In a report by Deloitte about the organizations of the future, only 11 percent of the survey respondents admitted that they know how to build an organization of the future. To become the organization of the future, they first have to evaluate their performances. Becoming an organization of the future does not mean anticipating the future and being prepared for it but functioning as if the future is happening now. Organizations that drive their performance based on future forecasts are the most high-performing ones. Hence, it’s safe to say that HPOs can ideally be called the organizations of the future. 

Though there are many definitions for what an HPO is, every organization has to take a different route to enhance its performance. Some of the critical areas that most organizations workaround are empowered networks, active talent mobility, culture, and coordinated information systems.  

Well-networked teams – a genie that ensures HPO

Networks are replacing the hierarchical structures in the organization. Teams that do not only have cohesiveness internally but externally as well are also facing the need of the hour of build ing an HPO. This requires an organization-wide well-connected network where employees feel safe and secure. Following are a few characteristics of a well-networked team:

Transparent goals and projects

Teams that have clarity and transparency concerning objectives and projects undertaken are likely to be more productive. As the cohesiveness not only takes care of conflict resolution but also becomes a motivating factor to work in the organization.

Free flow of information and feedback

Feedback and information are two pivotal elements for an individual to grow. If employees experience continuous growth, their values and mission ultimately align with that of the organizations’. 

Easily mobile team structure

A leading North American bank builds an agile cross-functional model for teams. In this model, the teams were formed with employees of different expertise such as coders, developers, and business analysts. Such a team would then work on a given project for a brief time and then disperse. For every new project, a new team with different members is formed. The bank established after a few pilots that this kind of model worked very well to build agility within the organization and also considerably improved the performance. 

Take lessons from the front line

The front line in any organization is where all the value is passed from internal structures to external stakeholders. This is the most robust chain between the customers and the internal stakeholders of an organization. Hence, any lessons or observations must be utilized to not only enhance the product/service but also to enable teams to decode and read the subtexts behind such observations. To develop such a system, it is also essential for an organization to carefully assess and capture all the skills that their employees possess with detail. 

How to build the organizations of the future

• Embrace the pace of change 

HPOs are the ones who have changed tremendously compared to their 10-year-old versions. The organizations who are struggling are the ones who have not been proactive towards change. Outpacing the rate of change might be a far-fetched dream for some but embracing the pace is always the best way to keep the organization’s performance on toes. Understanding how connectedness, customers, and talent pools are changing is crucial. 

• Talent mobility as an organizational value

Team fluidity and agile employees will help the organization to become a high-performing entity. Building structures and culture that supports this fluidity and agile model is the crucial determinant of success for this measure. 

• Build an internal HPO evaluation team

Forming a group that studies the characteristics of high-performers, projects and initiatives will help you to get a closer look instead of an objective over-arching view. Enabling the group to analyse the job titles, reward systems, and career paths will help in understanding what drives the organization’s bottom-up model. 

• New communication tools

Communication is the key to build a high-performance organization. By integrating technologies such as Slack, Basecamp, Workboard and other organizations can reduce the energy spent in mobilizing the information and instead create well-connected communication and information flow systems.

Organizations of the future are the ones to sustain a continuous pace of growth and maintain high-performance throughout. By evaluating some of the critical indicators mentioned above, you can take your organization on the path to become an HPO.