IDS HR Study 831, October 2006

Coaching in the workplace

• Considers the use of coaching in a variety of business contexts

• Examines how employers are developing internal coaching capability and seeking to create a strong ‘coaching culture’

• Features detailed case studies of coaching initiatives at five organisations

Coaching has been gaining in credibility in the business community in recent years and there is now widespread recognition of its potential as a development tool. Although coaching for senior executives is nothing new, the current trend for organisations to ‘grow their own’ coaches and build the coaching competency of line managers is helping to widen accessibility.

While definitions of coaching vary, most cluster around the idea that it is about optimising personal and professional performance and getting employees to fulfil their potential. There is general agreement that coaching is most effective when it:

• encourages self-inquiry and reflection, ‘holding a mirror up’ to the individual

• elicits solutions from the coachee, rather than imposing them

• is non-directive, with an emphasis on questioning and active listening, rather than telling

• is optimistic and positive in approach, encouraging the individual to focus on what is possible rather than what is not.

The truly effective coach is likely to be able to tailor their intervention to individual circumstances, using a range of approaches and drawing from a ‘kitbag’ of techniques according to the coachee’s specific need. A successful coaching experience can have a powerful impact on individuals, not only delivering an immediate skills gain but potentially altering thought and behaviour patterns for the better in the long-term.

This publication includes detailed case studies of coaching initiatives at: Portman Building Society, LogicaCMG, John Lewis Partnership, Wheelabrator Group and Jaguar and Land Rover. It also includes summary case studies on how Euronext.liffe is using coaching as a retention tool for women about to go on maternity leave, and considers a new approach to improving the quality and consistency of internal coaching at the South East Strategic Health Authority.