Harold Harung, Ph.D. Visiting Professor at Maharishi University of Management Researcher and consultant on human performance development PhD, University of Manchester Dr. Harald S. Harung teaches management, ethics, and world-class performance to classes of up to 500 students at Oslo and Akershus University College of Applied Sciences (17,000 students) in Norway and is a visiting professor at Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA. He has for more than 30 years been working as a researcher and consultant within human performance development, both on an individual and organizational level. Dr. Harung has lectured worldwide and his research on world-class performers has received support from both public institutions and private companies. Participants and collaborators in his seminars include such companies as Manpower, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Amoco, Den Norske Bank, Ericsson, Norsk Hydro, Santa Maria, Telenor, Toyota, and Xerox. He has worked with or lectured to organizations such as Academy of Management, European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management, Finnish Marketing Association, Indian Institute of Management, Olympiatoppen (Norwegian National Olympic Training Centre), University of Wales at Aberystwyth, and World Productivity Congress, Stockholm, Scotland, and Turkey. Dr. Harung holds a Ph.D. from University of Manchester. He has worked as a researcher at Oxford University, naval officer, CEO of a engineering firm, and founder and president of an international business college, and has been one of the editors of The Learning Organization—An International Journal. Dr. Harung has published papers in such journals as Journal of Managerial Psychology, Cognitive Processing, Consciousness and Cognition, Management Decision, and Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports. His book Invincible Leadership was published in USA (MUM Press) and in The Check Republic (Euromedia).

1. World-class Performance
Through Expanded Awareness
Harald S. Harung, Ph.D.
Maharishi University of Management,
USA and Oslo and Akershus
University College of Applied Sciences, Norway
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2. Overview
Unified Theory of Performance:
1. Higher mind-brain development is the basis of
higher performance in any profession and
field of activity
2. It is easy to achieve mind-brain development
in practice
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3. Four dimensions of
Unified Theory of Performance
1. Brain integration
2. Psychological development
3. Frequency of peak experiences
4. Average mind-brain development of collective
consciousness where the person operates
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4. PERFORMANCE
PSYCHOLOGIAL
DEVELOPMENT
BRAIN
INTEGRATION
PEAK
EXPERIENCES
THE COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS IN WHICH THE PERFORMER OPERATES
THE PERFORMER’S MIND-BRAIN DEVELOPMENT
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Four dimensions of
Unified Theory of Performance

5. Performance Capacity
Mind-brain development
Unified Theory of Performance
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6. Our Research on
World-class Performers
Four studies comparing world-class performers
to average performers:
 Top-level managers
 World-class athletes
 Professional classical musicians
 World-class professionals
 Management, administration, sports, education etc.
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7. The Performeasure® Assessment
Assesses a person’s performance capacity:
1. Brain Integration Scale
• Holistic measure of the level of coherence, restful
alertness, and efficiency of brain functioning
2. Moral reasoning
• Part of psychological development
3. Peak Experience survey
The Performeasure®
Assessment is a registered Trademark of Brain
Integration Systems LLC, Fairfield, Iowa, USA.
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8. 1. Brain Integration Scale
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Frontal Coherence
Cortical Preparatory
Response
Alpha/Gamma
Ratio
Cortical
Preparatory
Response

