Sunflower Electric Power Corp. was three weeks into building an eight-mile, 115-kilovolt transmission line when the co-op's crew encountered a problem that could have ground the project to a halt.

The Hays, Kansas-based generation and transmission cooperative had completed design and engineering work for a substation, and crews were preparing to assemble and set two-piece steel transmission poles.

But when they began framing the transmission poles, they discovered the turnbuckles supplied for the project were the wrong size.

Such a mistake could have triggered costly delays, idle crews or finger-pointing across departments, but for Sunflower, it became a chance for the co-op's culture to shine.

The crew alerted their field supervisor, who notified Tom Harbaugh, Sunflower's senior manager of transmission line operations, planning and training. He quickly contacted the G&T's purchasing department and warehouse, which worked with the vendor to expedite the correct equipment.

“Then the field supervisor reorganized the crew, and they continued on another part of the project, so we didn't cost our member cooperative any more money and we were able to stay on schedule," says Harbaugh.

The project didn't go according to plan, but it succeeded because the plan could change.

“Was it a success? Absolutely," Harbaugh said. “From engineering to operations to the warehouse and purchasing, it was just everybody pitching in to do their part to correct a manufacturer's flaw … At the end of the day, it was on schedule and under budget."

For Harbaugh, the project's success reflected the way Sunflower operates every day. As challenges become more complex across the electric industry, Sunflower relies on a culture of safety, communication, empowerment, flexibility and trust that enables employees to make informed decisions and adjust course in real time.

“We very much empower our field employees to make these hard decisions," says Harbaugh. “They are accountable to their decisions at the end of the day. But we 100% empower them to advance projects and keep crews moving forward and everybody safe and engaged."

Sunflower's 450-plus employees and nine power plants serve six member co-ops and one wholly owned subsidiary. It uses an asset management platform to keep inventory and analyze and measure the health of its system. When an issue emerges or unexpected event occurs, the G&T encourages employees to stop, think, plan, organize and safely make adjustments, says Zac Rathbun, Sunflower's transmission operations technical trainer.

“We strongly focus on a learning environment in the operations world," says Rathbun. “We can sit down in a group setting and the questions can just be asked."

“It's listening to the feedback," says Harbaugh. “In all my training sessions, I actively look at the feedback. It goes back to what messages as managers or supervisors, are we communicating to the staff? How open are we to listening to what they have to say? How willing are we to adjust to their needs?"

Sunflower also recognizes cultural challenges exist between generations and works to communicate workflow changes in ways that resonate with both older and younger employees. It also tries to find ways for them to connect and grow.

“You have to coach, lead, and train differently depending on the generations of the employees to bring them along so the younger generation can communicate with the older generation and vice versa," says Harbaugh. “Trust is also often built among staff during off-the-clock activities in addition to training sessions."

Both Rathbun and Harbaugh recognize Sunflower's culture has evolved to keep pace with the challenges it must confront and will continue to do so.

“We have matured as an organization over the years, and our culture has also matured to where we are today," says Harbaugh. “Our culture will continue to get better and stronger."

Adds Rathbun, “The culture that all of us in operations share at Sunflower, it is an intentional act. It is not by accident."