WHAT’S THE SAME?

One of the major reasons for writing the first edition of Performance Consulting remains the same today: too many people still support a jump-to-solution approach. In other words, when a need is presented by a client, the conversation quickly progresses to deciding on the solution that will “fix” the problem. Several reasons explain why this approach persists, including that many people in organizations are biased to action, resistant to taking the time needed to ensure the solution is appropriate and sufficient. Then, once resources are expended and the problem remains, the conversation moves to laying blame. Clearly this bias to action, before determining if that action will yield success, can no longer be justified. Performance consulting remains a process that prevents this solution-jump from occurring. Performance consulting is a systemic process requiring that we (1) work on the right problem, (2) implement the right solutions, and (3) focus on achieving and measuring the right results.

We still believe performance consulting is comprised of both art and science techniques. The art is evidenced through the relationships developed with clients, sharing the goal of enhancing the performance of people and the organization to achieve business results. The science includes the mental model and logic that performance consultants use. The science also includes techniques for designing and reporting data obtained from assessment and measurement initiatives. It is this evidenced-based approach that helps us avoid the “jump to solution” tactic too frequently used today. Each of the art and science components is described in depth in this book.

This book embraces the practical, how-to approach of our previous books, including the following:

Here’s How It’s Done are examples from the consulting practices of our author team. These cases tell the story of how people actually utilized the practices we discuss in the book and the results they obtained.

Shortcuts are suggestions for how to complete some phase of the performance consulting process in a reliable, time-efficient manner.

Performance Consulting Pointers appear at the close of each chapter, summarizing primary learnings you can take away and utilize.

Download These lists the tools, checklists, and graphics described in this book that can be downloaded and utilized in your day-to-day practice. These tools can be accessed by going to the Berrett-Koehler website. Complete information on how to purchase and download these tools can be found on the Performance Consulting and Measurement Toolkit pages at the end of this book.