Formulating a partnership framework for Egyptian ICT companies

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 293-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Dalia S.F. Habil ◽  
Robert Goedegebuure
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
High Performance ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Full Benefit ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Ict Companies

Purpose Nowadays, it is rare to find an organization that operates in isolation, without the need to partner with other organizations. Partnerships offer firms access to new technologies, markets, and knowledge. During the process of transforming into a high performance organization (HPO), an organization will eventually find itself operating within a bigger value chain. The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors and practices that can help Egyptian ICT companies to become better members in such a partnership, in a way that enables full benefit to be gained from the partnership. Design/methodology/approach The study used a questionnaire based on the high performance partnership (HPP) framework that has previously been validated in the Western and Asian contexts. The questionnaire was distributed to seven Egyptian ICT organizations who partnered with each other, after which a exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed on the collected data to identify the factors that influence the success of partnerships between Egyptian ICT companies. Findings The EFA showed that five (of the original ten) factors from the HPP Framework achieved a high reliability while 47 of the original 54 underlying characteristics applied in the Egyptian ICT context. In addition, these five HPP factors had strong positive relations with the success of the partnership as perceived by partners. Interestingly, the HPO scores of individual partners also had a positive effect on the perceived success of the partnership. Originality/value This study fills the lacuna that currently exists in empirical research about organizational performance practices in Egypt. The study also has practical implications, as management of Egyptian ICT companies are now able to undertake focused improvement actions to increase the success of the partnerships into which they enter.

Suitability of the high performance organization framework to Egyptian ICT companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 632-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Dalia S.F. Habil ◽  
Robert Goedegebuure
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Organization Framework ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Ict Companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to deal with the need for Egyptian ICT companies to adopt high performance practices in order to be able to contribute more to the development of Egypt. However, as not much research has been done into management practices which can support these organizations in the Egyptian context, a framework which was developed based on Western and non-Western data – the high performance organization (HPO) framework – was tested on its suitability in the Egyptian context. Design/methodology/approach The study used a questionnaire which was distributed to seven Egyptian ICT organizations after which a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on the collected data. Findings The CFA showed that the original five factors from the HPO framework achieved a high reliability while 26 out of the original 35 underlying characteristics applied in the Egyptian ICT context. Originality/value This study fills the gap which currently exists in empirical research about organization performance practices in Egypt. The study also has practical implications as management of Egyptian ICT companies are now able to undertake focussed improvement actions.

Suitability of the high performance organization framework for Egyptian ICT companies: a replication study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Azmy Ateia ◽  
Saneya Abdelfattah El Galaly ◽  
André de Waal
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Replication Study ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Organization Framework ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Ict Companies

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to answer the research question “Is the high-performance organization (HPO) Framework suitable for non-governmental private sector organizations, specifically the affiliates of international companies operating in the ICT sector in Egypt?” Design/methodology/approach The research concerns a replication study in which the HPO Questionnaire was used to collect data, and factor analysis was applied to evaluate the reliability and consistency of the HPO Framework. The research approach was the same as applied by de Waal et al. (2016), but this time the research population consisted of affiliates of international ICT companies, instead of local ICT companies as in the de Waal et al. (2016) study. Findings Data gathered by means of the HPO Questionnaire from managers of these affiliates were used to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the HPO Framework. The confirmatory factor analysis was done twice, once for the original 35-characteristic HPO Framework and once for the 26-characteristic HPO Framework as proposed by de Waal et al. (2016) for Egyptian local ICT companies. The study results clearly show the applicability of the original 35-characteristic HPO Framework for measuring the organizational strength and identifying performance-gaps of ICT companies that are affiliates of international organizations operating in Egypt. Originality/value This study adds to the growing HPO literature on developing countries and helps Egyptian ICT companies to adopt high-performance practices to be able to contribute more to the economic development of Egypt.

