Developing A Coaching Culture
A coaching culture, as current studies would define it, is a manifestation in the organisational life of the values and principles rooted in the practice of coaching as a tool to sustain or spur business success through talent management.
Developing a coaching culture is to weave organisational coaching into the fabric of the organization in such a way that it becomes a part of its very being. Its integration eventually evolves to be the defining element of both the life and norms of the organisation – the distinguishing factor that sets the organisation apart from the traditional ones.
In a coaching culture the development program uses coaching as the primary approach to developing leadership, teamwork skills, employee engagement, and overall organisational performance. In this context, growing the organisation is directly proportional to growing the individuals and establishing effective relationships. There is a concerted, corporate effort to help each other learn and grow which is evident in how everyone relates with each other and in the high level of engagement. Potentials are highlighted and an environment conducive to continuous learning and development is provided. Social capital is built up as the workforce is given ample capacity and room to enlarge its network as it engages other stakeholders such as the clientele.
Researches and studies have come up with strategic ways to inculcate coaching as a way of life in organisations. Here are strategies that are reflective of those:
1.) Establish clear goals, set the rules and clarify expectations on the coaching culture program
– Align coaching culture program to the mission, existing core values and development plan of the organisation.
– Re-visit vision and mission statements and business strategy.
– Check existing base-line knowledge and assumptions.
– Determine existing and dominant organisational culture. What are the current ways of doing things?
– Assess their positive and negative contribution to the development of the program.
– Educate everyone about what making coaching as a culture is all about and emphasise that it’s a collaborative effort.
2.) Engage professional external coaches. Consider not only their experience but also their commitment to the development of the company as a whole.
3.) Train senior leaders and managers as internal coaches within a formal strategy of leadership development. Let it naturally flow down the ranks through modelling and by having a personal goal to make themselves effective coaches to others. The rest of the leaders and their direct reports should follow suit and should also be expected to coach the rest of their respective teams. Let this behaviour towards coaching permeate the rest of the organisation by encouraging that desire to be coached by another. Half-way through the program, the organisation will have already developed its own pool of coaches who are equipped to make coaching a routine and to sustain the culture.
4.) Align principles of coaching to current HR policies and processes. Sustaining a coaching culture is more than just coaching. Policies should be assessed to determine which of them support your coaching culture program and which need revision. Processes that give recognition to coaching behaviours should be integrated and a development and monitoring program should be implemented.
5.) Evaluate the program: assess its impact, measure the results and identify the benefits.
Having a common culture facilitates leadership coaching and connects everyone in the organisation. Organisations with a strong coaching culture act as a single body and behave corporately. Their corporate strategy is defined by relationships rather than by individuals. This is the only way for a coaching culture to flourish because it will not thrive if it ends with just personal development. Getting the job done is not anymore a matter of obligation or of being pushed to perform but comes from a deep motivation to not only excel as an individual but also to grow with the organisation.
Learn more on how to develop a coaching through contacting the Australian Institute of Professional Coaches on 1300 309 360 or by emailing [email protected] . We look forward to speaking with you soon.
