Inside five companies’ secrets to high performance

When companies invest in employee performance, everyone benefits. Employees have opportunities to grow, and their organization becomes more likely to meet its goals, retain talent, and outperform the competition. In fact, according to McKinsey’s 2024 performance report, organizations that prioritize performance see:

• 4.2x better business outcomes
• 30% higher revenue growth
• 5% lower attrition

So how are today’s top companies making high performance a competitive advantage?

In Performance Unlocked, Culture Amp’s new video series, senior HR leaders at top companies share the real strategies behind high-performing cultures – from aligning people and business goals to empowering managers and driving meaningful development.

Get a behind-the-scenes look at what’s working, what’s next, and how you can apply these insights to unlock performance in your own organization.

Nasdaq’s framework for scaling innovation

For a global financial services technology company like Nasdaq, data is everything. In the world of finance, data fuels smart decisions, guides investments, and drives growth – and the same is true when it comes to people. Richard Taylor, SVP of People Experience, leads a 30-person team focused entirely on using data to elevate the employee experience across the organization.

While the company first sought out Culture Amp for engagement surveys to gauge how employees are doing, they added on different modules, like onboarding, offboarding, and leadership effectiveness 360 surveys over time.

Now, with all their survey data in one platform, Richard and his team get a holistic view of their workplace. They no longer depend on manual, disconnected reporting, and as a result, the team is faster, more flexible, and better equipped to deliver insights to senior leaders.

“We used to have to scrounge around [in different systems] and put things together on spreadsheets. Now we’re able to go to one place and put all the data together. It’s really made us much quicker, much more agile, and able to give our senior executives, including our CEO, really quick snapshots,” says Richard.

Looking ahead, Richard and his team are especially excited about the potential of Nasdaq’s new Office Experience team. With 65 offices worldwide, their goal is to “help people feel like you can get something in the office you can’t easily get at home,” Richard explains.

One initiative that’s quickly becoming a crowd favorite? Fika. Inspired by the Swedish tradition, Fika is a social break centered around coffee and pastries – and Nasdaq has just one rule for employees during these breaks: No talking about work. After seeing the program thrive in Sweden, the team expanded it to other offices, where it’s already proving just as successful!

Learn more about how Nasdaq uses Culture Amp or check out their full Performance Unlocked video.

Nasdaq shows how data can fuel agility. But what does performance look like when speed, collaboration, and celebration are baked into the culture? For MLB, it starts with treating employees like MVPs.

MLB’s playbook for team excellence

Professional sports league Major League Baseball (MLB) doesn’t just put its fans first, it puts employees first, too. Regan White, SVP of Human Resources, says her team’s job is to ensure employees feel supported and set up for success. As she puts it, she needs to build a workplace environment where employees feel supported to innovate and collaborate, and where “we’re celebrating wins every day.”

What’s the next play for MLB? “Pushing the envelope in terms of performance,” says Regan. The company recently wrapped its 2025 performance and compensation cycle, with an impressive 95% of employees actively participating. Now, Regan and her team want to keep the momentum going by ensuring employees receive regular, actionable feedback year-round – not just during annual reviews. The team is excited to use Culture Amp to debrief from the process, identify areas of improvement, and enhance their efforts moving forward.

Learn more about how MLB uses Culture Amp or check out their full Performance Unlocked video.

From the baseball field to the boardroom, performance means something different to every organization. At Prosci, it’s all about mastering change and helping others do the same.

Prosci unlocks change mastery

At Prosci, purpose drives everything – and that purpose is helping other companies become successful through change. “Being a change-focused organization, change is all about learning and development,” says Laura McGann, the company’s Chief People Officer. That mindset shapes how the Prosci team approaches performance and growth internally, too.

“We call it ‘drink our own champagne.’ If we’re not learning, we can’t help other companies learn and develop,” says Laura.

This year, furthering learning and development is a top priority for Laura and her team. Their Goals and Growth program, powered by Culture Amp, brings performance management and development planning together in one place. For Laura and her team, it’s all about equipping employees, managers, and leaders with the tools they need to navigate change, have better career conversations, and build a better world of work.

Learn more about how Prosci uses Culture Amp for performance management, or check out their full Performance Unlocked video.

Blueprint Medicines offers another perspective on purpose-driven high performance. The company's people strategy is deeply tied to its mission to deliver life-changing therapies.

Blueprint Medicines’ formula for purpose-driven results

At biotech company Blueprint Medicines, the mission is clear: Develop therapies for patients who have few – if any – other options. “That requires breakthrough science and innovation from every single individual at our organization,” says Jennifer Shevlin, SVP of Human Resources. Her team focuses on creating a workplace where employees feel empowered to take risks, think creatively, and deliver real business impact.

Looking ahead, Jennifer is energized by the opportunity to reach more patients than originally anticipated with new prescriptions.

“As I think about my team and my team’s ability to impact that, it’s really: How do we empower our workforce to remain resilient, to get creative, to go after different ways of meeting patients where they are, identifying where those patients are, and ensuring they get the therapies they need,” says Jennifer.

With a shift in their go-to-market model underway, the organization is undergoing significant change – and Jennifer’s team sees it as a chance to help employees thrive and achieve better patient outcomes.

Learn more about how Blueprint Medicines uses Culture Amp or check out their full Performance Unlocked video.

Finally, at Illumio, performance is grounded in trust, clarity, and data, with people analytics driving more impactful leadership and decision-making.

Illumio's architecture for trust and resilience

At Illumio, purpose and leadership go hand in hand. “We are very fortunate to be led and served by a group of people who really know who they are as individuals, as human beings, but also as organizational leaders,” says L. David Kingsley, Chief People Officer. With values rooted in mission-driven work – helping prevent cyber breaches from becoming disasters – Illumio is building a culture where employees feel empowered, connected, and aligned.

Culture Amp’s people analytics platform plays a critical role in that process. “We’re in a crisis of confidence,” David explains. “Our people are less numerate than I think they need to be. We’re not as focused on the metrics, and we all know that numbers are the language of business.”

By helping HR bring data to the table, Culture Amp enables Illumio to drive more strategic conversations and take more targeted action.

“When our people teams are able to bring numbers to the table, not only do we get a seat at the table, we get invited back,” says David. “People analytics not only allows us to know what we are looking at and where we should look, but also what we should do. It’s both a flashlight and a scalpel – where to look and where to take action.”

This year, Illumio is setting company-wide goals aligned to its corporate objectives – something the company has never done before in such detail. Culture Amp makes that possible in a way that’s “transparent, authentic, and responsive to the feedback we’ve gotten,” through both annual and pulse surveys. And for David, it’s about more than business results: “When people are doing meaningful work in a culture where they feel like they belong… they’re taking that value back into society that, I think, truly does make a better world.”

Watch Illumio’s full Performance Unlocked video.

Unlock stronger performance with Culture Amp

Across industries, these leaders are proving that high performance doesn’t happen by accident – it’s built through intentional culture, continuous development, and the right tools. With Culture Amp, organizations like Nasdaq, MLB, Prosci, Blueprint Medicines, and Illumio are equipping their people with the clarity, feedback, and support they need to thrive. Whether you’re just starting your performance journey or leveling up an existing strategy, Culture Amp helps you unlock stronger performance by connecting individual growth to business impact.

For even more insights, follow us on YouTube and check out the full Performance Unlocked video series.