Capability Building in a Government Regulatory Firm (A)

Western State Electricity Regulatory Commission (WSERC) was a Government Regulatory Firm in India and worked in the areas of electricity and power. Its scope of work had significantly expanded after a decade of existence and the organization needed to keep pace with the changing requirements. There was a need for agile functioning in a market driven power economy in the areas of power generation, transmission and distribution. The firm needed to transition from being a regulator to being a change agent to support the reforms in the power sector. The firm was operating with a skeletal support staff and key areas of expertise had been outsourced. The case presents the challenges of operating with an outsourced model and the need to move towards self–sufficiency. The firm wanted to now rely on internal expertise instead of depending on external consultants. The change of hiring practice would also need to be supplemented by change in the style of functioning. The case ends with the chairman pondering on how best to enable this change