Episode 120
July 2, 2026
Outputs vs. Outcomes: Why AI Is Forcing Consulting to Reinvent Itself w/ Tom Rodenhauser
In this episode, Brent sits down with Tom Rodenhauser, Managing Partner at K2 Consulting Research, to discuss why AI is forcing consulting firms to rethink the way they create value.
For decades, consulting firms have been paid for outputs — deliverables, implementations, and billable hours — with the assumption those outputs would drive meaningful business outcomes. But, that assumption is starting to break. Demand is still there. Clients are still buying. The model is holding, for now. But beneath the surface, AI is rapidly reshaping the economics of consulting. Firms that continue selling effort instead of impact risk competing on speed and price, while the firms that embrace measurable outcomes will define the next era of consulting.
In this episode, you'll learn:
- Why AI is disrupting far more than productivity
- The critical difference between outputs (deliverables) and outcomes (business results)
- Why outcome-based pricing remains difficult to implement, despite years of industry discussion.
- How consulting firms need to rethink utilization, compensation, client relationships, and commercial models for the AI era.
- Tom's predictions for the future of consulting

