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Coaching and buying coaching services Written by Jessica Jarvis, CIPD. Contents
Part 1 Coaching – the current position
Part 2 Defining and demystifying coaching
Part 3 The key players in the coaching relationship
Part 4 Making the case for coaching
Part 5 Preparation and setting the scene
Part 6 Choosing the right coach
Part 7 Coach selection and matching
Part 8 Managing the onward coaching engagement
Summary and conclusions
References
Introduction
Few people can fail to have noticed the explosive growth in coaching in recent years. The 2004 CIPD training
and development survey shows that four-fifths of respondents now use coaching in their organisations. As a
tool that can help businesses to be competitive, as well as help people attain their potential, coaching seems
to offer a win–win solution for all. But there is also concern about a number of ‘cowboy’ coaches entering
the market who are inexperienced, have little training and lack the appropriate knowledge and skills. Part of
the problem lies in the fact that the coaching industry is highly fragmented, with no single professional body
or sets of standards and qualifications to guide buyers of coaching services.
Understandably, this situation leaves many HR practitioners wary and sceptical. How do you sort out the
wheat from the chaff? How can you be sure you are choosing the right type of coach? What can you do to
manage coaching relationships to make them successful? Making sense of the evolving coaching world,
ensuring you are getting value for money and managing coaching relationships to gain a high-quality service
are all real challenges for businesses today.
The HR department has a key role to play in selecting and managing coaching relationships within an
organisation. The quality of coaching and the results it delivers depend hugely on choosing appropriate
coaches, managing relationships and evaluating success. HR practitioners need to understand when coaching
is an appropriate and effective intervention in relation to other learning and development options. They need
to be clear about what the different types of coaching and diagnostic tools/models are, and when each is
appropriate. They need to determine when in-house or external coaches are most suitable. They need to
understand how to select appropriately qualified coaches and then match them to both the organisational
culture and to the needs of particular individuals. Finally, HR practitioners hold the responsibility for setting up
contractual arrangements, as well as developing mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of the coaching
activities. None of these activities are easy – particularly when the coaching industry has yet to develop
agreed sets of standards, ethics and/or qualifications to help HR practitioners make good decisions.
A significant number of CIPD members are now engaged in coaching activities, albeit in a variety of different
ways. Because of the widespread use of coaching and the confusion that seems to enshroud it, it seems
timely and important that the CIPD offers members advice and guidance on how to successfully design and
manage their coaching activities for the benefit of their staff and the organisation as a whole. This Guide
seeks to address one particular aspect of this – buying in, and managing, the services of external coaches. In
this way, it is an HR buyer’s guide to coaching that aims to help HR practitioners navigate the complex
coaching marketplace, by demystifying many of the concepts and terminology in use and providing clear
advice and guidance on some of the processes. We hope that the Guide will help build the knowledge and
confidence of HR practitioners by helping them become more knowledgeable advisers on coaching for their
organisation. This Guide will be useful reading for practitioners considering using coaching, organisations
actively using coaching but with little HR involvement, and where HR practitioners are keen to better manage
their coaches. The Guide should also be of interest to coaches themselves, so that they can understand the
organisational perspective and the approach HR professionals may adopt when they are looking for external
coaching support.
This Guide:
• provides an overview of the coaching industry
• outlines the different professional bodies and the current training and qualification options
• explains the different types of coaching
• discusses the business case for coaching
• considers when coaching is an appropriate intervention
• discusses the different interest groups in coaching (HR, line managers, the individual etc)
• explains when the use of internal or external coaches may be appropriate
• provides guidance on what to look for in a coach during selection
• provides guidance and advice for HR on recruiting and matching coaches to your organisation.
We hope that you will find the Guide helpful, and that it offers practical advice about how to gain full value
from your use of external coaching services. By exerting pressure in terms of minimum expected standards,
qualifications and outcomes, the CIPD aims to help its members ‘raise the bar’ in terms of standards and
professionalism across the industry and ensure the potential benefits of coaching interventions are realised. Part 1 Coaching – the current position
Coaching is a hot topic in the HR and training community. However, a number of questions remain unanswered.
