By Ali Munday
As kids reluctantly trudged back aboard
the school bus in September, Dr. Phil Harnden,
president and founder of the High
Performance Learning Center (HPLC),
opened the doors of his new business in
Malta Commons Business Park, just off of
Exit 12 on the Northway.
HPLC is part of Commonwealth Centers
for High Performance Organizations
(CCHPO) – a network of independent
consultants founded in 1989 that focuses
on identifying “best practices” to measurably
improve organizational performance,
efficiency and effectiveness in both the
public and private sectors, and improving
the work experiences of employees and the
communities they serve.
Their client list includes private sector employers such as Caterpillar, GE and Mobil; federal agencies including the CIA, Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and NASA, to state and local government agencies throughout the U.S.
Centers for High Performance Organizations diagnose problems that impede an employer’s overall performance. No employee is considered invaluable to the process of improvement during a review. Harnden conducts a thorough and systematic assessment of leadership style, organization-wide processes and systems. By applying the latest research and practical approaches, he assists employers in improving team work and skills, and enhances problem-solving with personalized strategic planning, project management sessions, team development activities, consulting interventions, mediation, and group and individual skills workshops.
HPLC occupies a 2,800 square feet renovated suite in the old Malta Commons,. It has conference and training space for up to 40 attendees. DCG Construction is the property’s landlord.
Harnden’s interest in organizational performance and leadership styles developed while attending the Merchant Marine Academy on a federal scholarship, when he joined a group of like-minded colleagues to discuss why certain people and organizations were interesting, and why some were more successful than others. Later, during a 23-year engineering career with Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, he became increasingly involved in developing and facilitating team training and leadership modules, eventually becoming certified to administer a variety of individual and organizational assessment tools.
In 2002, while working full-time, Harnden earned his Ph.D. from RPI in organizational behavior with a focus on organizational change and development. He then joined the CCPHO network of consultants.”
“Some people have been hurt by previous leadership. So, you would think the biggest resistance may reside in this group, but of the older, more experienced workers, one-third become very interested in this idea, and the potential for organizational change and improvement,” said Harnden of the process his company carries out.
“They become the best change agents, and strong advocates for moving their employers forward. They see it as improving their legacy to their employer.”
For all the years of learning and developing assessment tools, Harnden traces his desire and success in understanding the function, structure and efficacy of businesses to a much simpler time, and getting on that school bus.
“My dad was in the Air Force. As the oldest of seven kids in a family that moved every three or four years, that meant new schools,” he said. “I was a natural organizer. I was always the new kid, wherever we went. I was always observing groups, just to see how, and where, I fit in.”
HPLC is located at 100 Saratoga Village Boulevard, Suite 8, Ballston Spa. HPLC can be reached by e-mail at pharnden@highperformanceorg.com, and by phone at 265-2899.
To learn more about HPLC’s services, and how they can fit into a business plan, visit www.highperformanceorg.com/hplc.