Coaching and Mentoring
Research suggests that, on average, people use only 40 per cent of their potential in the workplace. Just imagine the impact on you and your organisation if it were possible to tap into the remaining 60 per cent.
Coaching and mentoring have been shown to be highly effective in releasing peoples potential. The terms are often used interchangeably within organisations but there is a clear difference between the two.
Two different roles
Non-directive coaching assumes that the individual is the expert in their own life and has the answers within. The coachs role is to stimulate the discovery/learning of the individual to find their own solutions. A mentor generally has more experience than the individual so the nature of the relationship is more about passing on knowledge and advice.
Coaching and mentoring, when applied correctly, can make the managers role much easier. Sir John Whitmore, author of 'Coaching for performance', talks about how a managers task is simple to get the job done and to grow his staff. Time and cost pressures limit the latter. Coaching is one process with both effects.
Good coaching and mentoring increase awareness, personal responsibility, self-belief, learning, skill development, effectiveness and performance. This applies to the individual, the team and ultimately the bottom line of an organisation.
Why have coaching and mentoring become so popular?
The business environment is continually evolving and there has been a marked change in the structure of organisations. In those that have downsized and that have flatter structures, individuals often have far broader responsibilities and need to be more flexible.
There is a greater emphasis on individuals taking responsibility for their own development. There is also the need for just in time personalised development, meaning coaching and mentoring can be effective interventions.
There is also the need for measurement and return on investment for all organisational activities, including training and development. Poor managerial performance affects the bottom line so it is in the interests of organisations to develop their management team in a personalised way.
Research by Olivero, Bane and Kopelman (United Kingdom) examined the effects of training and coaching in a public sector organisation. Several managers underwent a management training programme which was followed by eight weeks of one-on-one executive coaching. Training increased productivity by 22.4 per cent. The coaching on top led to an increase in productivity of 88 per cent.
This research shows that executive coaching is an important way of ensuring that knowledge acquired during training actually emerges as skills that are applied back in the workplace.
When to use coaching and mentoring
Coaching and mentoring are not a panacea for everything that happens within an organisation. There will be times when someone needs to be told what to do; they may require information there and then to get a job done. Sometimes training in a new job/way of working is far more relevant.
Coaching and mentoring will not work when:
the individual does not want to change
the individual/team does not want to be coached/mentored
someone needs a skill/knowledge immediately
disciplining someone.
There are many situations for which coaching and mentoring are ideal:
skills development
personal development plans/appraisals
career planning
to support strategic initiatives
supporting leadership development
as part of a culture change
to embed training
as part of a change process
to improve individual and team performance and develop individual and team capability.
Remember that mentoring is appropriate only when there is knowledge/expertise to pass on. It is important to be explicit about when you are coaching and when you are mentoring.
Benefits to organisations and individuals
There is a growing body of evidence around the effectiveness of coaching and mentoring, and organisations that have applied them have reported the following benefits:
improved productivity, quality and customer service
increased employee commitment and satisfaction
support for newly-promoted employees to cope with new responsibilities
support for other training and development initiatives, reducing leakage from training
ability to demonstrate to employees that an organisation is committed to developing staff
improved retention of staff.
Benefits to individuals:
improved problem-solving
improved managerial and interpersonal skills
better relationships with colleagues
more effective/assertive in dealing with people
positive impact on performance
new skills and abilities
improved work/life balance
reduced stress levels.
Top tips for coaching and mentoring
Aspects that make coaching and mentoring successful include:
buy-in from the top of the organisation
transparent communication about the purpose and intention of introducing coaching/mentoring into an organisation to all concerned,
having clear objectives for what it should achieve
considering how the effectiveness of the intervention will be measured
what resources (if any) are available internally for coaching and mentoring
considering bringing in external organisations where appropriate
providing sufficient support/training for it to be effective offering a one-day training course on coaching skills will not be sufficient to change management behaviour
considering how the transfer of learning and embedding the learning will take place.
Using external providers
If you decide to bring in external providers to coach/mentor your staff or to train managers on coaching/mentoring skills, then you should ask the following questions:
What qualifications do the coaches and mentors have? The industry is not yet regulated so anyone can call themselves a coach or mentor with no real training. It would be preferable for their qualifications to have external accreditation
What are the credentials of both the organisation and individuals involved? What is the size of the organisation?
What continuing professional development (CPD) process do they have in place?
What kinds of individuals/organisations have they worked with before?
Can they provide some references/testimonials?
People are a crucial resource and an important source of competitive advantage. Developing the potential of the workforce is important both for an organisation and for the individuals within it. Just consider the impact on your organisation of releasing some of that untapped potential.
This article is contributed by CIMA (The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) and it first appeared in Insight, CIMAs on-line newsletter for its members.
