Performance management has always been a high priority. Employee performance has a direct impact on your companies bottom line. However, improving employee performance is not always easy. Measuring performance gaps and identifying the right solution can be a long and complicated process. This is why many organizations choose to outsource to a performance consulting company.
Outsourcing is a great hassle-free way you can improve employee performance without disrupting the workflow of your HR team. Unfortunately, not all performance consulting companies have the same process or achieve the same results. If you are like many l&d leaders who are considering partnering with a performance consulting firm you may also be wondering how to select the right partner.
To help you better understand what you should look for in a performance consulting organization we have put together a list of the top 3 qualities you should look for.
Experience and Industry Knowledge
One of the more obvious, but key competencies you should look for in a performance consulting partner is experience and specific industry knowledge. Performance consulting is heavily learned through experience. This is why it is important to select a partner who has several years of hands on experience in improving employee performance.
You should also try to find a performance consulting partner that has knowledge and experience consulting for organizations in your industry. Sometimes there are patterns or challenges that are industry specific. If your partner is familiar with your industry they will have the consulting skills you need and be able to find a fitting solution more quickly.
A Strategic Approach
The consulting firm you work with should have their own performance consulting process for identifying and filling performance gaps. Although the processes will not all be the same and will vary between consulting firms some are more structured and strategic than others. A strategic process will provide the best results.
Resources and Managed Learning Services
Learning and development is often a continuous process. Training programs may need to be expanded or need to be updated. Or maybe you will need your program translated into another language or you might need another program for a different department. Working with an organization that has a full range of learning and development services can help you consolidate the number of vendors you work with. Working with a company that has additional resources will also ensure that all of your learning and development programs are aligned with each other and with your business goals.
Conclusion
Selecting the right performance consulting partner is the first step you can take towards improving employee performance. The right organization can help you identify performance issues and help to develop innovative solutions that drive employee performance. When looking for a partner there are 3 key attributes you should look for including experience and industry knowledge, strategy, additional resources. To learn more about performance check out the next blog on Performance Management.
