From "Scratch" to "Qualified Olympic Athletes in Athens 2004":
The Olympic Road to Performance Improvement
by Michiel Bloem and Arnoud Vermei
A focus on getting results is nowhere more emphasized than in one of the most competitive (and measurable) sports throughout the world: swimming. By applying Rummlers’ performance design, understanding the anatomy of performance, and using our partnerships in elite sports, TSA Netherlands started from scratch in 2000 to achieve a dream: Olympic finals in swimming for the 2004 Olympic games in Athens. With this step-by-step approach, six invisible and visible steps were taken during the past Olympic cycle (2000-2004) to create and improve performance:
- Dream
- Design
- Justify
- Build
- Run the process
- Deliver results
This case proved the value of correctly applied human performance technology (HPT), especially in environments of shrinking budgets (sports in The Netherlands in times of low to no economic growth). Working with common concepts of HPT, this case provides practical and motivational learning to all professionals in the field of performance improvement. The results: four Olympic swim athletes present in the Olympics in Athens 2004 and three Olympic medals. Reality, or did we dream?
Breaking the Ice: HPT Challenges in the Acquisition of a New Heavy Icebreaker
by Commander Don Triner, CPT, and Lieutenant Commander Jim Morrison, CPT
Large-scale government and corporate acquisitions will benefit from a human performance technology (HPT) approach. The US Coast Guard’s acquisition of the Great Lakes Icebreaker embodied HPT. The article highlights the analysis, technical challenges, keys issues, solution development, risk management, and culture issues when working HPT within a major, large-acquisition including multinational suppliers.
Behind the Former Iron Curtain: Introducing Performance Improvement
to a Transitional Economic Culture
by Steven J. Kelly, CPT, MA, M. Mari Novak, CPT, MA, and Anna Cermáková, CPT, PhD
This article overviews some of the challenges and adventures encountered by three performance improvement consultants in Central Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain. It encapsulates the observations and lessons learned from a human performance technology point of view during this 15-year economic transition. Several projects are highlighted, as well as thoughts about the future.
Putting the Pieces Back Together to Realign Performance in the Organization
by Gene Drumm
Downsizing, rightsizing, in-sourcing, outsourcing, acquiring, divesting, cost cutting by axe rather than scalpel--these are the tactics employed by many organizations over the last few years. Seldom were these steps taken with a systemic view of the nature of performance. In many cases, the result has been a Rubik’s cube of non-integrated activities and performers confused about accountabilities and priorities. This article presents concepts and tools that can be put to work immediately to build a true system of performance management. Such a system will ensure that everyone in the organization knows what is to be done, to what standards, how that performance is linked to organizational strategy, and the consequences connected to individual performance. As a result, the performance of individuals, teams, groups, and the entire organization will be integrated, supported, and developed.
Figure 4 in the original publication of this article
(above) contained an error.
To access a corrected version of the article, click
here.
Making High Performance Last: Reflections on Involvement,
Culture, and Power in Organizations
by Juan Pablo Ortiz and Lisa Arnborg
This article describes main aspects of the critical relationship between employee involvement and superior business performance. The article argues that three core elements of performance are the absolute determinants for sustained high performance in any organization: will and common vision; ability to take action; and feedback and renewal. Every performance gap contains an involvement gap, which may or may not be acknowledged. Whole-system involvement is critical to achieve lasting results. Organizations are socio-cultural systems that should reflect their members’ needs in their structures and processes. The balance between culture and structure also plays a decisive role in organizational performance. In the long term, structural measures and systems are only as performance-enhancing as the organizational culture allows them to be.
An Adaptive Human Performance System for Adaptive Enterprises
by Christian Joye, CPT
"Adaptive"--a word that is more frequently used these days to depict the current trend for perpetual change. Driven by business imperatives, market trends, and new technologies, the world is in a continuous adaptive mode; and enterprises struggle to adapt to the fast evolution of their environment. Those who succeed will gain a major competitive advantage. Hewlett-Packard as a key IT industry supplier is facing the same challenge. The company designed a framework to transform itself into an adaptive enterprise. The focus of this paper is on how Adaptive Human Performance can be achieved. How to build agility as a core enterprise competency at every step, in every action, in the mind of everyone? How to make everyone in the organization an agile and flexible actor of the change? How to reduce fear and anxiety? The author will review the initiatives, tools, and best practices.
How to Cope With Crisis: A Guide for Entrepreneurs and Executive Managers
by Dr. Walter Rosenberger
From the perspective of a coach and top management consultant, the author tells about his experiences with crisis. He describes how much one’s own personal attitude permits or prevents a successful resolution of critical situations and underlines that identifying the opportunities even in the most difficult scenario is possible, necessary, and a crucial factor for success.
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