要想在制造业中竞争，就需要高绩效的公司，这些公司生产出比19世纪泰勒公司更稳定的质量、更高的产量，并提供更大的灵活性。高绩效组织的关键要素是高绩效人员。在很大程度上，这一新的生产订单将不是由新的劳动力来执行，而是由现在占据现有职位的员工来执行。这些员工必须抛弃传统的制造思维，学习新方法。本文讨论了高绩效组织的四个特征。

TO COMPETE IN MANUFACTURING REQUIRES HIGH- PERFORMANCE COMPANIES THAT PRODUCE MORE CONSISTENT QUALITY, HIGHER OUTPUT, AND OFFER GREATER FLEXIBILITY THAN THE TAYLOR ORGANIZATIONS OF THE 1800S. THE CRITICAL INGREDIENT OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATION IS HIGH-PERFORMANCE PEOPLE. FOR THE MOST PART, THIS NEW MANUFACTURING ORDER WILL BE IMPLEMENTED NOT BY A NEW WORK FORCE, BUT BY EMPLOYEES THAT NOW OCCUPY EXISTING POSITIONS. THESE EMPLOYEES MUST ABANDON THE TRADITIONAL MANUFACTURING MIND-SET AND LEARN NEW METHODS. THIS PAPER DISCUSSES FOUR CHARACTERISTICS OF HIGH- PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATIONS.