High Performance Working

postgraduate up consummation worksExecutive Summary intensify is always a ch wholeenge as well as an opportunity. Todays piece resource managers face great challenge to accustom with the changing business and piece of work contexts and thus they try to convert their memorial tablets in to elevated cognitive deal Working formations with the chastise combination of heap, process, technology and organizational structure.The exalted surgical procedure Working has late gained emergence attention from the Human imaging managers and organizations. Becoming a superior-pitched get alongance working organization is considered to be a difficult task because all the relevant and necessary fractions must fit with others so that the arranging can function smoothly. The naughty come uponment working transcription is a corrective visor because legion(predicate) other tools and measures of oversight like dear-in-time manufacturing, customizing, total woodland centering and flexible manufacturing technology can be better functioned only when there passel who fit the specific requirements.No process can work out when right the great unwashed argon no there. High act Working system looks not only at technology or process, but it seeks to find talented and qualified people who can meet the specific requirements. Organizations with High exploit Working have been found to be successful as they have experienced increase in productivity and really static long border profitability. This research work identifies IBM as an organization that has effectively used organisational learning as a method to fetch High Performance Working organization.This piece of research work examines the fundamental principles and theories of High Performance working and it analyses how an effective last public presentation working can armed wait on an organization win its goals. This paper presents an in-depth analysis of various elements of High Performance working and it draws an example from IBM which has brought tremendous changes in its business with the help Organizational Learning.IntroductionWhen compared with momentous changes that occurred everywhere the recent years in technology, lifestyles, body of work environment and business contexts, the Human Resource Management looks to have accustomed with the changes and it has evolved major developments by implementing various strategies and methods that help organizations face the challenges and achieve its goals. The changes in the technology and in the business contexts cause changes in the workplace. High Performance Working is thus a impertinent interdisciplinary model of Human Resource Management that comprises of people, technology, and process.Noe, Hollenbeck and Gerhert (2003) stated that Human Resource Management has been playing its vital role helping organizations gain the competitive advantages oer their competitors by becoming high performance working organization.This re port analyses the features and underlying principles of high performance working and it examines the impacts of high performance working on the levels of heed systems inwardly IBM which has recently achieved high performance working with help of organizational learning. This research work presents an in-depth analysis of high performance working and its advantages to the organization in which it is implemented.High Performance WorkingPfeffer (1994) argued that the success in dynamic and passing competitive market environment depends less on advantages associated with economies of scale, technology, patent, access to capital, but, it depends more on innovation, speed and setability. Pfeffer (1994) argued that innovation, speed and adaptability are derived from the employees within an organization and from the way they are managed. Organizations seek to adapt to the changes by adopting a repress of managerial practices that are called high performance or high involvement human re source system (Guthrie, Flood and Liu, 2009).Dessler and Varkkey (2009) argued that research evidences show that the best-performing companies in a wide range of industries perform well because of their high performance working. High performance working is an integrated set of human resource management practices and tools that unneurotic produce superior employee performance. some(prenominal) qualitative and quantitative researches have proven that high performance working is directly influencing the overall performance of the employees by increasing their productivity. The specific objective of this system is to attain superior employee performance.According to Noe, Hollenbeck and Gerhert (2003), high performance working is a system in which an organization has best possible fit among their friendly system (people and their interaction) and technical system (equipment and processes). Pfeffer (2001) stated that implementing high performance working requires major up-front invest ments including nurture, more selective recruiting, high(prenominal) wages and so forth.The technology, the structure of the organization, people and processes all work together to gain an advantage in the competitive market. When technology changes and the functional areas of the business like transportation, communication and manufacturing are being changed, the Human Resource Management must ensure that the organization has right and talented people who are able to meet the challenges of changes. While an organization implements and maintain high performance working system, it may have to develop effective training programs, recruiting people for specific skills and encouraging organizational learning and teamwork (Noe, Hollenbeck and Gerhert, 2003).Several organizational outcomes including higher productivity, increased profitability, lower costs, better responsiveness to customer and greater flexibility are the results of high performance working. Implementing high performan ce working has become a difficult task because it cannot easily be copied from other organizations and there must be good deal of better partnering among executives, line managers, HR professionals, union representatives and employees (Bohlander and Snell, 2009).High performance working is a system of working that promises an increase of around 20 percent in the productivity if staffs are motivated, involved and offered autonomy (Research Forum, 2006). High Performance working generally includes selective hiring, extensive training, pay based on performance, workplace empowerment and sharing of organizational knowledge (Yalabik and Chen, 2008).Features of High Performance working and its specific triggersEven