Adaptation for utility transformation: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean

When we launched the Utility of the Future (UoF) Hub for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in January 2024, with support from the Global Water Security and Sanitation Partnership (GWSP), we built on the World Bank’s global UoF framework—a proven approach to help water and sanitation utilities drive strategic transformation. The UoF framework combines a standardized diagnostic tool, analytical lenses, and a phased process to help utilities assess where they stand, define priorities, and translate ambition into actionable roadmaps. 

As soon as we began working with utilities in Latin America and the Caribbean we realized something important: success would depend on adaptability.

One tool, many paths

The Hub applies a proven global framework as a catalyst, but always starts from a simple question: What does this utility need and want right now? Depending on the context, the same tool can help clarify strategic direction, diagnose a specific challenge, or open space for deeper engagement. The same UoF framework can therefore lead to very different outcomes, because it is deliberately adapted to each utility’s context and priorities. The Hub helps draft an answer to that question, but it’s the needs and energy of the utility that steers the whole process.

The UoF combines a standardized global framework with the flexibility to adapt it to local challenges—whether financial stress, operational bottlenecks, or the need for better customer service—without promising quick fixes. Instead, the process helps utilities build a realistic roadmap to achieve the well-known goal of universalization of water supply and sanitation services. 

The human factor

Behind every dashboard and action plan, there’s something harder to capture: the human energy that drives change. It’s not written in the framework, but you can see it—in the faces of utility staff during an ignition week, in the enthusiasm of a handful of people who believe transformation is possible. These champions are the real vehicles for change. They find the path with the fewest barriers, and they keep pushing when momentum falters.

That is why the LAC Hub invests in people as much as in processes. We design engagements to bring different voices into the conversation, assign responsibility beyond senior management, and recognize small but meaningful advances. Transformation is not only technical; it is cultural. Creating space for dialogue, shared ownership, and diverse perspectives is essential to making change stick and ensuring that different voices are heard.

Some of the achievements so far from the Hub:

• In Cali, Colombia, the UoF process at a large utility created a space for addressing workplace harassment, leading to a renewed communication strategy and the launch of a “zero‑tolerance” internal campaign, which strengthened organizational culture and energized staff participation. 
• In Jamaica, UoF diagnostics informed targeted peer-learning workshops on non-revenue water, information systems, and operations, directly addressing key performance bottlenecks identified by the utility.
• In Puno, Peru, the approach helped define a clear set of priority actions that later informed a World Bank–financed project, including a cooperation agreement that enabled technical support from a larger national utility.
• In Grenada, the UoF framework supported the utility’s transition to a new regulatory environment by rapidly identifying compliance gaps and priority improvements across governance, IT systems, and data management.

A catalyst, not a cure

If there is one word that sums up the Hub’s role, it’s catalyst. The UoF tool does not offer quick fixes or promise to erase long‑standing structural challenges, but it does help utilities clarify priorities, translate ambition into action, and accelerate progress where it matters most. By creating space for honest dialogue, surfacing hidden champions, and building momentum around feasible steps, the UoF approach helps utilities move forward with greater focus and confidence. As the LAC Hub evolves alongside the global UoF program, this principle will remain constant: start from where utilities are, adapt to their context, and let human energy drive transformation.