Andre de Waal, academic director at the HPO Center and Associate Professor at Maastricht School of Management, found in a global study (over 60 countries and 3.500+ companies) five success factors to turn into a High Performance Organization (HPO).
The success factors that determine what makes an organization an High Performance Organization (HPO): an organization that achieves better financial and non-financial results than similar organizations over a period of no less than five to ten years are in brief:
Success factor 1: Excellence of Management
Managers of excellent organizations (HPOs) are honest, decisive, action-oriented, performance-oriented, effective, self-confident and have a strong leadership style. The emphasis lies on a strong relationships of trust with employees and on coaching and facilitating. Employees and managers hold each other responsible and the managers are decisive with it comes to 'non'-performers.
Success factor 2: Quality of Personnel
Employees assume responsibility and want to be held responsible, the total staff is diverse and complementary, employees are trained at increasing flexibility and resilience and want to be challenged to excel.
Success factor 3: Orientation on Action and Openness
The culture of a High Performance Organization intensively involves everyone through dialog and actions aimed at achieving better performance.
Success factor 4: Nonstop focus on Improvement and Innovation
An High Performance Organization knows its distinguishing characteristics in the market and allows all employees to continuously contribute to improving the organization's processes, services and products.
Success factor 5: Focus on Enduring Success
To an HPO, continuity in the long term always takes precedence over profit in the short term. The long-term orientation of an HPO applies to clients, collaboration partners, as well as relationships with employees. Management positions are filled by employees rising from the ranks.
The study by professor De Waal has revealed that these 5 High Performance Organization success factors apply globally (research in 60+ countries) and are the success factors in all segments and sorts of companies.
The five years of scientific and practical global research shows that High Performance Organizations achieve the following improvements:
- from 4 - 16 percent sales improvement
- 14 to 44 percent higher profitability
Enhanced performance in the following capabilities:
- Complaint control
- Customer gratification and reliability
- Quality and improvement of services/goods
- Employee contentment
HPOs in the not-for-profit and government segment seem to be able to focus on the fundamentals with the same financial funds. This is not a short-term increase, but a long-term competence.
The success factors that determine what makes an organization an High Performance Organization (HPO): an organization that achieves better financial and non-financial results than similar organizations over a period of no less than five to ten years are in brief:
Success factor 1: Excellence of Management
Managers of excellent organizations (HPOs) are honest, decisive, action-oriented, performance-oriented, effective, self-confident and have a strong leadership style. The emphasis lies on a strong relationships of trust with employees and on coaching and facilitating. Employees and managers hold each other responsible and the managers are decisive with it comes to 'non'-performers.
Success factor 2: Quality of Personnel
Employees assume responsibility and want to be held responsible, the total staff is diverse and complementary, employees are trained at increasing flexibility and resilience and want to be challenged to excel.
Success factor 3: Orientation on Action and Openness
The culture of a High Performance Organization intensively involves everyone through dialog and actions aimed at achieving better performance.
Success factor 4: Nonstop focus on Improvement and Innovation
An High Performance Organization knows its distinguishing characteristics in the market and allows all employees to continuously contribute to improving the organization's processes, services and products.
Success factor 5: Focus on Enduring Success
To an HPO, continuity in the long term always takes precedence over profit in the short term. The long-term orientation of an HPO applies to clients, collaboration partners, as well as relationships with employees. Management positions are filled by employees rising from the ranks.
The study by professor De Waal has revealed that these 5 High Performance Organization success factors apply globally (research in 60+ countries) and are the success factors in all segments and sorts of companies.
The five years of scientific and practical global research shows that High Performance Organizations achieve the following improvements:
- from 4 - 16 percent sales improvement
- 14 to 44 percent higher profitability
Enhanced performance in the following capabilities:
- Complaint control
- Customer gratification and reliability
- Quality and improvement of services/goods
- Employee contentment
HPOs in the not-for-profit and government segment seem to be able to focus on the fundamentals with the same financial funds. This is not a short-term increase, but a long-term competence.
About the Author:
Learn more about the HPO research. Stop by Professor Andre de Waal's site where you can find out all about the success factors of High Performance Organizations and what it can do for you.