{"id":10661,"date":"2023-07-01T09:21:23","date_gmt":"2023-07-01T08:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engagecoach.com\/?p=10661"},"modified":"2023-09-01T11:46:33","modified_gmt":"2023-09-01T10:46:33","slug":"corporate-coaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engagecoach.com\/corporate-coaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Coaching: What is it & What are its benefits?"},"content":{"rendered":"
There is without doubt an increase in demand for coaching generally, but especially in the corporate space (Bersin 2021). Coaching is big business. Arguably, organisations invest in such interventions because they see the power of coaching to transform people and therefore, business outcomes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The clue to the definition of corporate coaching is in the name. This type of coaching takes place within the corporate space where organisations invest in coaching in the workplace<\/a> to develop the workforce. This may include coaching executives (executive coaching) or may involve the implementation of coaching programmes which makes coaching accessible to more levels within the organisation beyond executive and c-suite.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The benefits of implementing corporate coaching programmes include:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Corporate coaching is coaching which takes place within the organisation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Coaching differs from mentoring in that the coach is not required to be a subject matter expert like a mentor.\u00a0 However, the coach is required to be an expert in the delivery of coaching. A mentor typically is guiding a more junior colleague in a specific field of expertise, where they \u2018show, guide, instruct\u2019 the mentee.\u00a0 Good examples of this would be the barrister with their pupil, or the consultant physician with the junior doctor. <\/span><\/p>\n Whereas, the coach is more of a facilitator of learning, development and growth, in the belief that the coachee has the answers within them.\u00a0 Through expert techniques and questioning the coach supports the coachee to find their own solutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are many different approaches to coaching generally, which applies also to corporate coaching, 4 key categories include; democratic, autocratic, laissez faire and holistic.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The role of coaching within the corporate space should not be underestimated in terms of its contribution to organisational success. Coaching has many benefits, in particular, for enhancing leadership skills and empowering the workforce more broadly.<\/span><\/p>\n In terms of developing leadership skills, there are 3 core benefits to highlight.<\/span><\/p>\n Coaching can have a significant impact on developing more effective communication. Communication skills are one of the core components of successful coaching <\/span>(Kilburg, 1996; Bush, 2004) <\/span>and essential as part of the feedback process generally. Effective communication in the corporate space has been well researched<\/span>, where effective managers have been shown to have a strong repertoire of interpersonal skills <\/span>(Clampitt, 2016<\/span>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A further benefit of coaching for leadership skills must include emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is a term first popularised by the psychologist <\/span>Daniel Goleman (1995<\/span>) who describes this as a person\u2019s ability to manage and express their feelings appropriately.<\/span><\/p>\n Furthermore, it is recognised that coaching has a significant impact on building self-awareness through self reflection, which is an essential ingredient when developing leadership skills.\u00a0 If you’re looking to improve the leadership skills of your business leaders, then be sure to explore our leadership coaching<\/a>. Our leadership coaching programme takes leaders and managers through individual and team coaching sessions remotely, to gain insights into their mindset, identify barriers to change and develop an action plan for drive business success.<\/span><\/p>\n In terms of its ability to empower employees, coaching can have a profound impact. This can be for several reasons.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Coaching has the ability to cultivate a growth mindset, which as we know from the work of Carol Dweck, can have an important effect on how people approach work and life. With a growth mindset, we are more likely to learn from mistakes and see skills and attributes as developable, rather than finite. From a learning and growth standpoint, developing a growth mindset within an organisation will be an important and worthwhile investment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, coaching has the ability to cultivate innovation and creativity by encouraging critical thinking and exploring ideas, concepts and situations beyond what is immediately presented. Innovation and creativity are relevant to any organisation, especially those within the corporate space, looking for competitive advantage. This will promote cutting edge ideas and thought leadership, where people are empowered to solve problems through innovation.<\/span><\/p>\n Coaching also has the ability to motivate and empower people to perform at their best. With a motivated and engaged workforce, people are willing to apply extra effort and unlock their full potential.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In order to implement an effective corporate coaching programme it is important to first establish the coaching objectives and primary goals. This gives direction and ensures programme outcomes are measurable.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is equally important to ensure that any key stakeholders are involved at the beginning of a programme as they will be the key sponsors for the programme. Without ownership from above, it is more difficult to gain adoption and engagement across the organisation. Corporate sponsorship brings credibility and authority to the programme and will make an important contribution to any programme success.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n For the programme to succeed it is also important to ensure that there are enough qualified coaches who are onboarded to run the programme. It would be unreasonable to expect an unqualified manager, or internal coach without adequate training, to deliver fully on a coaching programme.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Another important consideration when designing a corporate coaching programme are the models and framework for the coaching.