Implementation of Coaching As a Tool of Ensuring Continuous Learning, Personnel Development, and Succession
Introduction
In the organizational change, blur boundaries have been observed between the coach and the employees. In the United States, more than three hundred companies have been involved in a survey. In this regard, coaching or other developmental counseling was being offered and provided by fifty-nine percent of the organizations to their executives and managers according to a management-consulting firm, Manchester Inc. In addition, within the next year, such coaching would be offered by another twenty percent of the organizations, which has shown a significant growth in the coaching industry and its importance in the organizations.
Currently, scorecard approaches are being sought by the companies for the revitalization of their strategic management. In this regard, the requirements of fragmented markets are being met by the development of capacities, as well as, by the outsourcing that has resulted in the continued downsizing. Hence, executive and management development is done by the augment approaches. (Fisher, pp. 151-154, 2000) In another survey, distinguishing of six emotional competencies was done, as more than three hundred top-level managers from executive companies were analyzed during the study. Leadership, as well as, team leadership, self-confidence, influence, achievement drive, and awareness of the organization were the six-abovementioned competencies during the analysis.
In this regard, programs are being planned with the involvement of these emotional intelligences in most of the organizations. In this regard, the methodology of coaching consists of interpersonal practices, as well as, coaching for the sound leadership qualities in the managers and executives. It has been indicated by different experts that business results are achieved by supportive interaction, as well as, by the creation of appreciative capacity in the employees of an organization. (Nelson, pp. 237-239, 2006)
Executives and managers are therefore, involved in effective coaching, and in the result, their effectiveness in the workplace is developed. The importance of the teamwork is identified by the support of the coaches, and fostering of the organization is done by the usage of their skills in the organization. In this way, effective working relationships are developed by the building of skills and capacities by the effective coaching.
Through dialogues, higher levels of organizational effectiveness are created by the implementation and modeling of competencies of coaching in the decision makers of the organization. In addition, awareness, competence, and purposes are provided and created by positive interactions during the effective coaching of the individuals for their continuous learning, development, and subsequently, success of the organization.
In a public agency, productivity is also influenced by the effective implementation of the coaching. In this regard, a public sector municipal agency has been examined for the study of effects of the effective coaching on the development of its individuals. (Wexley, pp. 371-373, 1977) A conventional managerial training program was attended by thirty-three managers. Subsequently, one-on-one executive coaching was done for eight subsequent weeks. Goal setting, involvement of the supervisors, public presentation, feedback, and collaborative problem solving was included in the training. In the result, twenty-two percent of productivity was increased by the training. However, analysis showed that eighty-eight percent of productivity was increased by the combination of both training, as well as, the coaching.
What is Coaching
Many people have been defining the word coaching in different ways, as around eight hundred fifty definitions were found in the context of leadership. Similarly, many dimensions and perspectives have been considered by a number of experts during the definition and explanation of the term coaching. (Stone, pp. 17-19, 2007) For this paper, desired performance is produced by the interaction of people in an organization. In the result, personal and organizational awareness, as well as, competence and well-being are promoted by transformational results of the coaching.
Several ways have been considered for the showing up of coaching in many companies and industries. In one perspective, targeted individuals are used by the external coaches in the coaching. Problem managers, CEOs, and high potential executives are some of the examples of these targeted individuals in the organization. In second perspective, executive and management coaches have been hired by some companies internally. However, in the third perspective of the coaching, coaching skills have been used by the organization for the training of their own executive staff for their personnel development, as well as, the success of the organization. (Cook, pp. 81-84, 1998) Unique implications have been found in each of the perspective of the coaching, while valuable initiatives have been placed by all of them.
Improvement of the performance, as well as, the strategic development has been considered during the provision of coaching to high potential managers and executives. In addition, perquisite has also been considered during the provision of coaching to the selected individuals in the company. However, a company-paid coach becomes very expensive, as the company is left by these recruited personnel, and sometimes, coaches are taken along them. (Fournies, pp. 88-92, 2000)
In the second perspective, more cost effectiveness has been observed in the case of internal coaches. However, this approach also gives some problems, as a part of the system is consist of these internal coaches, and higher level executives often ignore them, which reduces the chances of their benefits from these internal coaches, and the coaching. Subsequently, the value or reliability of the service is questioned by other executives and managers. Finally, in the third perspective, coaching skills are used by the organization for the training of their personnel. In this way, a person coaching and a coach share a difference between each other.
