The Characteristics of a High Performance Organisation

Abstract

Under the pressure of ever increasing demands of the external environment and stakeholders, organizations are more and more looking for the elements that make up high performance. An analysis of 290 studies into high performance organizations yielded characteristics with regard to the organizational design, structure, processes, technology, leadership, people, and culture, and the external environment which seem to influence the ability of organizations to achieve high performance. Studies from before 1995 and after 1995 (the new economy) were compared and the characteristics matched for almost 90%, meaning the characteristics identified in this study seem to be 'evergreens.' Therefore these characteristics can guide managers as to which actions they need to take to lead their organizations to superior results.

Keywords: Performance Management, high performance organizations, organizational structure, organizational culture