CREATING A HIGH PERFORMANCE CULTURE FOR

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Joydeep Hor

16 April 2014

Overview

A moment of introspection …

What is a high performance

culture?

Audit – where are you at?

Leadership Infrastructure Approaches

Essential Performance Management

Questions

Is this your organisation?

Our Leadership Team want this organisation to be a high performing one

Our organisation is clear about what differentiates good, acceptable and bad performance

Staff in our organisation regularly have conversations where their performance is assessed

Staff understand how their performance individually contributes to the performance of the organisation

Management of poor performance is a skillset demonstrated by leaders of our organisation

Or is this your organisation?

Performance conversations are rarely had in our organisation

Our focus is on getting the job done and responding to external challenges

People are rewarded for good performance and those who are not rewarded should know that they are not rewarded

Complaints of bullying (or staff going on stress leave) are inevitable when performance management takes place in our organisation

Staff are reluctant to embrace change in our organisation

The elements of a high performance culture

1. Unique identity

• Sets it apart from competitors

• Provides employees with a sense of meaning

• Ignites passion for what the company does

2. Performance attributes

•High integrity

•Performance focused & accountable

•Collaborative

•Agile & adaptable

• Innovative

•Objective measures of success

Getting the balance right

Cultures motivating employees to succeed

Cultures where

Outcomes > Individuals

Questions to audit culture

Is the pressure to perform unreasonable?

Is it sometimes difficult to ask questions or raise

concerns?

Is bad conduct rewarded or tolerated?

Is there a close tie between performance

and rewards?

Does short-term thinking dominate?

Do employees identify sufficiently with the

interests of shareholders?

Do employees understand and

sufficiently care about the needs of the

customers?

Is the quality of products and/or

services a high priority?

Are employees proud of their organisation?

The importance of leadership

Good leadership is important because organisations take on the

traits and values of its leaders.

Good Leadership

Elements

Vision and Values

Alignment and avoiding of inconsistency of treatment

Accountability – performing at a high level themselves

Execute diversity of roles (managers/mentors/ambassadors)

Infrastructure - Recruitment strategy

Where it all begins

Have you learnt from

previous experiences

Understanding the journey

So many tools … so little time

Infrastructure - Inductions

explains rights and responsibilities of employer

and employee

promotes understanding the organisation and its history

communicates policies and procedures

informs employee about points of contact within the

organisation

Infrastructure - Training

• increased morale and staff retention

• Improved and consistent customer service

• Increased productivity and innovation

•Providing a competitive advantage

Investing in training can benefit your organisation through:

•Weaknesses can’t be developed much but employees’ strengths can be developed infinitely

Trying to get employees to fix their weaknesses doesn’t work

Sources: “State of the Global Workplace Report 2013” by Gallup and www.business.gov.au

Infrastructure - Linking to bonuses

Pros

• can boost short or long term performance based on bonus structure;

• mutually beneficial for employee and employer;

• communicates that the organisation has a performance based culture.

Cons

• can appear inequitable;

• may discourage team work and collaboration;

• risk of employees falsifying results to achieve targets;

• may not be cost effective in larger organisations.

Infrastructure - Appraisals

Why do we do them? Is this just about

money?

Should start with best picture of strengths and

weaknesses

What competencies are necessary going forward

Effectiveness?

Approaches? - “The cull”

Remove the bottom

performers to keep the

organisation “fresh”

Approaches? - “Up or out policies”

Law

Associates that fail to

reach partner

status within 10 years

must leave the firm

Military

Officers passed over more than twice for

promotion must be

discharged

Academia

Associate professors

must publish work to prove

worthiness for

promotion within 4-5

years

Consulting

As long as an associate is promotable,

they may stay.

Approaches? – Quadrant analysis

CAN CAN’T

WILL KEEP AT ALL COSTS INVEST INTRAINING

WON’T ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENTS

REQUIRED

NEED TO BE EXITED

Essential Performance Management

•I want to know early Immediacy

•I need specifics Clarity

•Take into account my circumstances Compassion

•Demonstrate that you are trying to turn my performance around Support

•Be genuine with me in what you say you have done, are doing and will do Accuracy

•I know you have been performance managing in your mind but the clock started when you spoke to me Patience

•If I am being exited for performance reasons do not treat me like a criminal Dignity

Questions – time permitting

CREATING A HIGH PERFORMANCE CULTURE FOR

COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

Joydeep Hor

Email: joydeep.hor@peopleculture.com.au