Managing Water Supply Systems Using Lateral Thinking Techniques: Practical Applications in East Africa

Water utility reforms aimed at enhancing operational performance of utilities are vigorously being pursued in African water utilities. In this paper, I use case examples in East African cities of Kampala, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam to highlight the role of creativity in supporting reforms. We find that utility managers need to be creative, ambitious, and daring in implementing reforms. Specifically I note that incentives should be adequately targeted, addressing a certain focus performance area. I also find that creativity requires proactive benchmarking to cross-fertilize managerial thought with best practices and building desire for peer excellence. The discussions also suggest that effective water operations management requires inculcating meaningful rivalry among operating teams. Further, there is need for organic structure to cope with the uncertain nature of water distribution operations in African water utilities. Likewise, operational plans in such environments should target achievement of outputs and performance trends through flexible implementation of practical strategies.