Coaching skills and practices are used in the transformation, change, and performance during the interaction in a person coaching. (Wexley, pp. 223-225, 1977) In this coaching, the person who is taking the coaching gives full responsibility and authority to coach, in order to take decision from his side. Sometimes, a term of mentor relationship has been given in this coaching.
It is very essential to understand the definition of a coach, in order to examine the role of coaching and its implementation for the continuous learning and development of the personnel in an organization. No authority, accountability, and responsibility are taken by a coach in terms of the subsequent consequences of the participant during a mutually voluntary interaction between the employee and the coach. In either case, performance is enhanced, change is generated, and learning and development of the individual is done during the process of coaching in an organization. In complex situations, norms and values have been considered on the bases of uncertainty and ambiguity, in which, a vital role is played by the holistic approach of the coaching. (Fisher, pp. 201-214, 2000)
Components of Coaching
In an organization, the leadership plays a vital role in the implementation, planning, and designing of the coaching, by which, adaptability and productivity of the individuals are improve and enhanced. A business can be benefited with any of the abovementioned strategies of the coaching. However, a core set of competencies plays a crucial role in the reliance of these benefits.
In simple words, effectiveness of the coaching can be established by various means of measurement of its three basic competencies that play a critical role in the success of coaching across any organization. In this regard, commitment, clarification, and connection are the three basic competencies of the coaching, which must be observed in a coach for the implementation of effective coaching, and for the achievement of personnel development and success of the organization. (Nelson, pp. 254-255, 2006)
Connection
It is very essential that the person who is being coached should form a connection, or a relationship with his/her coach. In addition, issues regarding the development of the employee, his motivation, and his importance in the organization should also be involved in the process of coaching for the attainment of better results. In this regard, a shared space is established by this component of connection, which supports the implementation of the one-on-one interaction during the coaching. In addition, resonance and attunement are also established by the laying down of foundation by the connection of coach and the employee in the coaching.
Clarification
The bulk of most conversations of coaching is constituted in the clarification. However, the component of clarification depends a lot on the abovementioned component of the connection during the coaching. In this regard, weakness is observed in the coaching, which surrounds around the clarification only, and does not give importance to the connection. Defining, interpreting, analysis, and surfacing of the openings are done in the clarification. In addition, focus on the openings also plays a vital role in the clarification during the coaching. In this regard, emotional and intellectual connection might be identified by the employee in the clarification. (Kirkpatrick, pp. 23-26, 2006) Therefore, in the clarification, selection, projection, and identification of the alternative steps for the action are done.
Commitment
The point of choice is represented by the commitment in the coaching. Readiness, willingness, and fitness of the client is indicated by this component of the coaching. It is very essential to attain commitment during the coaching, as the sought changes should achieve the willingness of the client, in order to implement them in their personal development effectively. In this regard, steps are defined, plan of action is designed, and the analyses of the application of criteria for the achievement of most benefits are done in this perspective of the coaching.
Another point is very valid in this regard that suggestion, maintenance, and volunteerism can be shown in the commitment during a coaching interaction, and that even by the client, in which, coach does not play any role in taking the commitment from the client. In situations of the management, where coaching is given by the managers, both managers, as well as, the subordinates share an agenda for the seeking of commitment.
Abilities of Coaching
Under girding the methodology, five essential abilities have been observed in the coaching. In this regard, the following abilities of the coaching have been defined briefly:
Listening
When something is said, a capacity that allows the hearing of that speech is known as listening. In this regard, the source of the said words is also identified in this ability of the coaching. (Kirkpatrick, pp. 51-55, 2006)
Observing
Location in terms of space and time is identified, and the way that is used for the representation of the speech is examined in this capacity of the coaching.
Discerning
The dependencies of context and developmental level of the client are recognized by a process of clarification and understanding of the meaning during the coaching.
Modeling
The ways of feeling and thinking are demonstrated and represented constantly by the involvement of modeling during the coaching. In this way, modeling helps the client to imagine, feel, and think the same context that is said by the coaching during the one-on-one interaction with the client.