though there no hard rule about what comprises of High Performance Working, most organizations and Human Resource management perceive that following are the common practices of High Performance working.Employment security and selective hiringExtensive training and knowledge sha ringSelf managed teams and modify decision makingReduced status distinction between managers, andTransformational leadership (Dessler and Varkkey, 2009)One of the main triggers of high performance working is the market problems. Fierce contender in the market and organizational disparities among counterparts play vital role in encouraging organizations to implement high performance working. During the early 1980s, when Canon and Xerox went spike on head in the copier markets, Xerox introduced the practice of High Performance working to face the competition and to beat the counterpart (Ashton and Sung, 2002).Introduction of the unfermented technologies remains to be another trigger for the death penalty of high performance working system. OECD researches have shown that foreign ownership has also linked to the use high performance working and its wide acceptability throughout the organizations worldwide and especially in the United States (Ashaton and Sung, 2002). The market flu ctuations, introduction of newer technologies and economic changes are the main triggers of High Performance working.The role of employee responsesThe employees play mediating role in the high performance working system. The literatures show that High Performance Working is linked to a number of employee practices and employee responses (Macky and Boxall, 2007, Boxall and Macky,2009). Employees are often placed as the central to mediating the outcomes that an organization experiences due to high performance working.The High Performance Working is directly influencing the performance of employees as it helps increase their productivity and by developing their interpersonal skills and abilities. Employees are highly motivated in an organization that functions with system of High Performance Working and these employees are provided of greater opportunities to manipulate use of their knowledge, experiences and skills.In an organization that works as High Performance System employee cap ability is being set upper confine of performance, motivation is directly impacting the degree to which this capability is turned in to an action and opportunities are conjured as venue for them to express their skills Macky and Boxall (2007).Basic Elements of High Performance WorkingHuman Resource Management plays meaning(a) role in implementing various elements of High Performance working like organizational structure, design, selection and training of people, reward system and learning organization. As there are pressures for performance in a very dynamic and competitive environment, human resource managers seem to gravitate toward improving the efficiency of existing organizations structure by implementing new strategies that help gain competitive advantages (Ashkenas and Ulrich, 2002).Noe, Hollenbeck and Gerhert (2003) identified the following elements of High Performance Working.Organizational StructureThe structure of an organization is the way it combines its people in t o useful groups, departments and reporting relationship (Noe and Hollenbeck, 2003). A better designed organizational structure pull up stakes be highly effective to promote the working of various management groups. The top management within an organization decides the total design and levels of managements like how many employees should be there under a particular supervisor.Task DesignTask design is the way the necessary activities of an organization are grouped. Task design makes the tasks to be done efficient and it encourages quality in the operation (Noe and Hollenbeck, 2003).Right PeopleSelecting right people is the very critical aspect of Human Resource Management. People being selected must fit the tasks to be assigned to them. Right people are the very basic and inevitable element of the High Performance System. In designing and developing a high Performance System, the Human Resource Management must put efforts to find qualified and skilled people who provide fit the spe cific requirement of the business.Reward SystemJackson and Hitt (2003) emphasized that reward is the most powerful tool out of all purchasable Human Resource strategies. It is a strategy that not only motivates the employees but ensures increased productivity and employee cooperation as well. Reward system is another important element of High Performance Working, because it serves dual aspects that it directs attention of employees to the most important specific requirements and also it motivates them to put their efforts.Information systemIt is the final element of High Performance Working system by which managers have to take decision regarding what kinds of data to be gathered and from what sources it can be collected. The information system determines the scope of information that who can access the information and how can they retrieve organizational knowledge.An information system of an organization is closely related to knowledge management practice which is the process of enhancing business performance by designing and implementing systems, tools, strategies, process and people so as to create knowledge, share and use it for the further benefits of the organization (Noe, 2002).Conditions that Contribute to High Performance WorkingNoe, Hollenbeck and Gerhert (2003) identified certain factors that contribute to the high performance working in an organization. According to him, Teamwork, Knowledge share, incentives, employee empowerment and reward are the main factors that directly influence the High Performance Working.TeamworkHigh Performance System will work more effectively in an organization where employees are move in team work, cooperation and collaboration. Teamwork is a highly important tool of organizational culture that leads to knowledge share and it thus brings better performance. The teamwork refers to the ability of staffs to work together and their expertise in cooperation by assessing team skills with trust and good communication betwe en them (Austin and Claassen, 2008).Knowledge ShareKnowledge share and knowledge slow between workers helps an organization perform well. An organization in which knowledge is freely transferred between its employees can make better ways to achieve success through the implementation of High Performance Working. According to Rothwell and Sterns (2008), employees can be encouraged by team learning by fostering interaction