The positive keys to gazelles' success: empirical evidence

The paper attempts to investigate what kind of positive traits and characteristics are possessed by highperforming SMEs and how are they used to achieve high performance. The study is built on two main areas of knowledge: positive organisational scholarship (POS) and high performance organisation (HPO). The model of positive characteristics of high performing SMEs based on theory of organisational fit is used. For each of components of organisational design positive characteristics leading to high performance are attributed. Those characteristics are put into research along with multidimensional objective and subjective measures of organisational performance. Research methods used is data envelopment analysis (DEA). Each of investigated companies has a different profile of both performance and positive characteristics. Performance profiles vary from focus on short-term performance to focus on growth, however all subjective measures are high and all firms managed to balance long- and short-term performance. Among input characteristics clear vision, committed leadership and flexible structure are common for entire group, other traits are also used in various patterns.