High Performance Organization (HPO) Framework

High Performance Organization (HPO) Framework

The High Performance Organization (HPO) Framework is a conceptual, scientifically validated structure that managers can use for deciding what to focus on in order to improve organizational performance and make it sustainable. The HPO Framework is not a set of instructions or a recipe that can be followed blindly. Rather it is a framework that has to be translated by managers to their specific organizational situation in their current time, by designing a specific variant of the framework for their organization (de Waal, (2008).

The HPO Framework consists of five factors of high performance organizations:

• Quality of Management means managers on all levels of the organization maintain trust relationships with employees by valuing their loyalty, treating smart people with respect, creating and maintaining individual relationships with employees, encouraging belief and trust in others, and treating people fairly (de Waal, 2008).
• Openness and Action Orientation-In addition to having an ‘Openness and Action Orientation’ culture, an HPO uses the organization’s openness to achieve results (de Waal, 2008). In an HPO, management values the opinion of employees by frequently having dialogues with them and involving them in all important business and organizational processes (de Waal, 2008). HPO management allows experiments and mistakes by permitting employees to take risks, being prepared to take risks themselves, and seeing mistakes as an opportunity to learn (de Waal, 2008).
• Long-Term Committment-In an HPO, long-term gain is far more important than short-term profit. This long-term orientation is extended to all stakeholders of the organization, that is, shareholders as well as employees, suppliers, clients and society at large (de Waal, 2008). An HPO continuously strives to enhance customer value creation by learning what customers want, understanding their values, building excellent relationships and having direct contact with them, involving them in the organization’s affairs, being responsive to them, and focusing on continuously enhancing customer value (de Waal, 2008). An HPO maintains good long-term relationships with all stakeholders by networking broadly, taking an interest in and giving back to society, and creating mutual, beneficial opportunities and win-win relationships (de Waal, 2008).
• Continuous Improvement – The process of continuous improvement and renewal starts with an HPO adopting a unique strategy that will set the company apart by developing many new alternatives to compensate for dying strategies (de Waal, 2008). After that, an HPO will do everything in its power to fulfill this unique strategy. It continuously simplifies, improves and aligns all its processes to improve its ability to respond to events efficiently and effectively and to eliminate unnecessary procedures, work, and information overload (de Waal, 2008).
• Quality of Workforce, An HPO makes sure it assembles a diverse and complementary workforce and recruits people with maximum flexibility to help detect problems in business processes and to incite creativity in solving them (de Waal, 2008). An HPO continuously works on the development of its workforce by training staff to be both resilient and flexible, letting them learn from others by going into partnerships with suppliers and customers, inspiring them to improve their skills so they can accomplish extraordinary results, and holding them responsible for their performances and with that encouraging them to be creative in looking for new productive ways to achieve the desired results (de Waal, 2008).
• The Nation Examinations Council of Tanzania is the one responsible and authorised to provide examinations to primary, secondary and some level of colleges. It has set grade ranges (A, B, C, D, E for ordinary level and A, B, C, D, E, and S) for advanced secondary students as well as Divisions, (I, II, III, IV,and 0). For ordinary level students are required to have three credits that is; three Cs to qualify to advance level. The criteria set by NECTA are the ones followed by all schools in Tanazania. Additionally, the catholic schools and others have set their own grades which are apart from the ones given by NECTA so that they can motivate teachers and students to aim higher.

According to NECTA a student who has got division I, II, III, or IV has passed the exam. Unfortunatutely, the one got III or IV has low achievement. The focus and determination in the study is to explore and reveal the secret of getting division I or II which is higher achievement.