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Step inside the Superior Performance Framework
The Korn Ferry model is grounded in research and outlines the people and organizational conditions that drive superior performance.
Organization
People
Discretionary Energy
Leadership
Superior Performance
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Leadership
Organization Enablers
People Drivers
Discretionary Energy
Superior Performance
Leadership
Leadership
Transformation must be inspired, and driven by the leaders at the very top of the organization – then amplified down through the senior management tiers. Leaders are both the catalyst for the transformation journey, and the glue that holds the firm together during it.
They must design the journey, steer the business through it, and inspire the workforce to join it. This caliber of leader is difficult to find. They must combine an understanding of the digital world with the ability to drive change in a traditional organization.
ASK YOURSELF…
- Are you clear about the profile of leader you need to drive transformation in your organization context?
- Do you understand the potential of the talent you already have?
- How inventive are you being in your external search?
Organization Enablers
Purpose
& Vision
Choice
& Focus
Accountability
& Fairness
Purpose & Vision
Setting out the purpose and vision of the company in the digital world, aligning the top team behind it and communicating it clearly and compellingly, are critical first steps towards a successful transformation.
It’s likely that, to implement it, the organization culture will need to change to one that encourages collaboration, innovation and risk taking.
ASK YOURSELF…
- Are you being bold enough in rethinking your business model and vision for a digital world?
- Do your employees understand and believe in what you want to achieve?
- Does your culture help or hinder your employees to deliver?
Purpose
& Vision
Choice
& Focus
Accountability
& Fairness
Choice & Focus
Organizations will need to make a choice about how digital the organization should become, and how quickly. Then, build an organization framework that enables this to happen. This is likely to mean fundamental changes in the operating model and structure.
It will also mean introducing new ways of working – cross functional teams collaborating on distinct projects. And it will mean introducing new ways to make decisions that enable the organization to keep pace with the digital world.
ASK YOURSELF…
- Does your leadership team agree on the detail of the digital strategy?
- Have you re-thought your organization structure?
- Do you have new ways of working for the digital world?
Purpose
& Vision
Choice
& Focus
Accountability
& Fairness
Accountability & Fairness
Roles, accountabilities and processes within the new set-up must be abundantly clear if the digital strategy is to be put into action. And employees will need to feel there is a fair reward for playing their part.
Fairness should be explicit in the company culture. It should be reflected in the workforce diversity, the HR policies, the career opportunities on offer – and of course, the firm’s reward programs.
ASK YOURSELF…
- Are your leaders clear about where their own accountabilities lie and the accountabilities are of their team?
- Does pay drive behaviors that will enable success in a digital world?
People Drivers
Clarity
Capability
Commitment
Clarity
Employees need clarity about the vision of the organization; their role in delivering it, their place in the structure, their job description, the metrics by which they’ll be measured, and the rewards and opportunities on offer if they achieve these.
As always, performance management will be critical to maintaining this clarity. But, in a fast moving digital world, this will need to be a daily dialogue not an annual check.
ASK YOURSELF…
- Are your leaders skilled at providing clarity to their employees, even in a fast moving, ambiguous world?
- Is your performance management system fit for purpose?
Clarity
Capability
Commitment
Capability
Leaders need to translate the new strategy into the skills the organization will require, now and in the future and develop a clear plan to secure them. It won’t just be digital skills they are looking for but attributes like learning agility and emotional intelligence will be critical.
It’s likely that ‘digitally ready’ talent and those with digital potential already exist within the organization. So, identifying them is key.
Of course, most organizations will almost certainly find themselves hiring on the external market. And success will mean making sure that their employer brand appeals to a new type of recruit.
ASK YOURSELF…
- Do you know what skills and competencies you need now and in the future?
- Do you have a clear talent strategy to acquire and retain the right talent?
- Do you know the digital capabilities of your workforce?
- Is your employer brand strong enough to attract the best people?
Clarity
Capability
Commitment
Commitment
Organizations won’t achieve their digital aims without their employees going the extra mile. Transformation will be on top of the day job.
The best way to drive commitment is to rally employees around a common vision and purpose, a strong sense of ethical responsibility, and a clear set of ethics, values and beliefs. People must feel that they’re working for a cause, not an objective.
ASK YOURSELF…
- Do you create an environment that encourages all employees to give their best?
- Does your vision inspire them to go the extra mile?
Discretionary Energy
Discretionary Energy
The energy, or effort, that employees willingly exert in order to achieve organizational goals.
- Employee engagement is central to discretionary effort.
- Teams and individuals who exert more discretionary energy are more committed, proactive, and satisfied in their work.
- They are more innovative, productive, and are stronger performers overall.
ASK YOURSELF…
- How consistently do your employees put in extra effort to help their fellow team members?
- To what degree will your employees go the extra mile to ensure customers are satisfied and organizational goals are achieved?
Superior Performance
Superior Performance
Encompasses a variety of positive outcomes at the individual and organizational level.
- At the organizational level, revenue, profitability, market share, service level, and environmental impact are examples of superior performance metrics.
- At the individual level, exceptional achievement, conscientious behavior, and minimal withdrawal from the organization all are hallmarks of superior performance.
- Organizational and individual level performance indicators are interdependent.
ASK YOURSELF…
- How effectively do the metrics you have in place drive high levels of achievement and competitive advantage?
- To what degree do your organizational goals, processes, and leadership stimulate high levels of engagement and performance?