A presentation by MBM on 7 facts that make the Case for Coaching In The Workplace

1. 7 Facts that make the
Case for Coaching In The Workplace
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Coaching in the workplace is a phenomenon that has seemingly crept-up on us and now coaching is
talked about as part of the work fabric. It is accepted as being 'here to stay' (A bit like when Uncle
Albert came to stay with the Trotters!).
CIPD's research 'Making the case for coaching: Does it work?' states the following 3 'Good News'
statements:
• Two out of three organisations use external coaches.
• 92% judge coaching by external practitioners to be effective.
• When coaching is managed effectively it can have a positive impact on an organisation's bottom
line.
Unfortunately there are some 'Bad News' statements that make the complete picture:
• Few organisations have a strategy.
• Very little evaluation takes place.
• Confusion over terminology and standards.
This picture is expected when a relatively new tool, like coaching, is introduced into the workplace
and is still evolving. 'Coaching', or 'Executive Coaching', because, as the Harvard Business Review
concludes it's just about a better name, is here to stay and here are 7 facts that make the Case for
Coaching In The Workplace and how to build on the good news and demolish the bad news.

2. 1. There are 3 types of coaching in the workplace;
Skills, Performance and Developmental
• Grant and Cavanagh's research in 2004 identified 3 types of generic job
coaching:
• Skills coaching focuses on improving specific behaviours, e.g. Time
Management or People Management.
• Performance coaching focuses on improving performance, e.g. Setting
goals, overcoming obstacles and monitoring performance.
• Developmental coaching takes a broader view, working with the coachee
on more intimate, personal and professional questions, e.g. How do I
improve my work/life balance? What do I want to achieve with my life?
How do I improve my reputation at work?
Action: When hiring an executive coach for a member of your team have a
broad idea of which type of coaching they will be needed to address, and
ideally, specific behaviours to change.
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3. 2. The Coach should maintain a regular
dialogue with a Supervising Coach
The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) states in its code of ethics that 'A coach must
maintain a relationship with a suitably qualified supervisor, who will regularly assess their competence
and support their development.’ In the CIPD paper titled 'Coaching supervision - Maximising the
potential of coaching' they ask clients to ask their provider 4 questions;
• How often do you receive supervisory coaching?
• From whom? And what is their background, experience and qualifications?
• What are the benefits of the supervision you receive?
• Can you describe a situation where supervision transformed your coaching?
The client should be looking to hear from their external coach positive answers that would look like:
• 'At least every two months'.
• 'An experienced coach with training experience'.
• 'Can describe benefits for themselves, their clients and their client organisations.
• 'Demonstrates reflective practice, ability to receive challenges, and new ideas non-defensively and
to apply learning'.
Action: Ask the executive coach that you hire about their coaching supervision using the 4 questions
above.
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4. 3. External Coaching can deliver 5.45
times the return on investment
The Manchester Review was created in 2008 aspiring to bring together online the best of international writing,
publishing both well-known, established writers and new, relatively unknown poets and prose-writers. It was in
this online paper that 'Manchester' Consulting published a paper that was later to be used as evidence to
support external coaching globally.
The details of the evidence were that in 1996 to 2000 the executive coaching of 100 people, with 50% being
Vice Presidents and titles above, was evaluated. The evaluation was conducted by two independent assessors
and their findings were, 'Thus, the executive’s company obtained 5.45 times its investment in coaching'.
Interestingly the research also identified the following barriers and contributors to successful coaching:
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Action: Ask the provider of the executive coach in the workplace to share with your
their evaluation method.

5. 4. Managers who worked with a coach were
more likely to set specific goals and to solicit
ideas for improvement from their supervisors
• These were the findings from research conducted in 2003 by Smither,
London et al. A global corporation gave each of its 1,361 senior managers
an opportunity to work with an external coach. The conclusion was that
the coachees were more likely to set specific goals and to solicit ideas for
improvement from their supervisors using an external coach.
• Whilst this might, on the surface, seem small, we know from Locke's work
on the goal setting theory the importance of setting specific goals because
they are much more likely to be achieved. For a senior manager in a global
corporation this can be the difference between delivering a major new
project or not.
Action: Ensure that the executive coach you hire understands Locke's goal
setting theory and has examples of how they have made it work.
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6. 5. Significant improvement in bottom-line
measures after the external
coaching intervention
• This was the conclusion from a study in 1997 by Olivero et al. The
research used productivity as the determining factor of success.
Productivity was measured before and after coaching and showed
significant improvements in bottom-line measures after the coaching
intervention.
Action: Hire an executive coach to be a business executive coach for a
member of your team and measure the effect on their productivity.
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7. 6. Even the best need a coach
to get even better
This is Usain Bolt, the fastest man on earth, with
his coach Glen Mills. A picture says a thousand
words and this picture says:
• Even when you're the best you need someone
to help you stay there and to help you get even
better.
• You don't need to be able to do what the
coachee can do.
• A great coach has a great relationship with their
coachee based on trust, chemistry and
determination.
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Action: Hire an executive coach to do senior executive coaching for yourself, not just for
a member of your team.

8. 7. The top 3 qualities to look for when
hiring a coach are experience, clear method,
and a quality client list
Harvard Business Review conducted a survey of 140 leading coaches and invited 5 experts to
comment on the findings of coaching in the workplace. The key findings were:
• 'Coaching works'.
• The top 3 reasons that coaches are engaged in the workplace are;
– Develop high potentials or facilitate transition.
– Act as a sounding board.
– Address derailing behaviour.
• More often than not a coach helps an executive deal with personal issues, though this is not
normally why they are hired.
• The coaches were split on whether qualifications were important.
• Executives that get the most out of coaching have a fierce desire to learn and grow.
• A survey conducted by the University of Sydney found that between 25% and 50% of those
seeking coaching have clinically significant levels of stress, anxiety, or depression.
• The top 3 qualities when hiring a coach should be experience, clear method, and a quality
client list, followed by the ability to measure ROI.
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9. Summarising the 7 Facts that make the
Case for Coaching In The Workplace
• There are 3 types of coaching in the workplace; Skills, Performance and
Developmental.
• The Coach should maintain a regular dialogue with a Supervising Coach.
• External Coaching can deliver 5.45 times the return on investment.
• Managers who worked with a coach were more likely to set specific goals and
to solicit ideas for improvement from their supervisors.
• Significant improvement in bottom-line measures after the external coaching
intervention.
• Even the best need a coach to get even better.
• The top 3 qualities to look for when hiring a coach are experience, clear
method, and a quality client list.
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10. What do we do?
A typical People Development programme with a supplier to the big
four UK supermarkets consists of a combination of the items that helps
suppliers to achieve their business objectives.
Try our popular
Executive Coaching

11. Where next?
• Review Executive Coaching for our method.
• Sticky Learning means that your learners learn more for longer.
• Asking the right questions in coaching is essential to success.
• Making Business Matter,
Sticky Learning House
5 Cheshire Road
Thame,
OXFORDSHIRE,
OX9 3LQ
• Telephone: 0333 247 2012
• Email: helpme@makingbusinessmatter.co.uk
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