Personal and Business Benefits of the Peak Performance Programme

Background
Most world-class companies are in the grip of continuous change and transformation and it seems that the pace of change is increasing. Some organizations are in a perpetual re-organization cycle some are struggling with the problems of globalization as they try to rationalize their approach to a "world market."

But whether it is downsizing, outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions, more sophisticated markets, more demanding customers, more competition, information overload, rapid access and technological changes or all of the above facing a business, there is little doubt that we have created the most complex working environment in history. Some people find this rapidly changing "new-world" challenging and stimulating but many find it stressful and cope with increasing difficulty.

In order for individuals to flourish in such rapidly changing times and perform at their peak they need to be able to handle stress, be more flexible, more adaptable and more resilient. In short they need to be smarter than before.

• mental clarity, creativity and decision making
• cardiovascular flexibility
• hormonal balance
• immune function

Specifically this research has demonstrated that there is a profound link between productivity, brain function, cardiovascular health and stress. Learning how to consciously change the quality of the internal signal from the heart to the brain enables individuals to maximize cortical function, this is called "brain-heart synchronization." This enhances clarity, creativity and insight, which are the key factors determining an individual's personal performance. These techniques are therefore capable of improving personal and organizational effectiveness, adaptability, productivity, and morale.

The Peak Performance Programme
The Peak Performance programme is based on this scientific research and has been shown to impact a wide variety of health and business performance indicators. The programme is formatted as a one-day workshop accommodating up to 20 attendees.

Study Design
Because of this compelling scientific evidence Five Global Companies; Shell, BP, Burmah Castrol, Hewlett-Packard and Halliburton conducted pilot studies to evaluate the efficacy of this new technology within a corporate setting. The success of the pilot programmes lead to roll outs to other employees being trained and the improvements seen remain remarkably consistent. The data presented here represents the impact of the programme on nearly 1,400 people at five global companies, as measured by the psychometric survey. These results have been pooled and are presented below.

Psychometric Results
Prior to attending the course, all participants completed an extensive psychometric questionnaire, the Personal and Organizational Quality Assessment (POQA).

The POQA was repeated after six weeks and six months to determine the impact of the programme. In addition to this subjective data some groups underwent objective assessment of their blood pressure and heart rate variability before and after the programme. The Company's own medical team gathered this data. The main findings of the POQA are presented below in the form of a table. Some groups have now been followed up at 12 months. The data gathered demonstrates that the improvements seen at 6 months are sustained at 12 months.

Blood Pressure Results
Attendees on the first pilot study had their blood pressure monitored over a three-week period prior to the programme. The group average prior to the programme was 126/80mmHg. Six weeks after the programme, with no other lifestyle changes, the average blood pressure had fallen to 118/78mmHg. That is an 8mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure and a 2 mmHg drop in diastolic blood pressure. One particular individual, whose blood pressure was very high prior to the programme (160/100mmHg), had the first normal reading (130/80 mmHg) for the first time in fifteen years according to the Oil Company's Chief Occupational Health Physician. This individual's blood pressure has remained normal now for the 2 years since the programme. The reduction in blood pressure in this pilot study was in keeping with the reduction in blood pressure seen in other groups who have run the programme.

Heart Rate Variability Results
Heart rate variability (HRV), as measured by the beat-to-beat variation pulse rate derived from a 24-hour electrocardiogram (ECG), is a very sophisticated physiological measure. It has been repeatedly shown to be a very powerful predictor of all cause mortality and is known to be an important measure of overall health. The scientific literature suggests that HRV should remain stable over time with a gradual deterioration with increasing with age. Significantly reduced HRV suggests an increased risk of disease, premature aging and poor overall health.

Controls
A number of individuals in the pilot studies have had their HRV measured before and after the programme. In one pilot study the entire management team underwent HRV analysis. In this study all ten subjects who started to apply the tools after the programme saw an objective improvement in their physiology.

These significant objective improvements in physiology, as measured by a range of HRV indices, occurred despite the management team being in the middle of a major divisional re-organization (see Table 1). The improvements in HRV ranged from 10-195% and were achieved in just 8 weeks. This represents a reversal of the normal age-related decline in HRV data and demonstrates that individuals can indeed improve their physiology through practising effective self-management.

Overall those practicing the techniques taught saw a 20-30% improvement in their data. The improvement in HRV in individuals who practice the techniques has been confirmed in other organizational case studies (see case study 13). We have also observed that the improvement in HRV is closely related to the quality of application of the techniques taught during the programme. The biggest improvements in individual physiology have been seen in those individuals who practise most consistently.

Table 1: Percentage change in HRV indices eight weeks post programme

All figures represent % increases except when preceded by a minus sign. ~ indicates changes of <+/-5%

The Benefits of Peak Performance
25% of the adult population has high blood pressure (BP). Programmes conducted at Motorola®, plus the data cited here show that the programme can significantly reduce blood pressure in all individuals without the need for medical, dietary or exercise interventions. By the end of the one-day programme attendees will learn and be able to use four scientifically based techniques that are highly effective in preventing the negative impact of stress, both psychologically and physiologically.		In addition to preventing stress the moment it occurs, these tools will help attendees to achieve peak performance by enhancing their creativity, productivity, and decision making. After one day's training >85% of attendees will be able to use these tools successfully and see for themselves, using computer aided cardiovascular equipment, how their own physiology improves while using the techniques.

© 2002, HeartMath LLC