Differences between exemplary performers and average performers: Review of the literature and implications for WLP practitioners

The purpose of this article is to review the literature on the differences between exemplary performers and average performers and discuss the issues in order to address the implications for WLP practitioners. According to the McKinsey report, there is a discrepancy of 40 to 67 percent in the productivity between average performers and high performers. However, many companies are not able to get employees to perform at their highest levels all the time. In this article a review of existing literature on exemplary performers is executed, including the definitions of exemplary performers and average performers, distinguishing exemplary performers from average performers, and the approaches for improving performance by adopting the exemplary performers. Also, the implications for WLP practitioners are discussed.