Performance consulting.

Performance consulting is a sub

discipline of consulting that seeks to
understand and develop a holistic strategy
to change performance; the results typically
include changes in measurement strategy,
education, staffing, and toolkits. Its goals
can be summarized in the slogan "work
smarter, not harder".

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Berrett-koehler Publishers
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 Types of Performance
Consulting
Performance consulting can be divided into three sub-specialties:
Organizational development specialists help organizations
improve the effectiveness of their staff by changing the
psychodynamics of the organization.
professional development specialists help organizations
improve the effectiveness of their staff by providing technical and
professional training.
personal coaches help individuals be more effective in the
personal or workplace lives. The profession draws its inspiration
from sports coaching, psychotherapy, philosophical traditions, and
religious traditions

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Need for Performance
consultancy

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 Why Performance
Consulting?
Organizations face a daunting array of challenges. Globalization,
increased competition, rapid technological change, diverse
workforces, escalating demands for productivity -- for "high
performance workplaces" . . .
These "constant whitewater" conditions are demanding a broader
and deeper range of skills from managers and leaders as well as
from workers.
As a result, the emphasis is shifting from developing individual
knowledge and skills to implementing performance improvement
strategies.
This shift has redefined the role of the Human Resources
Development staff. No longer is it enough to offer a menu of
courses and measure success by attendance rates. Today,
trainers must become performance consultants who use their
expertise in a variety of ways to add value to the organization's
results.
This shift requires that HRD staff learn new skills and use new
tools to improve the performance of individuals, teams,
Departments, business units, and the organization as a whole.

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Role of Performance
Consultancy

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Role of Performance
Consultant

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 Performance Improvement Process

Partner with clients

and manage change

Business &
performance Define
Develop Implement
opportunities the
Responses Actions
or problems Need
Great
PERFORMANCE

Explore the Partner with clients Partner with clients

Situation
and manage change and manage change

Measure
and follow-
through
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 Performance Maximizer
Able
to do it
• Vision, strategy and • Personal
goals attributes
• Values, beliefs, • Knowledge, skills
behavioural and experience
expectations • Coaching support
• Performance • Personal well-
expectations- being
accountabilities,
Know objectives
best practices
Great Equipped
what to do PERFORMANCE to do it

• Personal motivation, • Resources: staff,

morale money, time,
• Feedback, recognition equipment, tools,
job aids,
• Reward, balance of
workspace…
consequences
• Procedures, roles,
• Relationships and processes and
Leader support systems
Want • Information, data
to do it on performance
• Authority

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 Performance Maximizer
Know
Actions:
Cause for gaps:
▪ Produce and communicate
▪ Lack of clarity regarding best practices
best practices.
▪ Communicate vision, goals,
▪ Ambiguity of how the & strategy of organization
work supports the goals
of the organization.

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 Performance Maximizer
Able Actions:
Cause for gaps: ▪ provide training, retraining,
▪ Lack of pre-requisite coaching.
knowledge or skill. ▪ offer peer support or mentor.
▪ Insufficient on-job
▪ provide just-in-time training.
learning support.
▪ offer help in course redesign.
▪ Emotional or psychological
issues (stress) that impede
performance.

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 Performance Maximizer
Equipped
Actions:
Cause for gaps:
▪ prepare FAQ section and
▪ no “how to” information handout/resource material.
(manual)
▪ buy computers & software
▪ no access to materials & (1 instructor per computer).
tools including computers &
software (3 instructors ▪ share course amongst
sharing 1 computer) instructors.

▪ conflicting tasks (not enough ▪ use students to provide

time/learning curve) technical help.

▪ IT Infrastructure (Course
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Management System).
 Performance Maximizer
Want Actions:
Cause for gaps: ▪ Coaching or peer support.
▪ Fear of technology.
▪ Communicate “line of sight”
▪ Work not seen as
▪ allow smaller classes or
meaningful.
off- load courses.
▪ No recognition for
▪ give merits, awards.
implementation.
▪ Leader impact – balance of ▪ publish name in newsletter.
consequences. ▪ showcase new course.

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 Performance Consulting Issues

▪ Instructor ‘Buy In’

▪ Demonstrate cost benefit
▪ Overcoming layers of bureaucracy
▪ Academic culture
▪ Instructor ownership of material
▪ Instructor losing professional autonomy
▪ Political Factors
▪ Divided loyalty
▪ Department fragmentation (silos)

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