The so-called High Performance Organization - HPO is an organization that achieves significantly better financial and non-financial performance than other similar organizations for five or more years by a disciplined focus on what is truly important for the organization. What does this exactly mean in practice? This question was answered on conference-board.org by André de Waal, HPO expert and author of the book entitled What Makes a High Performance Organisation. Basic characteristics of HPOs are:
1. Quality of management
Managers at all levels build relationships with employees based on trust. They appreciate loyalty, support relationships and treat all fairly.
2. Openness and willingness to take risks
Managers value the views of their staff. They often discuss with them and get them actively involved in business and organizational processes. They offer space for experimentation and risk taking.
3. Long-term gain
Leaders of the high performing organizations prefer long-term gain over short-term profit. They focus on creating value for customers based on identifying their needs and wishes. They rely on long-term relationships and mutually beneficial activities.
4. Continuous improvement
High performance organizations constantly simplify, improve and connect their processes in order to respond effectively.
5. Quality employees
High performance organizations build a diverse workforce. They are looking for people with maximum flexibility for identifying problems and bringing creative solutions. They focus on the continuous development of their people and their skills. At the same time, however, they require individual responsibility for performance.
A common element that unites all these characteristics is strong leadership. Organizations should, therefore, turn their interests in this direction.
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