Delivery
The process of coaching is provided with the content by the coach, which involves a number of ways that are involved in the delivery during the coaching. In this regard, ideas, challenges, statements, questions, as well as, feedbacks are some of the coaching inputs that are included in the delivery of the coaching, which play a critical role in the implementation and effectiveness of the coaching.
Recommendations and Guidelines
The best current knowledge for the implementation of coaching for the attainment of continuous personnel development, learning, and lastly, success of the individuals, as well as, the organization, has been given by the following recommendations and guidelines. Social and emotional learning of the personnel can be gained by any developmental effort by the company, and by the implementation of these guidelines.
In this regard, coaching, training, behavior change, personnel development, and counseling related literature has been reviewed exhaustively for the formation of these recommendations, in order to create a tool of ensuring continuous learning and development of the personnel in an organization.
Assessment of Needs of an Organization
In a particular type of job, critical competencies for the effective performance of the job should be determined. In doing so, a valid method should be used. For instance, behavioral events can be compared, average and superior performers can be interviewed, and their interviews can be compared. It is also important to make sure that the culture and overall strategy of the organization should be congruent with the development of the competencies of the coaching. (Metz, pp. 78-83, 2001)
In the organization, people establish a relationship with each other with the help of coaching. In this regard, core competencies that have already been mentioned play a vital role in the development of this relationship. In this way, information is exchanged during the process of assessment, which is often tied with the events of behavior. In addition, the system of coaching can be introduced by the orchestration of organizational assessment. In this way, the feeling of singling out can be avoided from the employees with the help of assessment and consideration of the entire organization, rather than a limited number of employees in the organization.
Assessment of the Individual
A particular job often needs key competencies, which should be the bases of the assessment of an individual. During this assessment, credibility and validity of the data should be maximized by the usage of multiple methods of assessment, as well as, by the consideration of multiple sources during the coaching.
An appreciative and supportive manner should be used for the provision of new knowledge to the individual, which is facilitated by the utilization of interactions of coaching, which in the result allows the creation of necessary relationship with the employees of the organization. In addition, a high trust conversation should be considered for the discussion of assessments, which provided knowledge. (Metz, pp. 82-85, 2001) In this way, difficult issues regarding the change in personal development of an individual can be discussed deeply and comfortably for the implementation and ensuring of development of the personnel.
Caring the Delivery of Assessments
Strengths and weaknesses of the individual should be considered at the time of provision of information to the individual. In doing so, apparent and accuracy should be considered important. In addition, the integration and digestion of information by the client should be given plenty of time during the coaching. A safe and supportive environment should be used during the provision of feedback to the client, by which, defensiveness and resistance would be minimized during the process. However, the seriousness of deficiencies should not be excused or downplayed during the coaching.
Maximization of Choice of the Learner
Freedom of choice plays a vital role for motivating people, in order to bring some change in their lives and their working skills. As much as possible, the participation in the process of personnel development should be decided by the client, rather than the executive, the company, or the coach. (Kirkpatrick, pp. 171-174, 2006) In addition, goals should be set by themselves during the coaching, rather than leaving the setting up of goals by the coach.
Clearly, free will can be supported by the coaching, and a development process can be attended by a person due to the motivation by the coaching. Since dialogue is focused in the coaching rather than the authority, the joint demands for the organization’s development can be used for the continuous customization of the development process of the personnel in the company. In addition, individual’s capabilities should also be considered for the customization process.
Encouragement of People for the Participation
Encouragement of the employees for their participation in the coaching process plays a vital role in the efforts for the development and learning of the personnel in an organization. Effectiveness and worthiness of the employees should be represented, in order to allow the perceiving of their worthwhile importance by the employees in their organization. Participation in the development activity can be done by encouragement by the organizational policies and procedures. In addition, necessary support and encouragement should also be provided by the supervisors and executive management of the organization.
The creation of a supportive and appreciative interaction by the ability of the coach is one of the essential and important components related to the effectiveness of the coaching. Coincidence of support and desire for the change results in the motivation of the employees to bring a change in them. Personal relationships are created by the coaching, and in the result, high regard from the coach is perceived by the client. In this way, result-oriented and confidential encouragement should be done for the creation of high-trust interactions during the coaching.
