This report is going to focus on how coaching can contribute to an individuals or organisations performance. According to a survey carried out by the CIPD (2015) just over three quarters of businesses offer coaching and/or mentoring to their employees. “Coaching is a human development process that involves structured, focused interaction and the use of appropriate strategies, tools and techniques to promote desirable and sustainable change for the benefit of the coachee and potentially for the stakeholders” (Bachkirova et al, 2014). Coaching has a few main characteristics such as feedback being collected by the coach and given to the coachee (Homan and Miller, 2008, pg 7). Coaching is the development of a skill and/or the improvement in performance (Homan and Miller, 2008, pg 7). Coaching is an integrated learning method as it combines learning with workplace activities (Glaister et al edited in Gold et al, 2013, pg 165). The GROW model is going to be used in this report.
Pros and Cons of Coaching
Coaching has many benefits for businesses. Due to coaching being a form of on the job training, coachees can practice their skills whilst doing the job under supervision from their coach or manager. This helps facilitate the transfer of the coachees learning (Glaister et al edited in Gold et al, 2013, pg 168). Coaching allows goals to be established and achieved as coaches would help the coachees aim towards them (Insala, 2017). Coaching also “enhances employee engagement (CIPD, 2011). A drawback of using coaching in the workplace is that coachees can become reliant on the coach (Glaister et al edited in Gold et al, 2013, pg 168).
Types of coaching
External coaching is where the organisation hires on outside coach to come in to the business and work with their employees whereas internal coaching uses managers all ready in the organisation to coach the employees. External coaches are used when there isn’t someone suitable to coach the employees already in the business (Clutterbuck and Megginson, 2005, pg 51). Bournemouth University used external coaches to develop their staff. The programme was designed to support and develop each individual separately and it was down to the individual to apply for the programme (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 121). Informal feedback was given throughout the process from the coach and coachee, with formal feedback given at the end (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 121). 80% of the participants said the coaching programme was effective (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 121). The programme was aimed at the individuals performance rather than the organisations. This is an example of public sector organisation using coaching.
There are numerous coaching methods such as; team coaching, individual coaching, peer coaching, coaching pools, e-coaching and executive coaching.
Executive Coaching
Executive coaching involves all the key stakeholders where the goals of the coaching sessions are set by the organisation and the leader (The Executive Coaching Forum, 2015, pg 8). Setting goals allows for the outcomes to be measured, allowing the organisation to see how effective the executive coach was (Clutterbuck and Megginson, 2005, pg 104). Executive coaches can be used to motivate managers and leaders (de Haan et al, 2011).
Individual Coaching
EY (also known as Ernst & Young) have introduced formal coaching through the use of one to one interventions as well as informally through the use of coaching skills being used in conversations between EY employees and clients (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg16). These coaching methods help develop an individual’s performance as they are improving their skills with practice whilst on the job (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg16). EY believe that “coaching helps leaders adapt to new challenges” (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg16). Coaching allows EY to deliver an improved service for clients due to the coaching skills being practiced in conversations between the employees and clients (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg16). EY are a private sector business who are financially driven and coaching gives EY access to financial benefits (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg16).
Peer coaching is where employees are “formed into partnerships” (Blackburn et al edited in Gold et al, 2013, pg 321). The coaches in a peer coaching situation tend to “have cross-cultural experience” (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 214). Peer coaching makes use of 360 assessments as an goal is agreed, then action is taken, the learning is identified and analysed, review the learning with the peer before starting the cycle again (Blackburn et al edited in Gold et al, 2013, pg 321). Repeating this cycle allows for a bond of trust to be created between the peers (Blackburn et al edited in Gold et al, 2013, pg 321). Heineken introduced peer to peer coaching through the use of leadership and developmental programmes (Faragher, 2012). The peer to peer coaching is done between a senior leader and an employee. Overtime Heineken’s coaching programme has changed from only allowing senior managers to take part to now allowing everyone creating a team based coaching environment (Faragher, 2012). The UK HR Director for Heineken says “staff at any level can ask for coaching support” (Faragher, 2012).
Coaching pools
When creating a coaching pool businesses need to understand what “kind of coaches will pay off in the future” (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 105) and must also decide how much experience is relevant for the coaches to have. The coaching pool should be diverse as it represents the organisation (Clutterbuck, 2016, 106).TNT have created a coaching pool of line manager so when a development need arises a line manager can be chosen by the employee to help coach them on their need (Wolf, 2012).
