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Want a High Performance Organization?
Want a High Performance Organization?
For a while now we have been hearing a great deal about High Performance
Organizations and High Performance Management and how achieving
high performance will improve your business. In fact in today's
technologically advanced, global economy high performance is not
an alternative it is a requirement for all businesses that want
to prosper in the years to come. The terminology of high performance
sounds pretty straightforward; if performance is at a peak then
the business processes should follow suit and so then should productivity,
profits, and competitiveness. Let's investigate how it works.
How does business achieve high performance?
The standard methodology for achieving high performance within the
workplace has been to breakaway from the traditional and highly
structured model of business organization to one that is more organic
and flexible. Within these organic systems managers are encouraged
to create teams of employees who work together toward a common business
goal. The teams are empowered to make decisions and solve problems,
they monitor and improve their quality, and each individual employee
is seen as a contributing business partner.
Utopia at last…people have meaningful work, employees are
respected and trusted, creativity and innovation flourish, quality
improves, and productivity reaches levels unheard of only months
before. Yeah right!
So, what really happens? Why does the theory of High Performance
so often get derailed when it is based on sound principles of human
behavior and motivation?
The problem is not with the theory, it is in the execution!!!. Our
culture is so indentured to the traditional model of organization
that, despite our best efforts, it is almost impossible to remove
the vestiges of managerial control, division of labor, and the reams
and reams of policies and procedures that trap employees into doing
things one way, and one way only. When well meaning executives,
managers, and consultants get a hold of the notion of High Performance
Management they often rush to create teams, write new job descriptions,
set up feedback systems, and create elaborate reward and recognition
programs all in an effort to convince their employees that they
are valued and respected and that their contributions are meaningful
and appreciated and will be rewarded.
Again, all sound notions but the problem is that these programs
address only surface issues and they do not even begin to attack
the traditional notions and customs that continue to prevail. Think
of organizational dynamics like an iceberg where only 10% of the
issues are visible on the surface and the bulk remains hidden and
potentially menacing underneath. In truly High Performance workplaces
managers do not have to “convince” employees that they
are valued, the employees inherently know they are valued simply
by the way the work is organized and performed.
So
what’s wrong with this picture????
The organization that is trying to be High Performance is really
no more than a traditional organization in disguise. It has adopted
new terminology and is trying out some new human resource management
techniques but the organization has NOT CHANGED the way that it
approaches the system of working. Work is still narrowly defined
and departmentalized and management is still controlling and directing
the flow. On the surface it may sound like things have changed but
the employees know they are doing exactly what they did before;
except now, they are part of a “team” doing it.
Make a real transition using Human Capital Management (HCM)
The only way to move toward true High Performance is to adopt a
system of Human Capital Management that helps measure and execute
real changes in the way that human capital (resources) is managed.
It starts with the realization and acknowledgement that your human,
or intangible capital is as important as your tangible capital and
that like the tangible items, human capital needs to measured and
accounted for on a consistent basis. Just as you want to keep your
equipment in top shape so should you keep your people in top shape
– ready and capable of performing the job they were hired
to perform. Just as you seek investment opportunities for your financial
capital to grow, so you need to invest in your human capital and
provide them with opportunities to grow.
By attending and understanding the needs of your employees you allow
them to perform to their capacity. This maximum capacity yields
high productivity and that is when you truly have a High Performance
organization.
High Performance is as critical as it is possible. It is a process
that starts with philosophical change and ends with practical solutions
that lead to substantial improvements in the way work is accomplished,
the way work is perceived, and the amount of work that is achieved.
Practicing effective Human Capital Management that encompasses how
the entire organization runs and how it evaluates employee success,
will create a natural link to High Performance Management that will
see businesses emerge as healthy, prosperous, and highly competitive.
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