5IVP Improving Organisational Performance 

Introduction to 5IVP Improving Organisational Performance

Improving Organisational performance is a unit in the CIPD level 5 that educates on the continuous improvement of persons in terms of skills, character and contribution in an organisation. The unit introduces the students to drivers of sustainable organisational performance through the creation of a High-Performance work organisation (HPWO). Learners will learn that sustainable organisational performance is influenced by various factors one of them being the involvement of line managers in the performance management process.  In this unit, various conceptual frameworks of high-performance work (HPW) will be examined and their impacts on organisational performance assessed. The unit is very important because it enables the student to understand the advantages and disadvantages of high performance working and its concept that is essential to attain a competitive advantage. It also elaborates on the barriers to HPW and the importance of people management in improving organisational performance.

The three primary objectives covered by the unit include:

1. To understand the concept of high performance working (HPW) and its role in the creation of a sustainable high-performance work organisation (HPWO)
2. To understand the contribution of performance management to high levels of performance and the role of line managers in the process.
3. To gain knowledge of how to create and sustain a community of practice to build a high-performance culture.

This unit introduces the learners to different high performance working conceptual frameworks and their impacts on performance. It also exposes the learner to issues of employee engagement, communication skills, employee welfare as well as a competitive advantage. Additionally, people who pursue the unit can understand the pros and cons of high-performance working and the role of management in improving organisational performance. A high-performance work organisation is characterised by commitment, trust and enthusiasm. Employees in such an organisation can promote diversity, think critically through issues as well as perform effectively in their duties. This unit will further elaborate on the impact of the performance management process and demonstrate how line managers can build a high-performance culture.

Unit Content

The first lesson will cover the first unit objective. In this lesson, learners will be taught the concept and components of high-performance work. The concept will cover HPW as a practice or a system of organisational culture change. It will also elaborate on issues of innovation, involvement, commitment and flexibility in the work system. Components of HPW that will be taught in the lessons include leadership and strategy, organisation design and teamwork, organisational development, employee involvement and the processes of creating a high-performance culture and customer value in an organisation.

The evaluation of evidence in the link between HPW and sustainable organisation performance will be based on practical examples and learners will have an opportunity to study the cultures of different businesses. The unit will also help the students to analyse the competitive advantage of different organisations and the culture that gives the company that advantage. The development of HPWO within and without the UK will also be taught in the module. Importantly is to understand that, HPW contributes to the attainment of organisational objectives and is also responsible for both long term and short term success of an organisation.

The second lesson as extracted from the unit objectives will focus on the contribution of performance management to high levels of performance and the role of line managers. The main steps of performance management include setting objectives, performing and performance review. At the end of these subtopics, the learners will be able to discuss each of the mentioned steps and give relevant examples of each step. The learners will further learn the duties and responsibility of line managers in the process of high performance. Each manager is tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that their departments produce high-performance results with the contribution of all participants.

Conclusively, creation of a sustainable community that upholds a high-performance culture requires effective and inclusive collaborative working and communication techniques that support organisational values, promote trust and encourage diversity while building good work relationships. Improving the performance of an organisation requires the support of participants through the provision of their development needs.

Learning outcome

At the end of the unit, students will have a better understanding of how performance management influence performance levels and the responsibilities of the different line manager in the production process. Additionally, the learners will have acquired adequate knowledge on how to create an organisational culture of high performance as well as techniques of sustaining the culture. Primarily, at the end of the unit, learners will be able to correctly interpret the concept of high-performance working and the role it plays in the creation of a high-performance work organisation. Students taking this unit are expected to learn practical skills for improving employee performance for the benefit of the organisation.

Suitability

The unit is suitable for:

1. Any person who is already working or pursuing a career in the human resources management and development department.
2. Professionals who would like to increase their knowledge and skills in the HRM can also benefit from this unit.
3. Any person with the critical duty of implementing the policies and strategies related to human resource in a given organisation can benefit from the module.

Generally, learners of this unit are expected to have a broader understanding of the role of human resource in an organisational setting as well as environmental context. Thirty (30) hours is the standard learning time for this unit (guided learning). There is an additional 30 hours that is allocated for personal learning also known as self-directed learning through reading and preparing for assessments.

Summary and assessment

The unit comprehensively covers matters associated with skills that are essential in improving organisational performance. The unit offers adequate knowledge that helps the students become experts in carrying out their duties and responsibilities. Learners are tasked with the responsibility of gaining the necessary skills and knowledge to implement performance issues in the HR functions. Acquiring knowledge of how to improve organisational performance boosts the learners’ confidence and motivates them towards achieving organisational goals and objectives.