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Building on high-performance organizations (HPO) framework, the purpose of this paper is to hypothesize the direct impact of five factors of HPO framework on public organizations’ performance in Pakistan. This is first research to employ the partial least squares (PLS) method to provide empirical evidence of the predictive power of the framework in public organizations.

This is a cross-sectional study conducted in non-contrived settings thereby keeping researcher interference to a minimum. Data collection was carried out by distributing online questionnaires to 513 employees from three different service-based public organizations in Pakistan. PLS is used to examine the statistical and substantive significance of five factors by employing SmartPLS 3.2.6.

This study concludes that the HPO framework has predictive relevance for public organizations’ performance surveyed in this study. Furthermore, three out of the five factors of HPO framework, namely, management quality, workforce quality and long-term orientation have positive relationships, while openness and action orientation (OAO), and continuous improvement process and renewal have a negative relationship with the performance of public sector organizations (PSOs) surveyed in Pakistan.

The study’s small sample size limits this research, and only quantitative methodology is applied. A significant limitation of this research is that this study relied on a subset of respondents of surveyed organizations and may not representative of the population. Therefore, result should be carefully interpreted as some degree of biasness may be present. Furthermore, findings of the study cannot be generalized to all PSOs of Pakistan.

The implication for public managers is that the HPO framework has predictive relevance and substantive significance. However, the ideal value of HPO framework will occur when leadership considers HPO factors and struggles persistently to improve performance. The useful implication is that public managers should focus on continuous improvement process and renewal and OAO to meet stakeholders’ satisfaction.

This study answer two questions, first “is there any significant relationship of five factors of HPO framework with public organizations’ Performance in Pakistan?” and second “what is the predictive relevance level of HPO framework in the Public organizations in Pakistan?” The answers to these research questions will fill the gaps in the literature by providing empirical evidence to the existing knowledge on improvement methods, especially the public sector (PS), and contributing insights on the real world working of the five factors of HPO framework in a PS.

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.

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.

Islamic finance is an interesting field of research, as it represents an alternative to conventional finance for Muslims. It is a way of conducting finance based on the principles of Islam and prohibition of interest. Islamic finance can be divided into two areas: Islamic banking and Islamic insurance (Takaful). This paper aims to describe a research study on the applicability of the high-performance organization (HPO) framework on Takaful insurance companies and whether it can improve their performance in a sustainable way.

The factors and characteristics of the HPO framework are theoretically matched with the characteristics of the Takaful industry for evaluating whether these reinforce or weaken each other. The outcome of this matching process gives an indication of whether it is easier or more difficult for Takaful insurance companies, compared with conventional companies, to apply the HPO framework and transform themselves into HPOs.

It can be theoretically expected that, out of 35 HPO characteristics, 10 will be easier to strengthen in Takaful organizations compared with conventional organizations and 9 will be more difficult, and for 16 characteristics, there will be no difference. These results suggest that, most likely, it does not make a difference whether UAE Takaful organizations or conventional organizations implement the HPO framework, they will probably need roughly the same amount of effort to make a successful transition.

In a follow-up study, the HPO framework will be applied at several Takaful insurance companies to evaluate the operation of the framework in practice.

To date, no studies of the HPO framework and HPOs have been conducted at Takaful insurance companies in the UAE. Thus, by theoretically matching the HPO framework with Takaful organizations, the study fills a gap in the management literature regarding high-performance improvement techniques for Takaful organizations.

Thai organizations are currently wrestling with the quality demands that are placed on them because of the approaching accession of Thailand into the ASEAN Economic Community. Thai managers are acutely aware that this will increase competitive pressures in their country, and are therefore looking for a technique which can help them create higher quality organizations and achieve sustainable high performance in the Thai context. This article aims to evaluate whether the high performance organization (HPO) framework can provide the necessary support.

During two workshops in Bangkok, one for representatives of eight Thai profit and governmental organizations and one for staff and students of a Thai university, participants were asked to complete the HPO questionnaire. From the resulting scores three main areas of improvement were identified for Thai organizations which they should address in order to become HPO. These areas of improvement were discussed during the workshops with the explicit purpose of determining how they could be addressed in the Thai context.

The research showed that Thai managers and employees understood the HPO questionnaire and were able to fill in this survey; the results of the HPO questionnaire yielded relevant areas of improvement for Thai organizations; and the HPO framework was seen as being a valuable technique for Thai organizations to improve in a sustainable way.

