In this blog I tell you all about our research into the success factors of High Performance Organizations and the expected qualities of a manager. I will reveal highlights of my new book and one of the most important HPO factors I will write about is Qualities of a Manager. How I know?

To determine what makes an organization a High Performance Organization I examined 290 international studies that were conducted over the past 30 years in this area. The most common results were then tested in a global study (50 countries) among 1,470 profit, non-profit and government organizations to determine the most important factors. The results were obtained in June 2007. There are five HPO success factors (divided into 35 HPO aspects) that have a direct link to the long-term success of an organization. And the most important success factors are the qualities of a manager.

High qualities of a manager in a glance

In an HPO, managers on all levels of the organization maintain trust relationships with employees by valuing their loyalty, treating smart people with respect, creating and maintaining individual relationships with employees, encouraging belief and trust in others, and treating people fairly. Managers at an HPO work with integrity and are a role model to others, because they are honest and sincere, show commitment, enthusiasm and respect, have a strong set of ethics and standards, are credible and consistent, maintain a sense of vulnerability and are not self-complacent. They are decisive, action-focused decision-makers, avoid over-analysis and propose decisions and effective actions, while fostering action-taking by others. HPO managers coach and facilitate employees to achieve better results by being supportive, helping them, protecting them from outside interference, and by being available. Management holds people responsible for results and is decisive about non-performers by always focusing on the achievement of results, maintaining clear accountability for performance, and making tough decisions. Managers at an HPO develop an effective, confident and strong management style by communicating the values and by making sure the strategy is known to and embraced by all organizational members.

The twelve HPO characteristics of qualities of a manager are:

1. The manager is trusted by organizational members.
2. The manager has integrity.
3. The manager is a role model for organizational members.
4. The manager applies fast decision making.
5. The manager applies fast action taking.
6. The manager coaches organizational members to achieve better results.
7. The manager focuses on achieving results.
8. The manager is very effective.
9. The manager applies strong leadership.
10. The manager is confident.
11. The manager always holds organizational members responsible for their results.
12. The manager is decisive with regard to non-performers.

It has to be stressed that the twelve characteristics are valid for everybody in the organization that is a manager (defined here as someone who directs at least one other person), so not only top management. Especially after the de-layering that has taken place on a grand scale in many organizations, middle and lower level managers increasingly play a pivotal role in creating successful organizations.

So this is your challenge: In an HPO the qualities of a manager, on every organizational level, have to be of top-notch quality!

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