Key takeaways
- Define the result and evidence before choosing an organisational change.
- Review responsibilities, skills and support across the people involved.
- Try a bounded process improvement and review what actually changed.
- Choose tools around a concrete need and keep their ownership clear.
A high-performance organisation (HPO) is concerned with sustained organisational results. A practical review starts by describing the result you need and checking how goals, people, processes and tools support it.
Review how the organisation supports that work. A new target or tool alone does not resolve a missing skill, unclear responsibility or unreliable handover.
What is the HPO Framework?
André de Waal’s HPO Center defines an HPO through financial and non-financial performance above its peer group over at least five years. Its named HPO Framework groups characteristics into management quality, openness and action orientation, long-term orientation, continuous improvement and renewal, and employee quality.[1]
The four practical steps below provide a starting review of goals, people, processes and tools. Applying the named HPO Framework involves its own characteristics and organisation-specific interpretation.
1. Define the result
Set a specific goal with an observable outcome and a timeframe. Check that it fits the organisation's priorities and the resources available.
The performance management cycle provides a structure for agreeing goals and reviewing the work over time.
2. Review responsibilities and skills
Explain what each person needs to contribute and where colleagues depend on one another. Discuss the skills required and identify support or learning needs.
3. Examine the process
Map the work and its handovers. Ask where information goes missing, a decision waits or a repeated step creates extra effort.
Give someone responsibility for a proposed change. Review its effect on the work before extending it across the organisation.
- 01
Observe the gap
Follow one recent piece of work across the relevant teams. Record where information was missing, a decision waited or someone repeated a step.
- 02
Agree one change
Choose an action the responsible owner can implement. Keep its scope and dependencies visible rather than changing several processes at once.
- 03
Review the evidence
Compare the same observation after the change and discuss it with the people affected. Decide whether to keep, revise or stop the action.
4. Choose tools around a concrete need
Describe the task a tool needs to support and who will use it. Check the information, training and maintenance required before introducing it.
Review results and feedback together. Adjust a goal or process when circumstances change instead of assuming the original plan still fits.
Example: review a role-learning update
In an illustrative fintech infrastructure team, a release changes the terminology used in Support training. The learning owner discovers that the current guide and a saved presentation use different terms. Review those copies with the responsible product specialist before assigning more training.
A bounded change could retire the obsolete copy and link the approved guide from the role-learning activity. Ask a Support colleague to find the current term for a fictional case and explain any remaining ambiguity. This checks the information route; operational decisions remain with the authorised owners.
Sources
- HPO Center. The High Performance Organization (HPO) Framework. Definition and five factors. Accessed 9 October 2026. https://www.hpocenter.com/hpo-framework/
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