among older and younger workers. This will enable each employee learn from his or her counterparts and therefore it helps foster knowledge share among the workers.Outcomes of High Performance WorkingHigh Performance Working results higher productivity and increased efficiency and these in turn contribute to higher profits (Noe, Hollenbeck and Gerhert, 2003). An organization with the help of High Performance Working can achieve high product quality, better customer service and customer satisfaction, lower rate of employee turnover and increased employee involvement an d cooperation (Luthans, 2005).Gephart and Buren (2002) hold the view that all the companies with high performance may not pursue the same business strategies. Some business may go for low cost or customer services, maculation others rely on innovation, speed and so forth. A company with High Performance Strategy may give greater emphasis on highly skilled and knowledgeable or experienced employees, customer satisfaction and reliable products and services.A survey conducted in 1993 by Center for Effective Organization has proved that companies that used employee involvement and High Performance Working had substantially higher levels of financial success than those companies that didnt use same strategies. Companies that increasingly used High Performance Working excelled at return on sales return assets and return on investments as well (Gephart and Buren, 2002).According to survey conducted by Sloan Foundation, companies with high performance working in the steel industry have bee n found that those companies had 7 % higher productivity, 13 % increased product quality and better service quality than those companies with less High Performance Working system (Gephart and Buren, 2002). It is obvious that High Performance Working helps organizations increase the employee productivity, motivate employees, achieve high product and service quality and gain customer satisfaction and so on.Workplace Learning for High Performance WorkingAshton and Sung (2002) argued that the use of workplace as a learning experience has been transformed over recent years. There are three main reasons for this. First is the growth of Knowledge economy, second is the impact of new economy and information and communication technology and the third is the increased use of High Performance Working system. Organizational learning has become a significant part of High Performance Working system.As stated earlier, one of the important elements of High Performance Working is Information system. It is not only the system of how information is stored or made use of it, but, it denotes the comprehensive practices involved in making the workplace a learning atmosphere as well. It can be well connected with knowledge management practices.The spread of High Performance Working has created more opportunities within employees to learn and develop themselves, to improve their skills and not just as in the professional or craft occupations (Ashton and Sung, 2002).The nerve of IBM An organizational Learning exampleIBM Corporation is a multinational computer technology potful that has succeeded in its business pathway through a number of marketing and Human Resource strategies. IBM remains to be an illuminating example for making its workplace a knowledge creating environment and learning experience. Being an organizational learning example, IBM has implemented a strategy for High Performance Working that makes people, process and technology more adjusted to the changing environmen t.The organizational learning of IBM is basically a customer-driven strategy which has been considered to be effective as it can enable the company adapt to the environmental, cultural and other changes. From the words of Ted Hoff, the vice president of the organizational learning system, IBM has a very special heritage and commitment to learning. This culture is ingrained in all the senior executives. The IBM senior management expects always conducting learning and they are going to develop employees by developing new ideas (Sosbe, 2003).When IBM was under the direction of Vincent Learson, he started conducting serious conversation with senior level management in order to find most effective strategies. Based on situation analysis and incoming market anticipation, a newly appointed committee suggested IBM to implement an organizational learning process by maintaining 360 new line computers only for the use of management and employees. It was the strategic beginning of organization al learning at IBM and it still goes on as strategic movements to achieve high performance working in the organization (Lipshitz, Popper and Friedman, 2006).IBMs organizational learning can be viewed as a strategic approach for becoming a High Performance Working organization. As discussed by Ashton and Sung (2002), organizational learning is a step forward to become High Performance Working system in an organization. Organizational learning and its strategies enhance employee learning through various methods and tools like knowledge share, retaining older employees for knowledge transfer etc and these in turn motivate employees to learn and develop their skills. Finding right people for the fit for specific requirements is the very crucial stage in High Performance Working. But, organizational learning is an easy way to find and make use of right people for the right need. Instead of searching people from outside, organizational learning and knowledge management helps organizations get right people from within the employees.IBM has become one of the renowned computer technology corporations with a very strong market share. IBM has achieved its success through various strategies including organizational learning that helped IBM become High performance working organization.Conclusion and RecommendationsThis research work presents the theories and practices of High Performance Working and it analyses various elements of the system. This paper outlines the outcomes of High Performance Working and the case of IBM has been included to describe how organizational learning has been effectively used by IBM so as to make it a High Performance Working organization.It is very obvious that companies with High Performance Working are found more productive, highly successful in customer satisfaction, improved product and service qualities and so forth than those companies that didnt use High Performance working. Organizations that seek further development in its core compet encies and total output must turn their attention towards this growing trend of High Performance working system.