Types of Solutions

What types of solutions do organizations who hire performance consultants typically end up implementing to achieve their business goals? They fall into three broad categories.

Solutions that Leverage Information

Solutions that leverage information are the most important type of solution. They are often the only type of solution you need to improve performance, and they are 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 Redesign Processes and Change Capabilities

Solutions that redesign processes and change capabilities build on solutions that leverage information. 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?

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 Are your people's skills out of date?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 can help you determine the cost of reorganizing, standardizing and restructuring the way your business is run, as well as refocusing attitudes and developing personnel, versus the cost of doing nothing.

Solutions that Realign Rewards and Consequences

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.

How do you know which is the best solution for you? Use our Business Assessment Tool to find out!