Further research should focus on testing the HPO framework in practice by implementing the recommendations in Thai organizations and then tracking the performance of these organizations in time. In addition, future research could look into the degree in which the characteristics of the HPO framework itself are suited to the Thai context, in comparison to other quality and performance improvement models and frameworks.

This is the first research into the suitability of an HPO framework in the specific Thai context.

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.

An important question in contemporary research is: do certain management practices cause better performance or do better performing organizations find it easier to adopt certain management practices? This question is also of importance when applying the high performance organization (HPO) framework, which is a scientifically validated technique designed to achieve and sustain a high level of performance. Many research studies correlate the HPO framework with improved organizational performance. There are, however, no studies which explicitly look at the causal relationship. This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of causality.

Longitudinal research was conducted at two companies. An HPO diagnosis was conducted at each company, after which management implemented the HPO framework. Two units at each company were selected as case studies. Data were collected, using a questionnaire and interviews, at the beginning and after 18 months, when the diagnoses were repeated. A linear regression analysis was performed to interpret the data.

Despite exposure to the same HPO framework techniques, organizational units achieved significantly different outcomes. In each company, one unit achieved a higher HPO score and higher organizational results, while the other unit had no change, or a lower HPO score and lower organizational results. The key factor was the manner in which unit managers applied the HPO framework.

Optimal effectiveness for the HPO framework occurs when management incorporates the HPO factors into the workplace and strives diligently to improve performance.

This research responds to the question “Do certain management practices cause better performance or do better performing organizations find it easier to adopt certain management practices?”

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 academic and management literature offers an abundance of techniques for helping organizations improve their performance. Generally, though, these techniques have not been subjected to rigorous, evidence-based evaluation or have been tested in practice over time. The purpose of this paper is to describe a longitudinal study into the effectiveness of the High Performance Organization (HPO) Framework at a social care and rehabilitation organization.

The HPO Framework was applied at LIMOR in the Netherlands. The longitudinal nature of the study consisted of conducting an “HPO diagnosis” twice at the organization, in 2012 and 2015. In the second diagnosis, the effectiveness of the interventions the organization undertook to address the recommendations originating from the first HPO diagnosis was also measured.

The study aimed to discover whether the HPO Framework was a suitable improvement technique with which to increase the performance of a social care and rehabilitation organization in a sustainable way. The results showed that it was used to ward off and contain the negative effects of external turbulent developments, and thereby helped LIMOR to perform better than comparable organizations.

As a longitudinal study of the workings and effects of the HPO Framework at a social care and rehabilitation organization, this study is the first of its kind. Moreover, it addresses two gaps in the current literature, by contributing longitudinal evidence to the body of knowledge on improvement techniques, specifically in the non-profit sector, and by adding insights on the practical workings of the HPO Framework in a non-profit context, specifically the social care and rehabilitation sector.

The Dutch supermarket industry is dominated by a small number of powerful companies which capture the majority of sales and which compete fiercely with each other. This competition is mainly quality based, in the sense of offering increasingly more products of higher quality and striving for better distribution mechanisms. Interestingly there does not seem to be much attention for the quality of the internal supermarket organisation, i.e. quality of people, internal processes, and performance reporting. Thus there seems to be a gap in both current literature and the quality improvement attention of supermarkets which needs to be addressed, to uncover new sources of improvement. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

In this paper, the authors introduce the high-performance organisation (HPO) framework, a validated technique for evaluating the strength of the internal organisation of companies and for proposing quality improvements. The aim of the research is to test whether the HPO Framework can be used to analyse the strength and performance of supermarkets and to come up with recommendations for improvement. A questionnaire into the drivers of success of supermarkets was constructed which was send to 400 supermarket franchisers, and the received data were subsequently analysed.

On average the participating supermarkets are well-performing but they cannot yet be classified as high performing according to the HPO Framework. The supermarkets with the highest HPO scores indeed achieve better financial results (both in terms of revenue and margin achieved) than those of supermarkets with lower HPO scores. Finally, the authors find that larger supermarkets (in square metres floor area) outperform smaller supermarkets on all HPO factors.

As the HPO Framework is shown to be useful for not only analysing the performance of the supermarkets but also to generate recommendations for improvement of those supermarkets, individual supermarkets should evaluate their performance and operations using the HPO Framework to come up with improvement recommendations tailored to their own situation.

The HPO Framework has been applied during the past years in many sectors but not yet in the supermarket industry. Thus this research provides a unique insight in this industry. In addition academic researchers can use the HPO Framework to further investigate specific areas and factors of the supermarkets, in order to add to the literature on the quality of supermarkets.