What exactly is it? How effective it is? Is it just a fad? How can its impact best be evaluated? What are
organisations using it for? The CIPD 2004 training and development survey responded to these questions by
dedicating an extensive part of the questionnaire to this topic. In this section, we provide a picture of how
coaching is being used in UK organisations and offer a general overview of the coaching industry. It should be
noted at this stage that coaching is a growing and emerging area of HR practice, which is continually evolving.
The survey evidence therefore only provides us with a ‘snapshot’ of current coaching activities.
How widely is coaching being used?
The survey results highlight the widespread use of coaching in organisations. Almost four-fifths of respondents
now use coaching in their organisation (79%). Use of coaching as a development tool has seen rapid growth
in recent years – in fact 77% of respondents reported that their organisation’s use of coaching has increased in
the last few years. Only 1% of respondents reported that coaching activities had decreased (Figure 1).
Figure 1: Changes in levels of usage of coaching in the last few years
What is responsible for this rapid growth in use? Are we simply seeing the emergence of the latest HR trend,
or are organisations recognising that coaching activities produce major benefits for them and the ‘good
message’ is spreading into mainstream organisational practice? What are the drivers of the rise in the popularity of coaching?
A number of factors have been at play in making coaching such a popular intervention in organisations today
These include:
• A rapidly evolving business environment. The fast pace of business alongside significant time
pressures mean that dealing with change is becoming an everyday challenge. The ability to learn and
adapt is quickly becoming an essential skill. Targeted development interventions such as coaching have
become popular in helping individuals adjust to major changes in the workplace.
• The features of modern organisations. Flatter organisational structures, broader management roles
and lower job security have also been contributing factors to the growth of coaching. Organisational
downsizing and the resulting flatter structures mean that newly promoted individuals often have to
make large step-changes in skills, responsibilities and performance because of the higher and broader
requirements of their new roles. Coaching can support these individuals in achieving these changes.
• Lifelong learning. The importance of learning throughout a person’s life is increasingly being recognised.
This has paralleled the growing need for organisations and individuals to change and keep changing in
order to keep up with a fast-paced, turbulent world market. Coaching has the adaptability to support
different learning styles so may be able to support more employees than traditional training methods.
• The need for targeted, individualised, just-in-time development. The development needs of
individuals can be diverse and in smaller organisations there are often too few individuals with specific
development needs to warrant the design of a formal training programme. This often means that the
traditional ‘one size fits all’ training programme that takes place every few months is inappropriate.
Coaching offers a flexible, responsive approach to development, which can be delivered individually,
and ‘just-in-time’ to address deficiencies in current performance or to strengthen under-developed skills.
• The financial costs of the poor performance of senior managers/executives. There is a growing
acceptance of the costs associated with poorly performing senior managers/executives. Coaching
provides organisations with an opportunity to undertake pre-emptive and proactive interventions to
improve their performance (Greco 2001; Kilburg 1996).
• Improving the decision-making of senior employees. For senior level employeees it can be ‘lonely
at the top’ as they have few people they can confide in, develop ideas and discuss decisions. A coach
can be used to provide a ‘safe and objective haven’ to discuss issues and give support (Masciarelli
1999). This can be valuable when the return on improvement in skill level and decision-making is
considered.
• Individual responsibility for development. There is an increasing trend for individuals to take greater
responsibility for their personal and professional development (see CIPD 2003). With the decline of ‘jobs
for life’, employees can no longer rely on employers to provide them with all of their career development
needs. If individuals are to take responsibility, they need support and advice. Coaching can help individuals
identify development needs, plan development activities and support personal problem-solving.
Coaching and buying coaching services 7
• Employee demand for different types of training. The CIPD’s Survey Report, Who Learns at Work?,
showed that learning at work, as opposed to in the training room, is increasingly popular. Research has
also frequently demonstrated that people are more motivated and learn best when they see that the
training is relevant to their job. Coaching, with its focus on work issues and improving job performance,
fits in well with this.
• Support for other learning and development activities. Much money spent on training activities is
wasted if the personal development momentum is allowed to dissipate after the event. Coaching is a
valuable way of providing ongoing support for personal development plans.
