This online course is 6 weeks long, followed by a 2-week period to complete the final exam (online, open book). Lessons are released on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week. You are not required to be online at any specific time. You register and pay on our website and instructions on how to access your course will be emailed to you immediately after registration.

The actual time commitment involved in completing any given lesson can vary significantly based on a number of factors including reading speed, familiarity with the topic, related experience, the amount of time spent completing optional assignments, and involvement with discussion board. For planning purposes we suggest setting aside 2 hours per lesson as a starting point.


High Performance Organization

High Performance Organization

A key ingredient to the longevity of a company, is the performance and implementation to function as a High-Performance Organization (HPO). A High Performance Organization doesn’t evolve naturally it takes a proper foundation and resources. Any type of business from production to service based, would benefit from becoming a HPO. Benefits include increased profits, a high rate of success, and a desirable workplace. Competition is everywhere and may range from large and small organizations on a domestic and international level. An organization is better suited for long-term success if they build an initial foundation as a High Performance Organization. 

This course will provide you with the information needed to help your organization with its efforts to become a High Performance Organization (HPO). We’ll begin discussing the four principles of a HPO: Egalitarianism and Engagement, Shared Information and Trust, Knowledge Development and Performance Reward Linkage and how to link those principles with organizational activities to be a HPO to implementation of the principles. You'll also discuss leadership and how the organization’s culture can help or hinder your efforts to become a HPO.

Week 1 Wednesday - Lesson 1

Lesson 1
Learn the fundamental principles of a High-Performance Organization, designing a HPO, align an HPO with your company’s strategy and implement an HPO.

Week 1 Friday - Lesson 2

Lesson 2
Define the HPO principle of Egalitarianism and engagement and describe how you can empower your employees as well as how to create an empowered workforce.

Week 2 Wednesday - Lesson 3

Lesson 3
You will learn about the HPO principle of Shared Information and Trust and the different ways to communicate your vision for an HPO. This lesson will also identify the characteristics that make a good leader and how communication and a collaborative environment can be used to create successful teams

Week 2 Friday - Lesson 4

Lesson 4
In this lesson we will look at the principles of trust and integrity in an HPO and how shared information helps develop trust and integrity. We will also Identify ways to break down barriers and encourage trust and define the role of the Psychological Contract.

Week 3 Wednesday - Lesson 5

Lesson 5
Here we look at the three steps of the performance management process and the   four basic elements necessary to establish effective standards for performance management and describe what an effective performance management process looks like. We will also discuss how knowledge development supports an HPO.

Week 3 Friday - Lesson 6

Lesson 6
Motivating your employees is critical to an organization’s efforts to become a HPO. In this lesson we’ll identify ways to motivate your employee’s productivity,  how clearly defined roles and expectations can help your employees in a HPO and how training and development can help your employees to be high performers. We look at the benefits of the performance-reward linkage in developing a HPO also.

Week 4 Wednesday - Lesson 7

Lesson 7
You will learn the common causes of workplace disputes, the cost of workplace disputes, and the role of arbitration to handle disputes. We will also learn about a Human Resources Information System (HRIS) and   examine how an HRIS can help develop and maintain an HPO.

Week 4 Friday - Lesson 8

Lesson 8
Define organization culture. Identify your organization’s culture, the effects of culture on developing and maintaining a HPO. Discuss the statistics of a low performance culture. Explain how to design an organizational culture to implement a HPO and discuss the role of the mission statement in supporting a HPO.

Week 5 Wednesday - Lesson 9

Lesson 9
You will learn about diversity such as the definition of diversity, the benefits of diversity in a HPO and how you can manage diversity-related conflicts in the workplace.  We will also the role of leadership in a diverse workplace.

Week 5 Friday - Lesson 10

Lesson 10
Explore how implementing a HPO can improve your company’s bottom line and how motivating your employees can help your company be a HPO. We will also talk about the role of communication and delegating authority in creating a HPO.

Week 6 Wednesday - Lesson 11

Lesson 11
The focus of this lesson is participative leadership. You will learn ways to grow talent internally to become leaders for a HPO, the leadership role in an HPO and define leadership and management styles that contribute to a HPO.  We will also talk about how corporate governance contributes to HPO.

Week 6 Friday - Lesson 12

Lesson 12
The strategic planning process is the focus of this lesson. We will cover an organization’s strengths and weaknesses and how to implement and evaluate your strategic plan. You will also learn how to find the right strategy for your organization and explain how the strategic plan contributes to the implementation of a HPO.
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Details
This course is fully online, you require internet access and an email account. The course duration is 6 weeks, followed by a 2-week period to complete the final exam (online, open book). Lessons are released on Wednesdays and Fridays of each week, for a total of 12. You are not required to be online at any specific time.

In addition to the specific lesson content, there is a discussion board with each lesson and often there is an optional assignment to apply the learning.

Following each lesson, there is a short multiple choice quiz. Your score on these quizzes does not count towards the final mark but completing these helps solidify your learning as well as prepare you for the final exam.

The final exam is an open-book, multiple choice exam and you need to achieve a minimum of 65% on the final exam to pass the course. There is only one opportunity to pass the exam. A certificate of completion from Ed2Go is available for printing immediately upon successful completion of the course and a certificate from the University of Waterloo will be emailed typically 1-2 weeks later.

Certificates
Many of the Ed2Go courses are eligible towards the various online certificates offered by WatSPEED.

Choose your course start date: