The Who, What and Why in Performance Consulting Part 1 of 3

Performance Consulting 101

By John Errigo, M.S.

The business need of an organization should be the top priority of a performance consultant. Performance consulting may have different processes which analyze and identify the gap and how to close the gap, however there are many more fundamental principles present than to just merely “close the performance gap.” In this series I will explore the various fundamental methodology of performance consulting. I will explore how these fundamental methodologies should be applied and when, the what and the why.

One of the most important aspects of any organizational development in essence is how successful is the collboration and the significance of collaboration. I cannot stress it enough how many times I have worked within an organization and once I realized there was not a collaborative partner(s) at the table, the success of implementing change is in flux. It is so important to establish this in the beginning and to make clear and define what each person's role is at the first meeting. “Work to establish a collaborative relationship with the client; avoid working as a pair of hands, or expert unless absolutely required” (Johnson, Hall, Swinney, & Vanhala, 2004, p. 14).

This foundational element of developing a collaborative relationship is most important. It is most important when developing the contract and choosing to work with a client, since if there is not a significant chance a collaborative relationship can be formed with the initial contract meeting; the performance contract is really not worth pursing. This can be further developed of course throughout the contract, but if there is resistance to the concept initially it may not be a role the client is willing to accept throughout all phases of the project. Success then may be limited and perhaps this may not be the best partnership from the beginning.

“As with marriage, picking the right partner is pretty darned important. For an HPI professional, as with this like comparison in consulting, if the project does not fit or would be designed to be proven organizational successful and effective, if there is not a desire to address a performance issue from the clients perspective, then why pursue a dead-end project?

All rights reserved (2010) and my not be duplicated or refernced without written permission of author: John Errigo, M.S., by corporate authorization, HODT, Inc. (synergy@hodtinc.com)