• A popular development mechanism. People enjoy participating in coaching. It has many features that
make it attractive to those taking part. Participants get direct one-to-one assistance and attention; it can fit in
with their own timeframes and schedules; and there is the potential to see quick results if they are dedicated. Here to stay, or just a fad?
Despite the widespread use of coaching as a development tool, doubts remain about whether or not it is
simply the latest in a long line of HR and training fads. The reputation of coaching has been slurred by
descriptions like ‘paid friendships’, ‘a sounding board’, ‘the latest executive accessory’ and ‘pinstripe
counselling’, to name but a few. But many commentators argue that, although the term ‘coaching’ is
relatively new, the idea of one-to-one consultation on development needs has been around for decades.
Activities such as personal effectiveness programmes and 360-degree feedback initiatives have all focused on
making employees (most frequently managers and executives) more aware of their personal style and areas
they need to develop. Where these previous interventions were limited was in providing the means for
participants to actually make lasting changes. It seems that ‘knowing what you need to change’ is only one
piece of the jigsaw – it's not enough to bring about actual changes in a person’s style or work habits. This is
where coaching fits in, because of its change orientation and support for ongoing development.
As the coaching market matures, coaching has begun to look like more than a passing fashion. Lane and Rajan
(CIPD 2000) reported that coaching is a ‘growing trend’ rather than a fad, based on their research with 900
companies. They believe it is part of the new performance-led culture of employment rather than the traditional
employment model of job security. Janice Caplan (author of the 2003 CIPD book, Coaching for the Future) contends:
'I believe the reason for the massive increase in the use of coaching is that it is a process and a solution that suits our
times. It is an effective mechanism for enabling an organisation to meet competitive pressures, plan for succession
and bring about change.' This seems to be reflected in views of the HR/training community . Practitioners seem to believe coaching is an effective way of promoting learning, can
have an impact on the organisation’s bottom line and can deliver tangible benefits to individuals and
organisations. Practitioners rarely report such positive findings.
% of respondents who agree
Coaching can deliver tangible benefits to both individuals and organisations 99
Coaching is an effective way to promote learning in organisations 96
Coaching and mentoring are key mechanisms for transferring learning from
training courses back to the workplace 93
When coaching is managed effectively it can have a positive impact on an organisation's bottom line 92 Who is receiving coaching?
The most common recipients of coaching are in fact junior and middle managers. A significant proportion of
respondents reported that their senior managers and directors did receive coaching, but coaching appears to
be being used for the development of staff at many levels of the organisation – not just senior executives, as
the media may lead us all to believe.
Coaching can be delivered by trained external coaches, specialist internal coaches, line managers, peers,
members of the HR department, and others. Who is delivering coaching?
Line managers are most likely to deliver coaching, with a third of respondents reporting that this group
delivers ‘a majority' of coaching, and a further quarter saying that line managers are responsible for delivering
‘half’ of the coaching activities. Only 5% of respondents say that line managers deliver no coaching at all.
Conversely, over 40% of respondents never use external coaches for their activities and those who do use
them tend to use them only for a minority of the coaching that takes place.
Coaching therefore tends to involve a variety of internal and external practitioners, partly depending on the
seniority of the individual and the specific needs of different employee groups. External coaches, when used,
tend to be used for a minority of coaching activities in an organisation. This possibly reflects the cost of using
them and may mean that their use is generally reserved for senior-level or high-potential employees. The concerns of HR buyers
The CIPD training and development survey provides insights into the concerns of HR buyers (Table 3). They
reported that the lack of accreditation and regulation is ‘worrying’, that finding high-quality coaches is ‘a
difficult task’ and that the terminology can be confusing and off-putting. No surprise then that there's an
increasing demand from clients for an authoritative and objective source of information on the quality, rigour
and credibility of all these different offerings. An array of professional bodies
Mirroring the fragmentation that exists in the industry generally, there are many professional bodies and
associations. There is a plethora of codes of practice, ethics, guidelines and standards of practice. And as well
as the CIPD, four key bodies have now emerged at the forefront of the industry:
• the Association for Coaching (AC)
• the Coaching Psychology Forum (CPF)
• the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)
• the International Coach Federation (ICF). All these organisations are involved in a number of initiatives (some in co-operation with others) to improve
coaching standards, practices and services. They represent many of the professional coaches who are pushing
from the supply side for higher standards and quality.