9. 2. Moral Reasoning
1. Larger context for making sound decisions
2. Considering the impact of actions on others,
society, and environment, rather than
merely on one’s own individual needs
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10. Psychological Development I
• From follower to leader
• From resistance to innovation
• From dependence to greater autonomy
• From control to collaboration
• From win-lose to win-win interpersonal
strategies
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11. Psychological Development II
• From mistrust to trust
• From narrow craft perspective to more
holistic comprehension
• From short-term to long-term perspective
• From reactive to proactive and preventive
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12. Psychological Development III
• From extrinsic motivation (winning, money,
power, and fame)
• To intrinsic motivation (competing against self,
searching for meaning, happiness)
• World-class performance in narrow domain,
e.g., running 800m or playing an instrument
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13. Mature Psychology in Peak Performers
• Strong mind
• Focus on positive
• Reliable intuition
• Taking responsibility for own life
• Facing reality
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14. 3. Peak Experiences
• Most happy and fulfilling moments in life
• Often associated with optimal performance
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15. Peak Experiences are Common
• We tested close to 200 people
• 84% reported at least one peak
experience
• Abraham Maslow found that almost
everyone has such experiences
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16. Strong Mind and Success
“The basis of my success is not physical
capabilities that I am born with – compared to
others I don’t have a bigger heart, or bigger
lungs, or more enduring muscles. In contrast,
the basis of my success is the way of thinking –
so that one always manages to do the right
things in the right way at the right time.”
– Thomas Alsgaard, Norway, 11 gold medals in Olympic Games
and World Championships in cross-country skiing
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17. Thinking During Peak Experiences
“A feeling that thoughts float, find their own
ways, and I let them float. I have experienced
that in such situations formerly unthought-of
solutions or alternatives pop up. Also ‘warning
lamps’ have popped up in such situations,
warnings that later have proven to be very
correct.”
– Norwegian Top-level Manager
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18. Peak Experience in Business
“It seems to me that I often have luck in
business, when buying a property or
something. It often turns out that those
business [ideas] that did not come through
would not have been so smart, even though I
would have done it, if not something outside
my control had come in the way.”
– Top-level Manager
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19. Peak Experiences in Sports I
• “I always am where the ball falls down. The
right place at the right time.”
• “It is a game. Sport is play. The day it
becomes serious, then you are done. This is
what differentiates the very best from the
next best.”
──World-class athletes
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20. Peak Experiences in Sports II
“When I have this extreme alertness, the body
reacts automatically – everything goes by itself.
It goes by intuition.”
──World-class athlete
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21. Peak Experiences in Music
“...as if my inner expands to include the activity
of the whole orchestra and even the audience.”
──Professional musician
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22. Sense of Invincibility
“I feel invincible when this community mood is
there.”
──World-class team player (handball)
“When everything is at the very highest level,
then I feel invincible. The up hills are not long
enough nor steep enough; extremely good
sensation”
──World-class cross-country skier
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23. Action During Peak Experiences I
• Bliss and inner fulfillment
• Sense of invincibility
• Spontaneous right action
• Perfection
• Inner calmness
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24. Action During Peak Experiences II
• Undivided focus – ”the tunnel”
• Greatly expanded awareness - wholeness
• No inner and outer resistance or obstacles
• Effortlessness
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25. Action During Peak Experiences III
• No wear and tear on mind and body
• Generalized world-class performance:
• Continuous
• Wide range of activities
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27. Composite Index Preferable
• A composite index increases likelihood of
better prediction
• For increased validity, the index also includes
an objective measure: brain integration
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28. Other Factors Explaining
Performance at Work? I
• Education and training
– Important task knowledge
– Number of years of education explains only 1% of
performance level
• Age
– No correlation with performance
• Work experience
– Explains only 3% of performance
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29. Other Factors Explaining
Performance at Work? II
• Practice
– Needed to master specific skills
– Many don’t improve with practice
– We learn faster and more with higher
development
• Inborn traits: Talent, family, and socioeconomic
background
– Talent provides a good start, but its importance is
overrated
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30. Other Factors Explaining
Performance at Work? III
• Physical exercise
–Creates well-being and good health and may
also lead to some mind-brain development
• Affirmation and positive thinking
–Works only for those who already have higher
growth
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31. What Explains
Performance at Work? IV
• General intelligence plus integrity
–Explains 42% of performance
• Part of psychological development
–Included in our unified theory of
performance
• Mind-brain development usually “freezes” in
early twenties
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32. Unified Theory of
Performance Supported
• Therefore, factors other than mind-brain
development do not explain substantial
increases in performance level
• Fortunately, everyone has potential for
extensive mind-brain development
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33. Unified Theory of Leadership
• Applying the Unified Theory of Performance
to leadership:
• Higher mind-brain development
is the basis of successful leadership in any
organization
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34. Effective Leadership in
Mature Psychology
• Collaboration
• Trust
• Long-term perspective
• Holistic comprehension
• Problem prevention
• Win-Win solutions
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35. Invincible Leadership During
Lasting Peak Experiences
• Spontaneous right action
• No obstacles
• Bliss
• Sense of invincibility
• Excellence in leadership
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36. Triggering Peak Experiences
• Frequent peak experiences significantly improve
mind-brain development, performance & health
• Peak experiences are spontaneous
• Even world-class performers with many peak
experiences do not know how to bring them forth
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37. How to Achieve Excellence
Transform the performer to transform
performance and improve health:
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a
systematic technique for mind-brain
development and triggering
peak experiences
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38. 07/06/13 38Travis et al, 2009
p < .001
American University College Students
(random assignment to groups)
Brain Integration during tasks (3-mon TM)

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42. American Heart Association
• Randomized controlled trial over 5 years
• Collaboration with the American Heart
Association
• Those who practiced TM regularly were 66% less
likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or die from
all causes
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43. Summing Up
• Mind-brain development is the most
important factor in improving level of
performance
• Mind-brain development normally stops
during early twenties
• Mind-brain development can be
systematically brought about by the practice
of TM
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