What Makes A High Performance Organization
“This book is in the tradition of ‘In Search of Excellence’ and ‘Good to Great’ but with evidence and examples from across the globe. It contains a lot of wisdom, and it is written in an engaging style. Well done, André de Waal!”
Kenneth A. Merchant, Deloitte & Touche LLP Chair of Accountancy Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California and author of business books
What Makes a High Performance Organization: Five Validated Factors That Apply Worldwide is meant for anyone interested in improving organizations, using a scientifically validated framework instead of depending on the latest management fad. The book consists of nine chapters. After introducing in Chapter 1 the HPO and the HPO Framework and their accompanying benefits, Chapter 2 concentrates on the research done by the HPO Center to develop the HPO Framework for practitioners to improve organizational performance. Five factors of high performance – the HPO factors – are introduced as well as several factors that during the research turned out to be of lesser importance than always thought for becoming an HPO. In this chapter the question is also raised, and answered, whether the five HPO factors will remain the same through time and thus whether they will still be relevant for managers in the future. Chapter 2 concludes with the practical application of the framework by introducing the HPO Diagnosis. The working of the diagnosis is illustrated by the experiences at two case companies. Chapters 3 through 7 go in more detail into the five HPO factors. They describe the underlying characteristics of high performance, and ideas to get started – originating from the HPO research and other recent organizational studies – with improving the characteristics are given. Chapter 8 gives the steps which need to be taken to make the transition to an HPO are described. Finally, in Chapter 9 the added value of the HPO Framework is discussed, based on the experiences of organizations and researchers while working with the framework.
This book includes many real-life examples from organizational branches, e.g., Finance, Retail, Industry, ICT, High Education and Government, illustrating the workings of the HPO Framework at organizations in Western and emerging markets. Also included are many interviews with HPO leaders, e.g., Microsoft, SABMiller, Unilever, Umpqua Bank, Tata Steel, Svenska Handelsbanken, HP and KLM.
“This book sets out to answer one of the eternal questions: what makes a high performance organization? Packed with case examples and valuable insights the book will undoubtedly help you on your journey to becoming an HPO.”
Professor Andy Neely, University of Cambridge