However, even between the four coaching bodies there is still a degree of rivalry and vying for status and
position. Many commentators think that, as the coaching industry matures, consolidation of these bodies will
occur. Many CIPD training and development survey respondents felt that ‘a single professional body’ in the
coaching industry would be useful. But other views exist. Gladeana McMahon, Senior Coaching Consultant at
Penna Consulting, comments: 'It is possible that in the future only one coaching body will exist. However,
coaching is such a broad field that one body may not be able to fulfil the needs of such a diverse group and
we may find that as in accountancy and other such fields, there will be a number of bodies representing
differing aspects of the industry.'
Views of the HR community
The 2004 training and development survey results provide some insights into the views of HR practitioners
about the array of professional bodies. Of our respondents, 40% agreed that ‘the lack of regulation and
accreditation in the coaching industry is very worrying’, but 27% said they 'don't know'.
Forty five per cent of respondents thought that it would be useful if there was a single professional body for
coaches in the UK. A further 37% opted for the ‘don’t know’ option, but only 18% thought that it would
not be useful. Those who thought there should be a single professional body were asked what they felt the
role of this body should be. Coach training and qualifications
Coaching courses and qualifications vary hugely, from short introductory courses to doctorate-level coaching
qualifications. Between these extremes, there are certificate or diploma programmes such as those run by the CIPD,
modules of business programmes, masters’ programmes and coach training for professionals (eg HR/managers).
There are also programmes offered by specialist training providers. Some example of courses are shown in Table 5.
In the past, the reputation of the coaching industry has been weakened by training providers who claim to produce
professional coaches from five-day training courses. Coach training needs to be ‘fit for purpose’. While there is
definitely a place for short introductory courses, as with any discipline, expertise will vary depending on the length
of the course, level of qualification, depth of study, practical experience and extent of supervision while studying. The drive towards professionalism
The drive for greater professionalism is now coming both from suppliers and buyers of coaching. On the
demand side, organisations are trying to be far more discerning about their use of coaching services.
Evidence of the effectiveness of coaching interventions is being sought and more questions asked about
spending and returns. From the supply side, quality coaches are keen to raise the reputation of the coaching
industry and weed out practitioners who operate unethically.
This process is not new. Other professions such as counselling and psychotherapy have been through
‘professionalisation’ over the last decade or so. HR professionals have a key role to play in promoting this agenda.
By exerting pressure regarding minimum expected standards, qualifications and outcomes, they can ‘raise the bar’
in terms of standards across the industry. Suppliers of coaching will have no option but to conform.
% that indicate Possible roles the role
Providing information and advice 84
Providing training courses and qualifications 82
Providing a code of ethics and standards that all coaches must adhere to 80
Accrediting courses and qualifications 78
Providing research/information/publications on coaching 70
Monitoring the continuing professional development of coaches 67
Providing a register of approved coaches 67
Dealing with any complaints about member coaches 37
Looking to the future
The coaching industry is at a critical stage. The future success is likely to be determined by the quality and
professionalism of coaches and their ability to deliver demonstrable value to their clients. If coaching is to
become a true profession, further research into the effectiveness, business benefits and value of different
coaching methodologies is crucial. Neil Offley, Programme Director at the NHS Leadership Centre, comments:
'We hope that evaluation and research will help show how coaching can deliver real benefits, and overcome
a perception of it being the latest fad.'
Part 2 Defining and demystifying coaching
The term ‘coaching’ has come to refer to many different activities. Although this guide focuses on the use of
coaching in organisational settings, it can be used in many other situations. Its early use in the business world
often carried a remedial connotation – people were coached because they were underperforming or their
behaviour was unsatisfactory. These days, coaching is more usually seen as a means of developing people
within an organisation in order that they perform more effectively and reach their potential.