Applicability of the high performance organization (HPO) framework in the Chinese context

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Amy Wang
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Performance Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Chinese Context ◽  
Chinese State ◽  
Asian Context ◽  
High Performance Organization

Purpose In recent years, China has shifted its competitive strategy from competing on low cost to producing higher value added products and services, and the country has made the promotion of business excellence a national strategic priority. As a consequence, Chinese organizations need to know the factors that will make them world-class companies. Until recently, not much research has been done into these factors in the Chinese context. The few studies available unfortunately were mainly done only into specific elements of excellence and specific improvement techniques; a holistic and scientifically validated framework for creating high performance organizations (HPOs) cannot be found. The purpose of this study is to evaluate such a framework, which was quite recently developed, for the Chinese context. Design/methodology/approach A possible way forward is to use the HPO framework which was validated in earlier studies for the Asian context. In this paper, this research question is answered: Can the HPO framework be used to help Chinese organization to evaluate and improve the factors for excellence in the Chinese context? The study used a questionnaire which was distributed to respondents of a Chinese state-owned manufacturing enterprise. The results were discussed during a workshop to arrive at the main attention points for the organization. Findings The HPO framework was validated for the Chinese context and yielded valuable recommendations for improvement for the case company. Originality/value This study fills the gap which currently exists in empirical research about organization performance practices in Chinese. The study also has practical implications as management of Chinese state-owned enterprises, and possibly other Chinese companies, are now able to undertake focused improvement actions.

The high performance organization: proposed definition and measurement of its performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Peer Group ◽  
Research Question ◽  
General Definition ◽  
Common Denominator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
First Time

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to arrive at a general definition of an HPO and a (practical) way to measure an HPO. Managers are looking for techniques to strengthen their organizations in a way that they cannot only cope with threats but could also quickly take advantage of opportunities, and thus, grow and thrive. The academic and especially the practitioner fields reacted on this “thirst for high performance knowledge” with a plethora of books and articles on the topic of high performance organizations (HPOs). These publications each came with their own description and measurement of HPOs, which created a lot of confusion among practitioners. Design/methodology/approach In this study the following reserach question is answered: how can an HPO be defined and its performance measured? So that with the answer, this paper can take away the aforementioned confusion. This paper does this by conducting an extensive systematic review of the literature on HPO, after which this paper synthesizes the findings into a proposal on how to define and measure the HPO. Findings This paper was able to obtain from the literature a list of definitions and measurements for an HPO. The common denominator in these definitions and measurements turned out to be respondents given their opinion on the effects of the organizational practices they apply on organizational performance vis-à-vis that of competitors. This paper concluded therefore that an HPO should be defined and measured relative to competitors and should be based on the perception of managers and employees of the organization: An HPO is an organization that achieves results that are better than those of its peer group over a longer period of time. Research limitations/implications With the answer on the research question, this paper fills the current gap in the definition and measurement literature on HPOs, and thus, has moved the research into HPOs forward, as researchers can use these research results in their future studies on high performance and HPOs. Originality/value Although there is a plethora of literature on high performance and HPOs no univocal definition and measurement of the HPO can be found. This study provides for the first time an academically well-founded definition and measurement method.

Applicability of the high-performance organization framework in the diamond industry value chain

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-48 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Ruben Orij ◽  
Jantien Rosman ◽  
Marijke Zevenbergen
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Results ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Industry Value Chain ◽  
Management Literature ◽  
Organization Framework ◽  
High Performance Organization

Purpose – The diamond industry used to be a stable sector. However, the market for diamonds is changing rapidly due various developments, putting margins in the entire diamond industry under severe pressure. Consequently diamond retailers have begun to search for new methods that could help them improve their performance. This paper aims to evaluate whether the high-performance organization (HPO) framework can be used to help diamond retailers achieve better results. Design/methodology/approach – The HPO framework was applied at two actors in the diamond industry value chain, a dealer and an intermediate, in order to identify the HPO factors that most influence the results of these companies. Special attention was paid to the matching of the characteristics of the HPO framework and the characteristics influencing the success of partnerships. Findings – The research results show that the HPO framework can be used to identify the improvements needed to increase the level of performance of all players in the diamond industry value chain. Originality/value – The results of this study fill a gap in current academic and management literature on the diamond industry as little research has been done into the factors that cause sustainable high performance in this sector. The results can also be used by managers of diamond retailers to increase company results and to cooperate more closely in the diamond industry value chain.