\u00a0 Some areas that may be included are:<\/span><\/p>\n A further aspect to consider is how to create and embed a coaching culture when developing a corporate coaching programme. There are some relevant factors to consider, which include:<\/span><\/p>\n For any programme to be fully adopted across an organisation, gaining leadership support is important. This ensures that the people at the senior levels are onboard and willing to invest time and resources to make the programme a success.<\/span><\/p>\n It is important also to ensure that coaching is aligned to the organisational goals. This ensures that strategic objectives are considered and central to the coaching design.<\/span><\/p>\n Another important factor to consider when designing a coaching programme is anticipating potential resistance. This will ensure that a strategy is in place to deal with and overcome resistance by using concrete facts and coherent arguments. Developing a good business case and focusing attention on addressing potential concerns will go a long way to overcoming any initial resistance. Far better to anticipate and overcome than to neglect and avoid and face the consequences of derailment further down the line.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To optimise the impact of corporate coaching there are some useful steps to include, as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n Start with the end in mind. Establish clear goals for the programme and where possible try to align these with broader strategic goals of the business. This will create a joined up approach and ensure that coaching addresses and delivers on business goals by developing leadership and workforce capability across the business.<\/span><\/p>\n To optimise any coaching programme the recommendation would be to use validated assessments to provide a robust benchmark from the beginning. Adopting an evidence-based approach will not only inform the design of a programme by identifying areas of focus and removing any guesswork, but it will also provide individuals and teams with accurate insights as a foundation for the coaching. <\/span><\/p>\n Be sure to explore our coaching programmes, such as our coaching training for managers<\/a>, aimed at businesses who may want to train their managers to take a coaching perspective to their leadership. You should also be sure to explore our accredited coaching foundation course<\/a>, aimed at those who may wish to implement coaching into their daily life, or potentially have a change in career.<\/span><\/p>\n Another important step when implementing a coaching programme is to ensure that once the overarching goals of the programme have been established, that there is a tailored approach for each individual. One size does not fit all. Everyone has a different personality, context, skills, attributes and mindset. To optimise the effectiveness of the coaching it is important to unlock this potential. <\/span><\/p>\n An effective way of doing this is to use relevant diagnostics that provide insight into personality and mindset.\u00a0 This facilitates personalisation of the coaching and allows the coach and individual to hone in on the right priorities from the start. A generalist approach is likely to deliver general results. A personalised, tailored approach will fast track results.<\/span><\/p>\n The next step is to implement the coaching sessions. This requires scheduling of diaries and making sure that the correct contracting process is followed. Contracting is an important step in the process which creates a foundation for trust, an essential component for success. Without trust people are less likely to engage fully in the process or reach their full potential.<\/span><\/p>\n Two fundamental skills of a coach are the ability to actively listen and ask powerful questions. Active listening is more than just reflecting back what has been said, it goes deeper, in that it underpins the next, powerful question. When a coach actively listens, they acknowledge listening through their body language and use their insights to explore ideas on a deeper level by asking powerful questions.\u00a0 This facilitates a deeper level of awareness for the coachee.<\/span><\/p>\n Constructive feedback is another important component of any coaching process. This involves providing insights that address gaps or areas for development in a positive and constructive manner.\u00a0 More sensitive feedback that may be perceived as negative can be avoided for fear of offending or because the coach is unsure how to approach this. Delivering <\/span>all <\/b>feedback with a constructive approach is a very important skill of a coach.<\/span><\/p>\n The coach also has an important role in facilitating goal setting and helping people create an action plan. These are crucial steps in any coaching process and create a clear structure and framework that leads to goal attainment.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Without doubt, measuring coaching impact is complex and not without its challenges. However, it is a very valuable step that should not be missed. Measuring impact supports a more effective process and enables progress to be measured and tracked over time.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n An important first step in measuring coaching impact is to establish the criteria for success by creating the KPI\u2019s. What does success look like, what type of outcomes is the programme aiming to achieve.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Measuring impact requires data collection. There are 2 key types of data, quantitative which involves numbers and qualitative which is more subjective data often language based. A combination of both is ideal. This may be achieved using diagnostics at the beginning and by collecting tangible evidence of change at the end. This can be obtained from the individual and from an impact rater, which typically would be the line manager.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Quantifying return on investment for coaching is complex and not easily obtained. However, this does not mean that it isn\u2019t possible or desirable. Considerations should be made for what a return on investment means with the corporate environment.\u00a0 This will vary from organisation, but programme designers should consider what type of indicators contribute to this, and explore how this type of data can be collected.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Often, there is an over-emphasis on commercialising this proposition, which would be an obvious aim. However, the incremental and compound effects of coaching on mindset that drives behaviour change, should not be under-estimated. Making the link to commercial targets alone can be misleading.