Peak Performance: Aligning the Hearts and Minds of Your Employees

by Jon R. Katzenbach

Book Overview

Drawing on an in-depth study of carefully selected enterprises, Jon Katzenbach found distinct patterns in how companies engage their employees to capitalize on emotional energy and consistently... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0875849369
• Release Date: April 2000
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.0" x 0.5" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Explaining Workforce Alignment is no small challenge and Jon Katzenbach does a fine job meeting it!

Katzenbach defines the value of having higher-performing, energized workforces aligned with company goals. His real world success stories reinforce the elements of success and profitability and the power of buy-in from the employees. Inspiring for those executives who wish to take their businesses to the next level of superior performance.

Achieving and Then Sustaining an Emotional Balance

In the Preface, Katzenbach explains that "The central topic of this book -- energized workforces that deliver higher (peak) performance -- can be defined as any group of employees whose emotional commitment enables them to make or deliver products or services that constitute a sustainable competitive advantage for their employer. By peak performance [italics] we mean the norm, better than expected, better than the competition, and better than similar workforces in other places." These clarifications are important, especially the reference to "sustainable", because Katzenbach is not talking about the "hot groups" which Lipmen-Blumen and Leavitt analyze nor the types of groups which Bennis examines in Organizing Genius [italics]. In Chapter 1, Katzenbach suggests four criteria by which to identify "higher-performing workforces. They are: More than one-third of the workers consistently exceed the expectations of their leaders and customers, the average worker outperforms the average competitive worker, a strong emotional commitment to higher standards and aspirations is manifest throughout the entire workforce, and finally, the collective performance of that workforce or of critical segments (typically at the front line) creates the core of the organization's competitive advantage...and is extremely difficult to copy.Katzenbach organizes his material within three Parts: Maintaining the Critical Balance, Exploring the Five Balanced Paths [Mission, Values, and Pride; Process and Metrics; Entrepreneurial Spirit; Individual Achivement; and Recognition and Celebration], and Applying the Lessons Learned. He then provides an Appendix in which he skillfully summarizes key points about 27 "Participant Companies and Organizations" and "Outside-In Cases" which include The Home Depot, McKinsey & Company, NASA, Southwest Airlines, Toyota, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Navy Seals. It would be a mistake to assume, however, that Katzenbach has only larger organizations in mind. On the contrary. If anything, the "critical balance" between enterprise performance and employee fulfillment is even more important in small-to-midsize organizations than it is in organizations such as those previously listed because, in a smaller organization, an individual worker can have greater impact...be it positive or negative. For Katzenbach, having an appropriate "critical balance" will enable any organization to "stay the course and successfully climb" any "mountain" it may encounter because it has "an emotionally committed, peak-performance workforce."

Characteristics of the Five Balanced Paths

"This book is concerned with energizing people for performance and the different successful paths to that end". Jon R. Katzenbach writes, "It describes how each path concentrates management attention on worker fulfillment to harness the emotions of many people in sustaining a higher-performing workforce. This is a different challenge than simply motivating people to meet demanding financial performance objectives. The latter is what most companies do, and it implies setting unambiguous goals, establishing clear measures, and holding people individually accountable for results (consequence management). Logical, rational motivation is certainly a good thing, but it is no match for engaged, emotional commitment...Energizing people for performance elevates the game significantly, to the point that many employees go well beyond leaders' expectations, individual accountabilities, financial resuts, and short-term market objectives. This book describes how to unleash the full individual and collectve potential of people to achieve and sustain higher levels of performance than the workers themselves thought possible, than management or customers expected, and than competitors can realistically achieve. Unleashing the full potential of people is undeniably a tall order; few institutions have managed to do it consistently. This book explores the approaches of those who apparently have gone far beyond any conventional notions of managing solely to meet ambitious financial objectives. It looks at how such institutions tap into worker fulfillment to develop the extra quotient of emotional commitment that deeply energizes many people to perform well beyond conventional norms".In this context, Jon R. Katzenbach introduces five paths (balanced paths) that explain all the higher-performing workforce situations. As argued by Katzenbach, "each path constitutes a clearly different approach for energizing a workforce for higher performance. Certainly, there are overlaps and similarities among the paths, but the primary focus and value proposition of each is quite distinct". Hence, throughout this invaluable study, he explores these five paths as the overarching concept or framework for this book. And he defines (1) top management philosophy, and (2) characteristics of the five balanced paths as follows:I- Mission, Values, and Pride:(1). Employees will feel truly proud of what this enterprise stands for, what their specific work group can accomplish, and what they can contribute, both collectively and individually; their pride will be continually reinforced with external and internal recognition.(2). a. Noble purposeb. Rich historyc. Strong valuesd. Group cohesionII- Process and Metrics:(1). Employees who consistently meet and exceed their metrics and adhere to the critical process requirements will be recognized and respected by their peers and conspicuously recognized and rewarded by management.(2). a. Clear measures and standar

Another Hit From Jon Katzenbach

Using exciting companies such as The Home Depot, Southwest Airlines and Marriott, Dr. Katzenbach weaves a strong case balancing care of the workforce with top-notch organizational performance. His formula includes a number of possible tracks to follow. Any one, or a combination of the alternatives, can surely add value to your organization.The book is a primer for line leaders and human resource executives showing how companies can have their cake and eat it to. He builds a powerful argument suggesting that strong companies can be built on a compelling story that satisfies both the workforce and the bottom line.I strongly recommend this book to those seeking the "secret sauce" of workforce alignment. It is clearly another Jon Katzenbach winner!