Types of Performance Consulting Solutions
What types of solutions do organizations who hire performance
consultants typically end up implementing to achieve their business
goals? They fall into four broad categories.
Solutions that Leverage Information
This is the most important type of solution, is often the only
one you need to improve performance, and is crucial to the success
of the other categories of solutions. Does your staff have a clear
idea of the definition and dimensions of their responsibilities?
Are their deliverables explicit? Do they know who their sponsors
and customers are? Do they have clear agreements with suppliers
and contractors? Has information changed? Have people changed?
Do the people who need to know actually know what they need to
know? Is crucial information retrievable and accessible on an as-needed
basis?
A performance analysis can estimate the cost of clarifying and
formalizing such crucial information versus the cost of doing nothing.
Solutions that Realign Rewards and Consequences
Building on solutions that leverage information, the solutions
that restructure consequences analyze the payoffs built into the
organization and realign them as necessary. Do you reward behaviors
that benefit the organization? Do you have the means to appropriately
measure the behaviors that help or hurt the organization? Do you
have the ability to enforce the behaviors you want with the appropriate
rewards and sanctions?
A performance analysis can estimate the cost of developing solutions
that reward, measure and enforce behavior versus the cost of doing
nothing.
Solutions that Redesign Processes
Are the processes that define the relationships between people,
resources, and work clear and coherent? Does the design of the
functions, jobs and tasks in your organization make sense? Is the
current structure efficient? Is accountability clear? Are you doing
redundant work? Are you maximizing all you can by standardizing
equipment, materials and procedures? Can you automate more? Do
your existing tools and materials waste time or create safety risks?
A performance analysis should help you determine the cost of reorganizing,
standardizing and restructuring the way your business is run versus
the cost of doing nothing.
Solutions that Change Capabilities
What can you do to enhance your people's capabilities? Do you
need to let go of old ways of doing things or look at old problems
in new ways? Are people's skills out of date? Do they need to be
cross-trained? Who needs development and when do they need it?
A performance analysis should help you determine the cost of refocusing
attitudes and developing personnel versus the cost of doing nothing.
How do you know which is the best solution for you? Through Root
Cause Analysis.
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