\u00a0 Additional consideration is to link internal metrics with external measures such as net promoter scores, which can be a helpful way of measuring impact.<\/span><\/p>\n A truly effective way of embedding coaching within a corporate environment is to regard this as an ongoing and continuous strategy. Rome was not built in a day. Humans are complex beings and for everyone there is always room for growth.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It is important to ensure that resistance to any coaching programme is both anticipated and addressed.\u00a0 It is useful to see resistance in a positive way. Resistance will have some basis and understanding the root of this will enable programme designers to create a solid business case to eliminate any concerns. Avoiding or ignoring resistance is likely to derail and interfere with progress.<\/span><\/p>\n A crucial step in creating a robust coaching programme is to address issues relating to confidentiality and trust. The importance of this should not be under-estimated. Confidentiality means that people are reassured of their privacy and data protection, which is an increasing obligation for any business. Without this reassurance, it is difficult to establish trust. Without trust, coaching is likely to be less effective.<\/span><\/p>\n Managing time constraints in a world which is increasingly pressured by \u2018time\u2019 can be a challenge. People are consistently time poor. This is an important consideration and therefore, coaching should be treated as a priority so that sufficient time is allocated to make this a success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n People often don\u2019t like change. They may like the idea of change, but are less willing to engage in change often. Handling this type of resistance is an important skill. This involves sensitivity and transparency. Understanding the root cause of the resistance is necessary so that concerns are dealt with and people receive the necessary reassurance and time to adjust. Recognising that people adjust to change at different stages is important.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The benefits of corporate coaching are multifold. Executed well, coaching is highly effective in bringing scalability, development, cost efficiencies and standardisation to develop important leadership skills and workforce capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n People are at the heart of any business, results are delivered by people. Therefore,\u00a0 investing in corporate coaching to develop the most important asset of the business will be the fastest way to achieve organisational growth.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mentoring is typically more directive than coaching and relies more heavily on a mentor having specific expertise which they impart to their mentee, e.g. a consultant physician with a junior doctor. A coach is more of a facilitator of growth and development for the coachee.<\/span><\/i><\/i><\/p>\n Typically a coaching programme within a corporate environment might be designed to last 6 -12 months. Individual coaching sessions typically last between 1-2 hours.<\/span><\/i><\/i><\/p>\n With the appropriate training and qualifications anyone would be eligible to become a corporate coach. Experience, familiarity and insights into the corporate world are a distinct advantage.<\/span><\/i>Defining Corporate Coaching<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Benefits of Implementing Corporate Coaching Programs<\/span><\/i><\/i><\/h3>\n
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Understanding the Fundamentals of Corporate Coaching<\/b><\/i><\/h2>\n
What is Corporate Coaching?<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Distinctions Between Coaching and Mentoring<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Different Approaches to Corporate Coaching<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
The Role of Corporate Coaching in Organisational Success<\/b><\/h2>\n
Enhancing Leadership Skills<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Developing Effective Communication<\/span><\/h4>\n
Fostering Emotional Intelligence<\/span><\/h4>\n
Building Self-Awareness and Self-Reflection<\/span><\/h4>\n
Empowering Employees<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Cultivating a Growth Mindset<\/span><\/h4>\n
Encouraging Innovation and Creativity<\/span><\/h4>\n
Increasing Motivation and Engagement<\/span><\/h4>\n
Implementing an Effective Corporate Coaching Program<\/b><\/h2>\n
Establishing Coaching Objectives<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Identifying Key Stakeholders and Participants<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
\u00a0Selecting Qualified Coaches<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Designing Coaching Frameworks and Models<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
\n
Creating a Coaching Culture<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Gaining Leadership Support<\/span><\/h4>\n
Aligning Coaching with Organisational Goals<\/span><\/h4>\n
Overcoming Resistance to Coaching<\/span><\/h4>\n
The Process of Corporate Coaching<\/b><\/h2>\n
Setting Clear Coaching Goals<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Conducting Effective Coaching Assessments<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Developing Personalised Coaching Plans<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Implementing Coaching Sessions<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Active Listening and Powerful Questioning Techniques<\/span><\/h4>\n
Providing Constructive Feedback<\/span><\/h4>\n
Facilitating Goal Setting and Action Planning<\/span><\/h4>\n
Measuring the Impact of Corporate Coaching<\/b><\/h2>\n
Identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Collecting and Analysing Data<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Assessing Return on Investment (ROI)<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Continuous Improvement Strategies<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Overcoming Challenges in Corporate Coaching<\/b><\/h2>\n
Addressing Resistance<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Dealing with Confidentiality and Trust Issues<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Managing Time Constraints and Priorities<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Handling Resistance to Change<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)<\/b><\/h2>\n
What is the difference between coaching and mentoring?<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
How long does a typical corporate coaching engagement last?<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n
Can anyone become a corporate coach?<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n