Employers and their workforces disagree about what constitutes high performance and how to achieve it, research has found.
A survey with c-suite executives and employees revealed a stark disconnect between how these groups define high performance within their organisations.
Executives look for ‘operational excellence’ and a ‘fast moving environment’, while employees expect a ‘highly skilled team’ and ‘financial success’, according to the data from HR, payroll and software provider MHR.
The provider found that the majority of employees (91 percent) believe their team is high performing. However only 51 percent of the executives who lead those functions agree.
Just over two-fifths (41 percent) of UK leaders think their organisation has the ability to be high performing in 2025.
The provider said it begs the question, are employees naively underestimating what high performance looks like in the age of AI?
Further results showed that leaders and employees were also at odds about what creates high performance.
More than three-quarters (76 percent) of employees think their organisation has a clear understanding of what creates high performance compared to just 47 percent of business leaders.
Results suggest that CEOs may be, in part, to blame for this confusion. A quarter of leaders said that their CEO doesn’t know what high performance looks like, while 27 percent stated that their CEO doesn’t help them achieve it.
“Tackling productivity and operating in a high performing manner has long been a challenge for many UK organisations,” said Anton Roe, chief executive officer at MHR.
“Our findings shine a light on the organisational forces at play which are causing friction and inhibiting high performance. Right now, we are seeing a great performance divide, between leaders and employees in what high performance is and how to achieve it.
“Organisations and their leaders must wake up to this disconnect and act to bring the organisation together. If they don’t address this performance puzzle it will be a blocker to growth and success, ultimately impacting on the bottom line.”