Adapting the high performance organization framework to the Thai context

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre A. de Waal ◽  
Robert Goedegebuure ◽  
Chiraprapha Tan Akaraborworn
Keyword(s):  
High Performance ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Western World ◽  
Orientation Factor ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Context ◽  
High Performance Organization ◽  
Thai Organizations ◽  
Thai Business

Purpose – The purpose of this study is evaluate whether the high performance organization (HPO) framework can satisfy the recent urgent request of Thai business leaders to create a unique organization which is better able to deal with unpredictable circumstances and increased competition. To establish the suitability of the HPO Framework it first has to be made sure that this framework is applicable to the Thai business context as previous research has shown that management techniques originating from the Western world cannot be indiscriminately transferred into non-Western contexts. Design/methodology/approach – During several workshops and seminars in Bangkok, participants were asked to complete the HPO questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using a second-order confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate whether the data on the 35 items in the HPO framework group into the five independent factors: continuous improvement, openness and action orientation, management quality, workforce quality and long-term orientation. Findings – The data yielded, with a high reliability, four of the five HPO factors as present in the original HPO framework. The dropped items were either confounded with other factors or items that may be another dimension in the data or a sub-dimension of other factors. The long-term orientation factor was dropped, as the accompanying items did not unidimensionally measure this construct. This did not mean that long-term orientation (LTO) is not relevant in the Thai context; there simply were no items included that measured LTO properly in the Thai context. Research implications – The HPO framework proved to be a validated and valuable technique for Thai organizations to improve in a sustainable way. Further research should focus on testing the HPO framework in practice by implementing the framework in Thai organizations and then tracking the performance of these organizations over time. In this way, it can be evaluated if the advantages experienced by organizations while applying the HPO framework can also be enjoyed by Thai organizations. Originality/value – This is the first research into the validity of the HPO framework in the specific Thai context.

scholarly journals Increasing customer loyalty and customer intimacy by improving the behavior of employees

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 492-510 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Béatrice van der Heijden
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Behavioral Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Excellent Service ◽  
Item List ◽  
Customer Intimacy ◽  
High Performance Organization

Purpose One of the most important characteristics of high-performance organizations is that these organizations always aim at servicing their customers as best as possible. In practice, this means that the employees of these organizations have to behave toward customers in such a way that these customers are not only fully satisfied but also become loyal to the organization. The purpose of this paper is to look at the concrete behaviors that are needed to create this customer loyalty. Design/methodology/approach From a literature review the items that potentially are of influence on creating customer loyalty and customer intimacy were identified, based on a previous validated questionnaire while adding additional items. These items were subsequently validated in practice with a questionnaire distributed among people who are in daily life regular customers of organizations. Findings The research results show that there are eight behavioral factors of importance to create customer loyalty and customer intimacy: first, service quality delivered by employees; second, capability of employees to deliver high quality; third, empathy of employees toward customers’ wishes and needs; fourth, understanding of employees of customers’ needs; fifth, responsiveness of employees toward the needs of customers; sixth, courtesy of employees toward customers; seventh, service manner of employees; and finally, trust customers place in employees. Research limitations/implications The implication of this research is that, now that the behavioral factors are known, an organization can make sure its employees focus on displaying these behaviors toward customers consistently over time, in order to make sure customers will experience the organization as a high-performance organization and will feel loyalty toward the organization. Originality/value The research described in this paper adds to the literature in the sense that it encompasses previous research into once item list and specifically looks at behaviors that create excellent service and thereby customer loyalty and customer intimacy, both concepts that go beyond the much researched topic of customer satisfaction.

