Abstract
M.Comm.
As the South African economy has begun to recover after the financial crisis of the
last few years, most organisations have initiated cost-cutting initiatives to ensure
sustainability. With increased globalisation and a more competitive environment the
challenges for organisations to survive and grow have increased.
The objective of the study was to determine high performance criteria of successful
organisations and to evaluate Company X according to the identified performance
criteria. This will enable Company X to determine according to which criteria it is
performing well and where improvement is needed to transform itself into a high
performing organisation. Becoming a high performing organisation can assist
Company X to become more competitive in the enterprise architecture and business
process management consulting industry.
The first phase of the study involved a literature review to identify high performance
criteria of successful organisations. The identified criteria provide a guideline against
which Company X could be evaluated. The results of the study showed that the
criteria of a high performance organisation are an articulated strategy, a culture of
customer satisfaction and continuous improvement, a structure that is flat and
adaptable, consistent financial performance and quality services.
The second phase of the study was conducted at Company X with the collection of
secondary data through documents and primary data through interviews. The data
were analysed and combined through thematic and content analysis. The
assessment of Company X’s performance determined that Company X does comply
with some criteria of high performance organisations. These include the culture of the
company, consistent financial improvement and effective leadership. It was identified
that attention have to be paid to the development of its human resource practices,
documentation and optimisation of the company’s processes, increased collaboration
and knowledge sharing, and documentation and communication of strategies and
goals.
The conclusion is that Company X complies with some of the important criteria of a
high performing organisation and by attending to the improvement of identified
criteria has the ability to become a higher performing organisation. This will enable
Company X to distinguish itself from competitors and foster stronger relationships
with clients.