Confusion exists about what exactly coaching is, and how it is different from other ‘helping behaviours’ such
as counselling and mentoring. A variety of niche types of coaching have also developed as the term has been
popularised – life coaching, skills coaching, health coaching, executive coaching, to name but a few. In part,
this may have arisen as a result of some practitioners taking advantage of a popular new term and applying it
to their general services. Consequently, coaching has suffered from a degree of misperception and
misrepresentation. To make things worse, people often use the terms interchangeably so that one person’s
life coaching is another’s developmental mentoring. Many organisations use the terms to mean specific things
in their own organisational contexts and others choose the terminology that seems most acceptable within
their organisation. The result is that the same definitions are being applied to a variety of terms. These
problems around terminology are illustrated in the 2004 training and development survey results, where 81%
of respondents agreed that ‘there is a great deal of confusion around what is meant by the term
“coaching”.'
There is lively debate about this topic by academics and practitioners alike, which has led to a certain fixation
about the need for agreed definitions. While this debate rages, more and more terms emerge and there seem
to be almost as many definitions of coaching as there are practitioners. The fact that Europe and the US
interpret the words slightly differently adds further to the confusion. A selection of definitions of coaching are
provided in Table 6, but these are merely a handful of those in use.
In this Guide, we simply try to illustrate and explain the key differences between some of the common terms
that are currently being used. We will then concentrate on suggesting ways for practitioners to ensure they
have secured a good understanding of what exactly coaches mean when they describe their services.
Some generally agreed characteristics of coaching in organisations
Although there is a lack of agreement about precise definitions, there are some core characteristics of
coaching activities that are generally agreed on by most coaching professionals:
• It consists of one-to-one developmental discussions.
• It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and weaknesses.
• It is aimed at specific issues/areas.
• It is a relatively short-term activity, except in executive coaching, which tends to have a longer timeframe.
• It is essentially a non-directive form of development.
Definitions of coaching Author
A process that enables learning and development to occur and thus Parsloe (1999)
performance to improve
Unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance Whitmore (1996)
The overall purpose of coach-mentoring is to provide help and support for CIPD coaching courses
people in an increasingly competitive and pressurised world in order to help them: definition
• develop their skills
• improve their performance
• maximise their potential
• and to become the person they want to be
Primarily a short-term intervention aimed at performance improvement Clutterbuck (2003)
or developing a particular competence
A conversation, or series of conversations, one person has with another Starr (2003)
The art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another Downey (1999)
Defines the verb ‘coach’ – ‘tutor, train, give hints to, prime with facts’ Concise Oxford Dictionary
A coach is a collaborative partner who works with the learner to help Caplan (2003)
them achieve goals, solve problems, learn and develop
Meant to be a practical, goal-focused form of personal, one-on-one learning Hall et al (1999)
for busy executives and may be used to improve performance or executive
behaviour, enhance a career or prevent derailment, and work through organisational
issues or change initiatives. Essentially, coaches provide executives with feedback they
would normally never get about personal, performance, career and organisational issues
A collaborative, solution-focused, results-oriented and systematic process Grant (2000)
in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life
experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coach • It focuses on improving performance and developing/enhancing individuals skills.
• It is used to address a wide range of issues
• Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals.
• It assumes that the individual is psychologically healthy and does not require a clinical intervention.
• It works on the premise that clients are self-aware, or can achieve self-awareness.
• It is time-bounded.
• It is a skilled activity.
• Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance at work.
Broadly speaking, from the CIPD’s perspective, coaching is developing a person’s skills and knowledge so that
their job performance improves, hopefully leading to the achievement of organisational objectives. It targets
high performance and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s private
life. It usually lasts for a short period and focuses on specific skills and goals.
The ‘helping behaviours’ – differences between coaching, mentoring, counselling
and consulting
Garvey (2004) suggests that activities such as coaching, mentoring and counselling can all be understood to
be ‘helping activities’. However, he agrees that understanding how they are different is difficult ‘because of
the sheer confusion over the terminology’. One way to tackle this is to make a brief comparison of the
activities involved. Coaching vs mentoring
There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring since both involve a one-to-one relationship
that provides an opportunity for individuals to reflect, learn and develop. However, when comparing coaching
with the traditional understanding of mentoring, there are some key differences.