Human resources flexibility as a mediating mechanism between high-performance work systems and organizational performance: a multilevel quasi-longitudinal study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia A. Katou
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Behavioural Flexibility ◽  
Work Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performance Work Systems ◽  
Functional Flexibility ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of high-performance work systems (HPWS) on organizational performance through the mediating role of human resources (HR) flexibility (expressed by functional flexibility, skills malleability and behavioural flexibility).Design/methodology/approachThe study examines theoretical relationships in the Greek context, which reflects changing economic and financial crisis, based on multilevel structural equation modelling estimation, using three waves of sample data collected in years 2014, 2016 and 2018 from organizations operating in the private sector.FindingsThe study finds that although HPWS positively influences all three HR flexibility dimensions, this positive effect is not transferred equally to organizational performance. The dominant effect on organizational performance is attributed to skills malleability, a smaller effect to behavioural flexibility and a negligible effect to functional flexibility.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the data collected refer to three different years, most of the companies and individuals responded to sampling were different. As such, the study does not allow for dynamic causal inferences due to its quasi-longitudinal nature.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study may influence managerial decisions in developing bundles of HPWS policies and practices in relation to HR flexibility attributes.Originality/valueSince most studies consider HR flexibility as an aggregated construct, this study is possibly one of the very few studies that is examining the differential impact of the HR flexibility dimensions on organizational performance in turbulent times.

Assessing HRO Principles for Reliable Performance in Asset-Intensive Organizations

2019 ◽  
pp. 160-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan-jaap Moerman ◽  
Jan Braaksma ◽  
Leo A. M. van Dongen
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Performance ◽  
Asset Management ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Management Measures ◽  
Reliable Performance ◽  
Tightly Coupled ◽  
Physical Assets ◽  
Physical Asset

Asset-intensive organizations rely on physical assets that are expensive, complex, and have a significant impact on organizational performance. The management of such assets is essential when seeking for reliable performance in a world of increasing uncertainties. The observation that asset-intensive organizations deal with increasingly complex and tightly coupled systems and often operate in highly demanding environments may indicate that they should adopt practices from high reliability organizations (HRO) to ensure and maintain reliable performance in the fourth industrial revolution. This chapter operationalizes the HRO concept in the field of physical asset management, measures to what extent the underlying principles are recognized, and explores the relationship between the HRO principles and asset performance using a descriptive survey. Results indicated that the HRO principles are recognized and may, therefore, serve as an instrument for reliable performance when adopting new technologies. A positive relation between asset performance and the five HRO principles was identified.

Developing a scale for measuring high performance partnerships

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
André de Waal ◽  
Robert Goedegebuure ◽  
Eveline Hinfelaar
Keyword(s):  
Value Chain ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
World Class ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Cable Company

Purpose – The importance of partnerships to organizational success has increased considerably the past decennia and many organizations strive at creating high-performance partnerships (HPPs). For this to happen, organizations in the partnerships have to be of high quality and their collaborations should be world-class. Whereas the factors that create high-performance organizations (HPO) are by now reasonably well established, the HPP factors are still unclear. The purpose of this paper is to develop a scale for measuring the factors of importance for creating and maintaining HPPs, and relates these factors to the factors of the HPO framework and to the success of the partnership. Design/methodology/approach – During a literature study ten potential factors of importance for creating and maintaining HPPs were identified. These potential factors were put in a questionnaire, together with the factors that create the HPO and the factor that measures the success of the partnership. This questionnaire was administered to a cable company, which was working on becoming an HPO, and four of its main suppliers. The data were subjected to a factor analysis which yielded a HPP framework consisting of three factors and 19 underlying characteristics. In addition, these HPP factors were put in a regression analysis with the factors of the HPO framework and the success of the partnership factor. Findings – The research results show a strong relationship between three HPP factors, the five HPO factors, and the success of a partnership factor. Research limitations/implications – This research adds to the literature by extending the concept of HPOs to the value chain these HPOs operate in. Thus the research into the factors of successful partnerships has been brought forward. The practical benefit of the research is that organizations can use the HPP factors to increase the quality of the partnerships they have with their suppliers and customers. Originality/value – There is much literature on partnerships but not so much on partnerships between organizations which strive to become a HPOs, and in the process need to create partnership of high quality.

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