Why Coaching? To discuss this further, please call us.Tel 01306 888 990

The Institute of Leadership and Management ILM (Feb 2011) set out to investigate the extent to which organisations are embracing the development and practice of coaching. The survey of learning and development managers, decision makers at 250 large organisations revealed some important findings.

As providers of Executive Coaching over 16 years the findings confirmed our experience within our client organisations.  These are that:

• Coaching is mainly used as a development tool (80%), and shouldn’t be used as a remedial tool.  Good coaching is about achieving a high performance culture not managing a low performance one.  As an observation, coaching is aimed at improving the individual rather than the organisation.   (More organisations use coaching for personal development (53%) than improving specific area of organisational performance (26%))
• It is mostly middle managers and above who receive coaching. Organisations tend to source most coaches internally, but use external coaches to coach senior executives.
• The broad consensus on the benefits of coaching is an improvement in all of the following: communication, interpersonal skills, leadership and management, conflict resolution, personal confidence, attitudes and motivation, performance management as well as preparation for new role or promotion.
• An improvement in how coaching effectiveness is measured is needed. In general the approach of many businesses to evaluation is inconsistent. (70% use the internal appraisal system, 40% use 360 degree feedback).  Only 50% measure against business goals.
• To maximise the benefits of coaching within your organisation, create a coaching culture that permeates through the workforce, from top to bottom and not to limit it only to senior executives, but develop the internal coaching capability.

 On reflecting on the information within this article, we can confirm that this is sound advice from the ILM.  Our coaching practice always is aimed at improving organisational performance and set to measure the success of our coaching against the business goals.  We are currently writing a coaching programme to develop the internal coaches of the organisation as well as delivering coaching to senior executives. Be assured that cascading a learning environment within your workforce will pay off many times.

To discuss this further please call us on 01306 888 990

 Ref - ILM  Creating a Coaching Culture 2011