Achieving Peak Performance

Key Issues
Most organisations now accept that continuous change and transformation have become the norm in a global economy, while the pressure to deliver in this environment is having a major impact on business performance in addition to impairing the health of employees. Many organisations realize they have both a desire and responsibility to act.

The issue is that there have been few interventions that can be objectively measured to make a positive impact, and even fewer that can be sustained over time. In short, companies have struggled to find a solution to what has become a major obstacle to business performance in the 21^st century.

Numerous scientific studies have now shown that excessive pressure directly impacts the internal physiological processes of individuals. This impact upon the internal processes undermines performance, reduces perceptual clarity and directly impairs personal performance. Conversely, studies have demonstrated that peak performance can be achieved and sustained, and the underlying mechanisms are now well understood.

Evidence of Impact
The HeartMath program goes beyond the theory of behavior management and has been shown to deliver measurable improvements globally in business performance, personal performance, staff turnover, health, customer satisfaction, and organisational effectiveness. The major differentiator of our programs is that their impact can be measured and improvements sustained long-term. The data outlined here have been generated through projects at Shell, BP, Unilever, Cisco, Boeing and others working closely with their business, health and organisational development staff.

Subjective Data

Table 1: Improvements in Well-being before, six weeks and six months after training.
(Percentage of individuals responding to the top two of five possible answers)

Objective Data
a.) Blood Pressure. High blood pressure affects one in four adults in North America and Western Europe and is considered one of the most important public health issues facing the industrialized world. The HeartMath program has been shown consistently to reduce blood pressure. The size of this effect has been measured at double the improvement that an exercise program normally delivers and, if it were repeated across the entire population, it could reduce the incidence of stroke by approximately 50%.

Figure 1: Blood pressure data before and 3 months after training (sample size 78)

b.) Heart Rate Variability (HRV). HRV is a very sophisticated measure of overall health and wellbeing. It has repeatedly been shown to be a powerful predictor of all-cause mortality and underpins human performance and vitality. The scientific literature suggests that HRV should remain relatively stable over time, with 3-5% deterioration per annum. The significant improvements in HRV following the HeartMath program in those who used the tools represents not only a reduction in health risk but also a significant improvement in energy and vitality.

Figure 2: Percentage change in HRV measures eight weeks after the HeartMath program among a group of 59 executives.

HeartMath has also been published, in peer-reviewed scientific journals, on how training in the HeartMath improves hormonal and immune function.

Impact on Cognitive Performance
Good decision-making, strategic thinking, innovation and communication effectiveness are all underpinned by specific cognitive processes. We continue to research the impact of this training on cognitive performance. For example, the non-profit Institute of HeartMath, recently published data demonstrating a one to two year improvement in reading and math performance in school children taking state exams after just three weeks of practicing the HeartMath techniques. We have also demonstrated a significant improvement in reaction times in individuals trained in HeartMath compared to controls (Figure 3), a fact that may have relevance to safety performance.

Figure 3: Improved Reaction Time before and after training based on auditory discrimination task. (sample size 30).

In a new study with one of the world's largest FMCG companies, we demonstrated a significant improvement in accuracy during a discrimination task and significantly improved spatial working memory under increasingly difficult demands. (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Improved Spatial Working Memory before and after training (sample size 25)

Advances in Safety Performance
Figure 5: Data gathered from eight separate North Sea oil platforms, from individuals trained in the HeartMath program, shows a significant reduction in the number of "stressed" individuals, i.e. those with GHQ scores over 3 (measured using the General Hospital Questionnaire. >3 indicates the individual is suffering from stress). The data also showed a linear relationship between GHQ scores and safety, measured using Total Recordable Case Frequency (TRCF.)

Summary
Working in close collaboration with the scientific and business professionals within our client companies, we have addressed the limitations of conventional behavioral training. Our program provides practical tools to facilitate exceptional performance, enabling demonstrable benefit to be measured simultaneously in health, well being, cognitive, safety and business performance. Our programs can be run as a stand-alone or integrated into a company's ongoing training process and strategic initiatives. As organisations now have to operate in an even more complex and demanding environment, innovative solutions are now available to enable individuals and teams to perform at a much higher level, while maintaining a balanced lifestyle.

For Information
Telephone: (02) 9412 2500 (Australia)
Telephone: +61 2 9412 2500 (International)
E-Mail: info@macquarieinstitute.com.au

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