Personal Values and Learning Goals
Personal norms and values of the people play a crucial role in pursuing them to bring any change in their learning and development. Most motivation will be felt when the values and hopes of the employees would be fitting with the desired change and the process of coaching. In this regard, understanding of the values, as well as, their development should be supported during the coaching. (Pepitone, pp. 163-166, 1998)
Adjustment of Expectations
Positive expectations should be built during the coaching process within the client. Improvement of social and emotional competencies of the clients can be represented as the outcomes to the learners during the coaching, which can result in the adjustment of their personal expectations from negative to the positive ones. In addition, it should also be made sure that a realistic expectation should be created by the learners during the coaching.
Connection, clarification, and commitment for the improvement of continuous development of the personnel, which is done with the help of a capability, play a critical role in the effectiveness of the coaching. A perspective of a touchy experience cannot be considered in terms of the coaching, as discovering, discussing, and valuation of all the issues related to the working skills, development, learning, and values of the personnel are done during the coaching in the organization. In the coaching, positive interactions surface the un-discussable issues, in which, methodologies of the coaching should be mastered by the coach. (Pepitone, pp. 177-180, 1998)
Determination of Readiness
In the coaching for the personnel development, it is very important that the individual should be ready for the coaching, which can be determined by the assessment. The intervention efforts should focus the readiness of the individual, if insufficient motivation has caused non-readiness in the individual before the coaching, or due to some other personal reasons. In this regard, the readiness should be determined very first by the coach, in order to create a plan for the provision of feedbacks, opinions, questions, ideas, understanding, etc. during the coaching.
Promotion of a Positive Relationship
The learners can be engaged in a process of change by warm, empathic, and genuine coaches in the organization. These qualities should be considered during the selection of the coaches for the coaching of employees and executive management for their development and continuous learning, in order to ensure success of the organization. In addition, it should also be made sure that the learners should be provided and represented with the same qualities during the coaching sessions.
Self-Directed Change
When own learning and coaching program is planned and directed by the people, effectiveness and development is ensured in the outcomes of the coaching. In other words, unique needs and circumstances of the person being coached should be considered during the coaching, in order to motivate the personnel for their personnel development after the coaching. In addition, throughout the program, the learning and development process should be continuously charged and monitored by the learners, in order to provide them best possible supportive and appreciative environment during the coaching. In this way, self-directed learning and development is done by the guidance and resources of the coach.
Setting up of Clear and Realistic Goals
The understanding of the competencies should be clearly given to the employees during the coaching. In addition, the ways of acquiring of these competencies should be explained by the coach. Lastly, it is very important to explain a realistic approach that should be considered by the learner for an effective implementation of his skills in the workplace. In this regard, the specific behaviors and skills should be spelled out by the coach, which are essential for the attainment of competence that has been targeted during the coaching, and by the learner. (Rothwell, pp. 233-237, 2005) It should be made sure that apparent, specific, and best possible challenges and goals should be made by the learners during the coaching.
Awareness, competence, well being, and purpose are some of the key factors that should be developed during the coaching, in order to create effectiveness in the coaching. In this regard, personal and organizational needs should be clearly understood by the learner. In addition, an alignment between the personal and organizational values should be brought in terms of the capacity of the client during the coaching.
Manageable Steps in the Goals
Manageable steps in the goals result in the effective outcomes of the coaching in the form of change, learning, and development of the personnel, as well as, the organization. In this regard, overly ambitious nature and attitude should be avoided in both coaches, as well as, the learners during the coaching.
Provision of Practical Opportunities
On the job, as well as, in other lifestyles, sustained practice is required for the attainment of lasting change. Replacement of an automatic habit is done by a number of different responses. In this regard, work should be provided with opportunities that are occurred naturally for the effectiveness of coaching. (Rothwell, pp. 256-259, 2005) In addition, encouragement should be done over a period of months, in order to allow new behaviors by the learners during the coaching.
Implementation of additional practices is provided with an ideal opportunity by the coaching, and time can be taken for the learning and assimilation of the abovementioned implementation. In this regard, theoretical data and espoused theories share a variance between them, which is explored by the very nature of the coaching. Over time, discrepancy has been driven by the change of beliefs, which is created by the openings that surface these variances. This change of belief plays a vital role in the success of personnel, as well as, the organization.
Performance Feedback
People are encouraged by continuous feedback, and in the result, changes are directed by it. In this regard, during the practicing of new behaviors by the learners, sustained feedback and focus should be provided by the coach. In addition, feedback at periodic intervals should be provided with the support of friends, colleagues, supervisors, managers, as well as, the family members.
During the interactions of the process of coaching, feedback and observations are delivered and learnt by the coaches with respect to their clients and learners. Because the trust and credibility play a critical role in creation of relationship during the coaching, the coach delivers and provides feedback, which is considered as the advantage in this regard. In the assessment process, effective tools are used by the coaches during the coaching of their learners for the attainment of feedback during the practice.
Experiential Methods
Social and emotional competencies can be learnt by the best possible combination and working of concrete, active, and experiential methods in the coaching. Particularly, effectiveness can be attained by the engagement of all the senses, as well as, dramatic and powerful logics and intelligences in the development activities during the coaching. (Cook, pp. 141-143, 1998)
An experiential method is used for the one-on-one interactions in the coaching. In real life, as well as, in the real time, experiential openings are created during the one-on-one relationships by the dialogues and inquiry that are appreciative in coaching relationships. In this regard, over time, the foundations for effective coaching conversations are created by these relationships, by which, a number of types of interactions can be provided by the abovementioned creation. In the result, over time, emotional competencies are enhanced, which results in the support of personnel development and their continuous learning.
Support
In the coaching, continuous support of the learners facilitates a change in the clients, which results in a lasting change in the personnel in an organization. In this regard, the formation of groups should be encouraged by the coaching programs in the organizations, by which, during the period of change, support is provided by the colleagues to each other. In addition, the desired changes can be supported by the valuable help and mentoring of the coaches in the coaching.
Ideally, the key support is provided to the learners by the relationships in the coaching. In this regard, a sense of stability is created and supported by the encouragement of coaching interactions, as well as, by the positive challenges that are discussed during the coaching. In the organization, role of boundary spanners is played by the coaches during the coaching. (Fournies, pp. 156-159, 2000) In the coaching, transition is given more consideration and importance, as compared with the change in the personnel development in the organizations.
Usage of Models
During the coaching, usage of learnt competencies with respect to the context of realistic situations should be done with the help of models of videotapes, etc. In this regard, the models should be emulated, analyzed, and studied by the employees, which should be encouraged by the coaches during the process of coaching.
Because modeling is done during the coaching, role of coaches is played by the existence of models in the real life. In this regard, this issue helps in the development of coaches. In an organization, the realistic situations are created by the effective coaches, where modeling and emulation of emotional and social competencies are done. In addition, in emotional competence, vicarious learning supports in the gaining of a high degree of transference. In this regard, learning and development are done by most people, executives, and learners by the explicit and sensational learning in the organization.
Enhancement of Insight
In emotional and social competencies, the foundation stone is the self-awareness of the learners and the persons that are being coached. In this regard, greater understanding of the self-awareness should be acquired by the support of the coaches. In addition, behaviors and feelings that influence the competencies and development of the personnel should also be understood by the learner during the coaching. (Stone, pp. 127-129, 2007) In this regard, continuous effective dialogues are promoted by the relationship during the coaching, which plays a critical role due to its decisive nature. In the result, self-awareness is enhanced.
Prevention of the Deterioration
Prevention of the deterioration should be done, by which, lapses are used by the people, and further efforts are done and preparation is done by the lessons that are learnt by the mistakes and the abovementioned lapses. Over time, conditions of distraction and stress with the combination of non-availability of a supportive environment results in the occurrence of relapses and mistakes. In this regard, this problem should be addressed by the coaching with respect to the caring of the person that is being coached during the coaching.
Conclusion
The paper has discussed a number of examples and situations for the understanding of the term coaching and its role for the ensuring of continuous learning, personnel development, and succession of the individual, as well as, the organization. We analyzed that many people have been defining the word coaching in different ways, as around eight hundred fifty definitions were found in the context of leadership. It was indicated in the paper that improvement of the performance, as well as, the strategic development has been considered during the provision of coaching to high potential managers and executives.
Conclusively, importance is given to the people in the coaching rather than the intangible resources and assets of an organization. We hope that our paper will help future studies in the understanding of the coaching, and its effective role in the personnel development.
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