Learning for High Performance Working

  in Enterprises

The opening up of world trade and intensified competition have engendered the growth of High Performance Work Organizations (HPWOs). These have been particularly successful in seizing the expanded market and business opportunities offered by globalization. Salient features of these HPWOs are the following:

• strategic vision and leadership on the part of management;

• generation of high levels of service and value added to the customer;

• develoved decision-making;

• focus on the workplace as a source of added value;

• self-managed work-teams;

• clear links between training and development, as well as organizational objectives.

Under its learning for high performance working research project, the ILO, in collaboration with the International Federation of Training and Development Organization (IFTDO), has documented the learning and training practices of such HPWOs. Case studies were undertaken involving nine organizations.

The study is at present examining the scope for extending these "good practices" also in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The TPE Unit is conducting a series of case studies in SMEs in the following countries: Denmark, Kenya, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Tanzania, and Thailand.

The ILO’s Tripartite Asian and Pacific Meeting on Training for High Performance in Enterprises (Bangkok 12-14 December 2000) will review and disseminate research done so far in these areas.