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The study examines the mediating effect of knowledge management (KM) in the relationship between the high-performance organisation (HPO) framework and high performance in financial institutions (FIs) in Uganda. The paper aims to develop a framework that promotes high performance in the FIs.

The conceptual model was tested on a sample of 28 financial instituitions using structural equation model.

The findings revealed that the high-performance framework is significantly related to high performance and KM is related high performance. KM mediates the relationship between the high-performance framework and high performance.

The findings revealed that the high-performance framework is significantly related to high performance and KM is related high performance. KM mediates the relationship between the high-performance framework and high performance.

The findings revealed that the high-performance framework is significantly related to high performance and KM is related high performance. KM mediates the relationship between the high-performance framework and high performance.

This study makes several empirical and theoretical contributions, addressing the gap in the literature about the role of the HPO framework in strategic management. This study tests the relationship between the HPO and the firm's performance by taking the mediating effects of KM. The designed model highlights a significant organisational performance approach that can influence the finance sector positively.

This paper aims to review and synthesize notable literature on high-performance organization (HPO), from which future research directions can be recommended.

This narrative literature review analyzes major HPO literature in popular books and peer-reviewed articles published in English in the period between 1982 and 2019.

The review revealed that HPO literature has evolved multiple times, illustrating the complex and multifaceted nature of this phenomenon. In particular, literature on HPO has evolved in four phases: (1) definitions and conceptual development of HPO; (2) exploration of approaches to achieve HPO; (3) empirical validation of HPO framework; and (4) complicated research models and designs on HPO. Several research gaps were identified, which definitely hold varying research value and can be seen as potential opportunities for future research.

The focus of this review is on HPO literature published in English rather than cover all existing literature.

It is among the first studies to review the HPO literature and its evolution. This review also recommends constructive areas for future research on HPO to focus on.

The purpose of this paper is to answer the research question “Is the high-performance organization (HPO) Framework suitable for non-governmental private sector organizations, specifically the affiliates of international companies operating in the ICT sector in Egypt?”

The research concerns a replication study in which the HPO Questionnaire was used to collect data, and factor analysis was applied to evaluate the reliability and consistency of the HPO Framework. The research approach was the same as applied by de Waal et al. (2016), but this time the research population consisted of affiliates of international ICT companies, instead of local ICT companies as in the de Waal et al. (2016) study.

Data gathered by means of the HPO Questionnaire from managers of these affiliates were used to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the HPO Framework. The confirmatory factor analysis was done twice, once for the original 35-characteristic HPO Framework and once for the 26-characteristic HPO Framework as proposed by de Waal et al. (2016) for Egyptian local ICT companies. The study results clearly show the applicability of the original 35-characteristic HPO Framework for measuring the organizational strength and identifying performance-gaps of ICT companies that are affiliates of international organizations operating in Egypt.

This study adds to the growing HPO literature on developing countries and helps Egyptian ICT companies to adopt high-performance practices to be able to contribute more to the economic development of Egypt.

Purpose – This chapter contributes to comparative biopolitics and reviews primatological literature, especially about our nearest relatives, the Great Apes.

Design/methodology/approach – Biopolitics in this chapter means evolutionarily informed political science, with emphasis on power relations. I review the literature on intrasexual and intersexual dominance interactions among individuals and competitive and/or agonistic interactions among groups in the Great Apes (Hominidae, formerly Pongidae): orangutan (Pongo with two species and three subspecies), gorilla (Gorilla with four subspecies), bonobo (Pan paniscus), and common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes with four subspecies). In the final section I present some (speculative) thoughts on Pan prior or the modern human ancestor.

Findings – Not only Man is a political animal.

Originality/value – Impartial, objective, and as complete as possible review of the literature for the students of (comparative) politics, ethology, and psychology.

Many models for designing a high-performance organization (HPO) have been proposed in the past decades. However, not much information can be found in the extant literature on whether these models actually improve the results of an organization over time in a sustainable manner. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate whether de Waal’s (2012) HPO framework does help organizations increase their performance in a sustainable manner.

De Waal’s HPO framework was applied at Nader & Ebrahim S/O Hassan (NEH), a Philippine banana producer and exporter. In 2013, a first HPO diagnosis was conducted, in which the HPO status and possible improvements were identified. This application entailed conducting a questionnaire, holding interviews, and organizing a feedback workshop with management and employees. The aim was to identify possible improvements which the organization could implement in order to achieve high performance. Subsequently, NEH started to work on these improvements, and in 2015, a second diagnosis followed.

The second HPO diagnosis showed that both NEH’s HPO scores and organizational results had gone up considerably. The research results also showed which of the interventions, which NEH applied during working on the improvements, were most effective.

Virtually all of the HPO frameworks and models described in the literature have not been tested scientifically on their effectiveness. Thus, the research into the workings and effectiveness of de Waal’s framework belongs to an exclusive and limited set of longitudinal research studies which actually brings the study of effective performance models further.

The purpose of this paper is to substantiate conclusions from De Waal's case study research about the role of behavioral factors in the use of performance management systems.

De Waal's exploratory research is replicated in four more Dutch organizations. Data were collected through the use of questionnaires, interviews and document research. Data of the additional case studies were combined with De Waal's. Pattern matching was used to compare all case studies. De Waal's initial research design was extended through the inclusion of different levels of matches in the pattern matching exercise.

Analysis on different levels of matches showed that behavioral factors can be ranked according to their relative importance. The research has demonstrated that it is possible to identify which behavioral factors are the most important ones for the use of a performance management system.

The results of the research are limited to the Dutch situation.

The research findings allow managers to focus their attention on what is most important to improve the use of their performance management systems, and hence to enhance the performance of their company.

This paper is useful for both researchers and practitioners in that it gives interesting new insights into the relative importance of behavioral factors in the use of performance management systems.

When an organization becomes a high performance organization (HPO), it is able to outperform comparable organizations for an extended period of time, thereby ensuring its long-term survival. It is therefore imperative for these organizations embarking on an HPO transformation to be aware of the factors that will help make this transformation successful. Unfortunately the current literature does not provide these factors; one can only find factors influencing large-scale transformations. It could be argued that becoming an HPO is a large-scale transformation, but this leaves the question open whether there are specific factors that are important for this specific type of transformation.

The purpose of this paper is to answer the research question “What are the main factors which theoretically and in practice best support a successful HPO transformation?” This question was answered using the results of a review of the literature on large-scale transformations and a review on the applications of de Waal’s HPO Framework in practice.

Eleven theoretical and eight practical success factors were found. These factors matched for 63.6 per cent, indicating there is a moderate overlap between what the theory predicts and what can be noticed in practice. In addition, the practical cases indicated there are two success factors that are specifically important for an HPO transformation.

The study results contribute to the theory, as they show what is and is not important for a specific large-scale transformation such as an organization transforming into an HPO. The practical contribution of the study lies in the fact that organizations now know which factors to pay attention to in order to increase their chances on a successful HPO transformation.

Ever since Portugal joined the European Union, Portuguese organisations have been struggling with both the challenges of new competitors flooding in from other European countries and taking advantage of the opportunities the new enlarged integrated market offered them. This is because Portuguese companies have in general low average rates of productivity growth while they lack techniques to improve not only these rates but also overall organisational performance. The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether the high-performance organisation (HPO) framework, a holistic improvement technique developed on the basis of worldwide data, is valid for the Portuguese context and therefore can support Portuguese organisations in their efforts to achieve better performance.

Managers in Portuguese organisations, which were found in the Spain balance sheet analysis system database, were approached to fill in the HPO questionnaire on their company. In total, data was received from 163 organisations. This data was subsequently statistically analysed using a confirmatory factor analysis.

The study shows that the 35 items of the HPO framework are valid for the participating Portuguese organisations and as such form a reliable HPO framework for these organisations. Thus, the HPO framework can be reliably applied at Portuguese organisations to evaluate their current level of organisational performance and to propose recommendations to improve performance.

This research study fills the gap of the currently rather limited literature on the application of holistic and effective improvement techniques in Portugal, and as such future researchers can use the framework to conduct a more in-depth study of performance gains in the Portuguese context. Portuguese managers now have at their disposal a holistic improvement technique validated for their context, so they can use the HPO framework with confidence to start improving their own organisations.

The purpose of this paper is to determine whether there are common conceptions of high performance organizations (HPOs) among business in South Africa and Tanzania. This is important to know because their perceptions will not only influence the nature and scope of topics, syllabi and course materials used in teaching, but will also influence the priority of organizational decisions which are going to be made by the students when they are managers.

Data were collected by means of a questionnaire from a sample of 357 second and third year business students who were asked to rate the 35 items contained in the HPO Framework (Waal, 2012) on a seven-point Likert-scale.

Factor analysis revealed that South African and Tanzania business students put priority on three of the original five HPO factors: continuous improvement and renewal, long-term orientation, high quality management, comprising 16 of the original 35 HPO characteristics. A bivariate correlation between the HPO factors and Hofstede’s dimensions of cultural values revealed a significant relationship between the HPO factor long-term orientation and three of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, for both cultures.

The value of the study is that it adds to the HPO literature by focussing on cultural implications and Hofstede’s dimensions. The answer to the research question are there similarities or differences among business students from South Africa and Tanzania in their perceptions of what the priority should be in regard to strengthening specific characteristics in the HPO Framework? is affirmative: yes, there are differences in high performance priority-setting per country and these differences can be explained by cultural differences. The findings of this study thus form a basis for the understanding of the effects of national cultures on the creation of HPOs.

Purpose: The study described in this paper develops an evaluation model aimed at investigating the relationships between knowledge management and objective and perceived organizational high performance. Design/methodology/approach: A comprehensive review of theory, research and practices on knowledge management and high performance develops a model that forms the basis of the study. The model was operationalised in financial institutions in Uganda, and was used as the basis to develop the hypotheses that are tested in the study. Findings: suggests that competitive advantage is a significant predictor of high performance and that the high performance organisation framework is a mediator of knowledge management and high performance. Originality: Among the few empirical studies relating knowledge management and its integration in financial institutions for achieving sustained competitive advantage and high performance. Limitations: The study used a small sample which limits the generalisation of the results. Practical implications: The results may provide a sound basis for making an analysis of KM behaviour and high performance in financial institutions.