Inspired by the work of Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson
For years, Learning and Development teams were often asked the same question: “Can you build a training course for this?” Today, that question is starting to change.
Learning leaders are being asked to improve performance, support transformation, increase adoption, reduce mistakes, speed up onboarding, improve leadership capability, and help teams work differently in a rapidly changing environment. And increasingly, they’re being asked to prove that the solution actually worked.
That shift is one reason performance consulting is back in focus, especially as Artificial Intelligence accelerates content creation and organizations become more selective about where learning investments go.
The concept itself is not new. Much of the modern thinking around performance consulting was shaped by the work of Dana Gaines Robinson and James C. Robinson in their influential book Performance Consulting. Their work helped shift the conversation from “order-taking training departments” to strategic business partners focused on measurable performance outcomes.
And honestly, that distinction matters more now than ever.
So, What Is Performance Consulting?
At its core, performance consulting is an approach to solving business problems by focusing on the desired business outcome first, not automatically assuming training is the answer.
A performance consultant looks at questions like:
- What business problem are we trying to solve?
- What performance needs to change?
- What is preventing success today?
- Is this truly a knowledge or skill issue?
- What would success look like operationally?
- How will we measure improvement?
Sometimes training is absolutely part of the solution. Sometimes it’s only one piece. And sometimes training isn’t the issue at all.
That’s one of the biggest mindset shifts in performance consulting. The goal is not to produce learning content. The goal is to improve business performance.
Why Did Performance Consulting Become So Important?
One of the key ideas from Performance Consulting is that organizations often jump to solutions before fully understanding the problem. A manager might say:
- “We need communication training.”
- “We need leadership training.”
- “We need onboarding training.”
- “We need an eLearning course.”
But performance consulting asks a deeper question: “What evidence suggests training is the actual issue?”
That can feel uncomfortable at first because many L&D teams historically operated as service providers responding to requests. Performance consulting shifts the role of L&D into a more strategic partnership. Instead of simply building what was requested, the consultant works alongside stakeholders to identify root causes and recommend the right interventions. That might include:
- Learning solutions
- Performance support tools
- Process improvements
- Manager coaching
- Reinforcement systems
- Communication changes
- Workflow redesign
- Technology support
- Accountability systems
Often, performance problems are caused by multiple factors at once.
What Does a Performance Consultant Actually Do?
Performance consultants spend a great deal of time gathering information before recommending solutions. That often includes:
- Stakeholder interviews
- Audience analysis
- Workflow observation
- Reviewing business metrics
- Identifying barriers to performance
- Clarifying expectations
- Defining measurable outcomes
This work is sometimes called front-end analysis, but in practice, it is much more business-focused than traditional training intake conversations. For example, imagine a company says sales performance is declining.
A traditional response might be: “Let’s create sales training.”
A performance consulting approach might uncover:
- Sales reps already know the process
- CRM workflows are slowing them down
- Managers are coaching inconsistently
- Product updates are unclear
- New hires are ramping too slowly
- Incentives are unintentionally driving the wrong behaviors
Now the solution looks very different. Training may still be included, but it becomes part of a broader performance strategy instead of the default answer.
How Is Performance Consulting Different from
Instructional Design?
This is where many people get confused. Instructional design and performance consulting are closely related, but they are not the same thing. Instructional design contractors focus on creating effective learning experiences. Performance consultants focus on identifying and solving business performance problems.
A strong instructional designer might ask: “What do learners need to know or do?”
A performance consultant might ask: “What is preventing successful performance in the first place?”
In reality, many experienced instructional design consultants use performance consulting principles regularly, especially when working with complex organizational initiatives. The lines often overlap.
Why Is Performance Consulting Becoming
More Relevant Again?
Artificial Intelligence is changing the economics of content creation very quickly. Organizations can now generate content much faster than before including:
- Draft training content
- Knowledge articles
- Job aids
- Simulations
- Assessments
- Video scripts
- Facilitator guides
That changes the value conversation. If content creation becomes easier, the strategic value increasingly shifts toward:
- Diagnosing the right problem,
- Identifying the right intervention,
- Aligning solutions to business goals,
- And measuring impact.
In many ways, AI is pushing L&D back toward the business-centered thinking that performance consulting has advocated all along. Learning leaders are increasingly being asked:
- “What business problem does this solve?”
- “How will we know it worked?”
- “Is training even necessary?”
- “How does this support performance?”
Those are performance consulting questions.
What Skills Do Strong Performance Consultants Need?
In their classic book from 1995, The Robinsons emphasized that performance consultants need strong business partnership skills, not just learning expertise. That still holds true today. Strong performance consultants often excel at:
- Asking thoughtful questions
- Building stakeholder trust
- Understanding business operations
- Interpreting performance data
- Facilitating alignment conversations
- Identifying root causes
- Connecting learning to measurable outcomes
- Recommending solutions beyond training
One of the biggest shifts for many L&D professionals is becoming comfortable pushing beyond the original request. Not in a confrontational way. But in a strategic, collaborative way that helps the organization make better decisions.
What Does Performance Consulting Look Like in Practice?
In practice, performance consulting is often less formal than people expect. Sometimes it’s simply changing the intake conversation from: “What training do you need?”
to: “What business outcome are you trying to achieve?”
That single shift can completely change the direction of a project. It helps move the conversation away from content requests and toward business impact. And honestly, many learning leaders are already doing parts of this work today even if they don’t formally call it performance consulting.
Final Thoughts
The work of the Robinsons helped reshape how many organizations think about Learning and Development in the last century. Their message remains highly relevant today: L&D creates the most value when it focuses on improving performance, not just delivering training.
As organizations navigate AI, digital transformation, leadership challenges, and constant business change, performance consulting is becoming increasingly important again. Because the future of L&D is not just about creating content faster. It’s about helping organizations perform better.
From Instructional Designer to Performance Consultant:
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Frequently Asked Questions
About Performance Consulting
What is performance consulting in Learning and Development?
Performance consulting is an approach that focuses on improving business results and employee performance rather than automatically prescribing training. It involves identifying root causes, clarifying desired outcomes, and recommending the most effective solution.
Is performance consulting the same as instructional design?
No. Instructional design focuses on creating learning experiences, while performance consulting focuses on diagnosing business performance problems and determining the right solution which may or may not include training.
When should an organization use performance consulting?
Performance consulting is especially valuable when:
- business results are not meeting expectations,
- performance problems are unclear,
- large initiatives are underway,
- or stakeholders are unsure whether training will solve the issue.
Can training still be part of performance consulting?
Absolutely. Training is often one component of a broader solution. Performance consulting simply ensures that training is aligned to the actual business need instead of being the automatic default response.
Why is performance consulting becoming more important with AI?
As AI makes content creation faster and easier, organizations are placing greater value on strategic thinking, business alignment, performance analysis, and measurable outcomes. Performance consulting helps L&D teams focus on those higher-value activities.
