Disciplines and professions each have their own methods of inquiry. This article outlines the commonalities as well as the differences and describes the relationship between the disciplines and the professions. The emphasis is on consulting because this is the profession with which we are concerned. There are three different approaches in consulting. For each approach the relationship to the disciplines is shown. Outlining the three approaches in consulting also reveals that the current focus on performance improvement and human performance technology might not be sufficient as we move forward from our current roots. (Contains 1 table.)