encourage the involvement of companies in the network organisation? This study was carried out as part of a research-intervention applied to the case of the SEP Congo oil distribution company. It involved several weeks’ work with subcontractors of land transport of petroleum products (TTPP) based in Kinshasa. The scarcity of companies managing human resources capable of meeting the required quality criteria is an essential element in petroleum distribution in Kinshasa. In short, in a dynamic context where uncertainty is high, companies face new management challenges: innovation in all aspects of the value chain, and the development of innovative skills through collective learning. So, for several companies to be effective in subcontracting relationships, it is necessary to synchronize their activities and share their knowledge in order to facilitate the search for common solutions to common problems, which requires a change in strategy. This approach to preparing a network company has been tried out with the aim of improving risk management skills in oil companies and developing their capacity for collaborative learning. This process is part of an evolutionary approach that involves the creation and implementation of activities from uprooting to rooting, through the process of understanding, from objection to exploration and commitment, taking into account the reactions of participating companies throughout the change implementation process.