Managers as coaches
According to a CIPD survey in 2012 as cited in Gold et al (2016), coaching by line managers is “the second most effective learning and development practice”. According to Bresser (2010) coaching should be implemented into a managers management routine. It should be integrated into the managers routine (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 124). A disadvantage of using this coaching method is that “managers can be perceived to have their own agendas” (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 134). So to overcome this both the manager and coachee need to have a clear understanding of coaching and its purpose (Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 134).
Team Coaching
Hackman and Wageman (2005 quoted in Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 148) define team coaching as “ a direct intervention with a team intended to help members make coordinated and task-appropriate use of their collective resources in accomplishing the team’s work”. There are five disciplines for a high performing team to focus on, which are: co-creating, clarifying, connecting, core learning and commissioning as created by Hawkins (2011 cited in Clutterbuck, 2016, pg 147). These five disciplines can help a team be more creative and also make communication more effective. In team coaching everyone is working towards a common goal.
E-Coaching
Coaching Model
The GROW Model by Whitmore (2002) is a coaching model commonly used to introduce coaching. The “G” stands for “goal” which is where the coachee sets their aims with the coach. The next stage is “reality” which identifies where the coachee currently is e.g. their performance. The “O” stands for “options”, this is where the coach and coachee come up with solutions to help them meet their aims. Finally, “W” stands for “What, When, Who, Will”. “What” is for what needs to be done, “when” is for when the aims need to be met and by “who”, and “will” is having the willpower to meet the aims (Whitmore, 2009, pg 55). Nando’s decided they wanted to improve their restaurant and area managers skills so decided to “build coaching skills within the organisation” (Personnel Today, 2006) rather than using external coaches, helping them to save money. They decided to use Whitmore’s GROW model when designing the programme. Nando’s aim was for their managers to “coach as an instinctive reaction, not as a conscious decision” (Borges, 2006, quoted in Personnel Today, 2006). Nando’s wanted their managers to feel empowered when finding their own solutions (Borges, 2006, quoted in Personnel Today, 2006). Since implementing this coaching programme the manager turnover for Nando’s has fallen (Personnel Today, 2006). As a result of the programme internal talent pipelines have been enriched. Marcelo Borges, Nando’s learning and development manager, believes the company’s culture has been maintained throughout the programme (Personnel Today, 2006).
Individuals Performance
Coaching allows an individual to determine their strengths and weaknesses as well as their values and what motivates them.
Organisational Performance
Need to link coaching with business drivers such as:
Ø Integrate coaching with strategy, measures and processes
Ø Integrate coaching and high performance
Ø Coaching has a core business driver to justify it
Ø Coaching becomes a way of doing business” (Clutterbuck and Megginson 2005 cited Gold, Mumford and Thorpe 2010 pp. 238)
- Organisations often evaluate based upon self reports from programme participants or sponsors (Carter and Peterson cited Passmore 2012)
- Review of objectives contained in coaching contracts.
- Evaluation is often ignored by coaches (Passmore 2009).
Organisations may be more willing to invest!
Coaching culture
Uttal (1983) states that organisational culture is “shared values and beliefs that interact with an organisation’s structures and control systems to produce behavioural norms.” A coaching culture defined by Hardingham (2004) is “ a culture where people coach each other all the time as a natural part of meetings, reviews, and one-to-one discussions of all kinds”. A coaching culture can “relax the level of formal intervention it imposes” (Clutterbuck, 2014, pg 23).
There are three approaches identified by Knights and Poppleton (2008) to create a coaching culture, which are; centralised and structured, organic and emergent, and tailored middle ground. Centralised and structured is where support is given by senior managers and there is a formal structure to establish consistency (Blackburn et al, 2013, pg 319). Organic and emergent depends on the context of practice as to how coaching evolves (Blackburn et al, 2013, pg 319). Tailored middle ground incorporates the other two approaches but responds to the context particulars. For a coaching culture to occur motivation needs to be present amongst the managers and leaders (McComb, 2012)
Evaluation of coaching initiatives
Coaching is difficult to measure however some of the most commonly used methods are stories, testimonies, key performance indicators (KPIs), performance, return on investment (ROI), return on expectations (ROE) and happy sheets (CIPD, 2010, p4).
Psychometric testing such as Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) is used for continued development and assessment as it addresses issues such as problem solving and team development (CIPD, 2010, p12).
360-degree appraisal can be used as it provides the coaches with feedback on performance and behaviour.