What is a High-Performance Work System (HPWS)?

High-performance working systems allow employees to feel valued – building a culture with higher transparency, trust, and good communication. A high-performance work system will allow leaders to create habits of top performance – helping the whole team reach success.

What is a high-performance work system (HPWS)? Our analysis will break down the definition and offer a three-step guide to help you reach your performance goals. And if you are seeking a more in-depth analysis of creating high-performance work cultures, we have you covered.

What is the Definition of High-Performance Work?

The definition of high-performance work is “A general approach to managing organisations that aims to stimulate more effective employee involvement and commitment to achieve high levels of performance”.

Unlike the traditional hierarchical company structure, this working system creates a more equal structure with evenly distributed responsibilities. A high-performance work system sees employees as important partners in achieving business success, not just as subordinates.

The flatter structure allows employees to be more engaged, satisfied, motivated and understand the organisation’s values. 

Implementing a New System Requires Motivation

High-performance work can transform a business, but only if implemented correctly. In this article, we will cover ways to integrate this work system into your organisation. As experts in employee recognition, we understand what it takes to create a dynamic and successful team.

🚀 Mo Tip: If you want to create a recognition-rich culture, you must get leadership buy-in. Pushing through cultural change without support and motivation will be exhausting – and ultimately fruitless.

Why is High-Performance Working Important?

Implementing a high-performance working system helps create happier, more engaged, and motivated employees. By becoming more involved in the business operations, they will gain a better understanding of the company’s vision.

Research shows that adopting these working practices positively correlates with the rate of organisational growth. It’s hard to determine the exact impact because studies use different combinations of practices.

However, several studies have shown that HPWS can lead to a 20 – 40% increase in productivity. HPWS improve overall organisational performance and maximising human capital.

Employees who work in a high-performance working system feel they have more voice within their company. They also demonstrate:

• Strong dedication to their roles
• Increased job security and autonomy
• Competitive compensation
• Access to important business information
• Greater job satisfaction
• Positive employee attitudes

As a result, companies experience enhanced individual performance from their employees, improving overall performance. Despite such strong findings, less than one in four businesses use a high-performance working system. 

🚀 Mo Tip: Do not sacrifice long-term success with short-term thinking. If you want more information on how our software can improve employee performance, let’s talk 👉 Book a Demo

However, if you need more information on the steps required to implement a high-performance system, keep reading.

High-Performance Work Systems: 3 Steps to Success

High-performance working systems require a few key shifts in organisational culture to achieve the maximum benefit. These include:

• Better communication
• Smarter software systems
• Leadership Buy-in
• Bottom-to-top habit change
• Seamless management
• Investment in human resource practices

Efforts to transform your organisation into a high-performance working system tend to end up lost in translation. Why? These important conversations often happen in the C-suite and can remain hypothetical. Poor leadership fails to take initiative on their ideas.

To avoid stagnation, follow this three-step guide to implementing a high-performance working system in your organisation.

Step 1: Leverage Recognition

A high-performance work system depends on good communication and a positive work culture. Do not take hardworking employees for granted.

Instead of pushing empty reward initiatives, focus on positive HR practices like regular recognition. Recognising employees improves attrition rates and boosts productivity.

Sound too good to be true? Investing in team connection has beneficial effects because employees feel more valued, making them work harder and giving them a greater sense of accountability.

You can pair recognition with intentional reward schemes once you have established habit changes in your teams. Our employee recognition software is configurable to your organisational practices and helped drive a 17% reduction in employee attrition for Atlas Hotels.

Transformative tools such as our recognition software offer innovative solutions for driving team performance. Mo allows teams to share their highs and lows by posting Moments on the company feed.

Transform your culture with Mo

Book a free demo to learn how Mo can help you:

• Improve employee engagement scores
• Reduce employee churn
• Build a collaborative culture

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Our platform enables managers to recognise accomplishments. It also allows them to set up reminders for upcoming birthdays or work anniversaries. This helps you show your employees how much you appreciate them. Managers can help employees develop good habits by using weekly Boosts to promote a culture of involvement and responsibility.

The result? A highly engaged and connected team that strives for success – together. Talk to our experts about creating a bespoke recognition system to keep your teams engaged by booking a demo today 🚀

Step 2: Facilitate Career Development

After implementing employee recognition software, your team should feel engaged, valued and connected. The next step is to capitalise on their motivation by upskilling your people. Continuous improvement will give your team a chance to challenge themselves, creating an environment that prioritises growth.

Encourage your employees to give feedback on the skills areas they feel are most lacking in their current role. In a positive company culture, there should be emotional space for your team to speak freely.

Investing in career development has practical implications for your business goals by filling gaps created during the hiring process. It is highly unlikely that you will hire a candidate that ticks every box for all your positions. Rather than allowing them to feel overwhelmed in their role, the right training will give them the confidence to execute at a high level.

Step 3: Reform Management Practices

High-performance work practices can only be successfully implemented if tackled from the bottom-up, not just top-down. What does this mean in practice? Well, it means we deserve better managers.

According to a survey on micromanagement as a form of bullying:

• 79% of employees had experienced micromanagement
• 71% said micromanagement interfered with their job performance
• 85% said their morale was negatively affected
• 69% considered changing jobs due to micromanagement
• 36% eventually changed jobs

Data shows that a staggering 82% of managers end up in the position “accidentally”, while one in four employees have left a job because of a toxic relationship with their manager. How do you expect employees to feel engaged when managers are poorly trained and equipped?

Our employee recognition software uses engagement features to empower managers to create weekly Boosts that encourage positive habits. By improving connections between managers and teams, rather than creating silos of micromanagement, organisations can achieve better performance with measurable improvements to productivity.

Managers must foster a collaborative workplace culture by emphasising collective responsibility. Teams are more likely to perform well when they work together effectively, using each other’s strengths and skill sets. After all, a problem shared is a problem halved. 

In conclusion, once you have tackled negative management limitations, your people are better equipped to create better results as a team. Easy, right?

If you’re feeling daunted, don’t worry. Mo’s team is here to talk you through leveraging recognition for better management and team connection 📈

High-Performance Work Systems: Key Takeaways

• High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS) promote effective employee involvement and commitment to achieve high levels of performance, fostering transparency, trust, and communication.
• HPWS involves a flatter organisational structure, distributing responsibilities more evenly and viewing employees as important partners in achieving success, resulting in increased engagement, satisfaction, and motivation.
• Implementing HPWS requires strategic shifts in organisational culture, including better communication, smarter software systems, leadership buy-in, bottom-to-top habit change, seamless management, and investment in human resource practices.