The term ‘mentoring’ originates from Greek mythology. Odysseus entrusted his house and the education of
his son to his friend, Mentor, saying to him, ‘tell him all you know.’ In practice, 'mentoring' has come to be
used interchangeably with 'coaching'. David Clutterbuck (2001) comments, 'In spite of the variety of
definitions of mentoring, all the experts appear to agree that it has its origins in the concept of
apprenticeship, when an older, more experienced individual passed down his knowledge of how the task was
done and how to operate in the commercial world.' In reality, there can be large overlaps between the roles of coach and mentor. A mentor may do some
coaching and a coach may do some mentoring if he or she is working with someone over time on issues that
relate to their career. Many people also understand mentoring to be a useful adjunct to coaching, specifically
in providing career guidance and longer-term support, as opposed to the relatively short-term and
performance-related focus of coaching.
Alongside the traditional idea of mentoring, there are now other types of mentoring that have come into
existence (eg transformational mentoring). These are understood to refer to different concepts, many of
which bear more similarities to coaching and/or counselling. It is therefore important to make sure that
everyone understands what is meant by different terms, so that confusion is avoided.
Coaching vs counselling/therapy
There are obvious similarities between coaching and counselling activities, with much of coaching’s theoretical
underpinnings, models and techniques being derived from fields such as psychology and associated therapies,
and applied in organisational contexts. However, while coaching and counselling both work within similar
areas, they are not the same thing. They can, however, work together in a complimentary way in workplace
settings. Counselling, is a highly skilled intervention focused on helping individuals address underlying
Mentoring Coaching psychological problems. It can be useful if employees are unable to resolve difficulties or make changes to
their behaviour during coaching, which may indicate deeper underlying problems/issues. Psychological assessment is a complex process that requires in-depth and specialised training. A professional
coach will be keen to maintain the professional boundaries between coaching and the traditional therapies
and will refer a client to an appropriate therapist/counsellor if they feel it will be useful and appropriate. Watch out for the cowboys!
In the UK, the use of the designations 'psychologist', 'therapist', 'counsellor' are not restricted
by law to those who are qualified, so purchasers need to beware of ‘self-styled’ psychologists,
counsellors and therapists who may not have formal training or hold any degree of
professional accountability. It is therefore important to check the qualifications, experience and
membership of appropriate professional bodies of any firms or individuals that an organisation
uses to support their workforce in a counselling or coaching capacity.
Some individuals offering coaching services are qualified therapists or counselling psychologists
who are marketing their services in the name of coaching. When using these individuals, it is
important to be sure of the type of approach the person intends to use during sessions and
that they have appropriate business knowledge.
Modelling the differences between the ‘helping behaviours
Some academics and practitioners have attempted to clarify some of the key differences between the
common forms of coaching, mentoring and counselling via a series of helpful models.
Relationship between coaching style and the different helping behaviours (Britnor-Guest and Willis, 2004)
One way of looking at the differences between the different types of helping behaviour is to consider how directive
the practitioner will be in their approach. To what extent will the person ‘tell’ the individual what to do or help
them work out their own solutions to their problems? Another key differentiator is the scope of the activities. Does
it concentrate on specific parts of a person’s life (eg work issues) or does it take a more holistic perspective? Model of the differences depending on whether the focus is busines or peresonal content (Horner 2002)
Another useful way of considering the different types of development/helping activities is given by Caroline Horner
from the i-coach academy, developed in conjunction with Morag Dwyer. The differences between coaching,
counselling and consulting are discussed in relation to the extent to which activities deal with business content
(high/low) or personal content (high/low). For example, counselling is understood to have high personal content
and low business content, whereas consulting is seen as being the opposite – high in business content, and low in
personal content. Coach/mentoring and other approaches – a framework for differentiating (Hay 1997)
Another useful dimension to think about is who is leading the activity – the individual, the organisation or a mixture
of both? On this dimension, counselling is clearly individually led, but different types of mentoring and coaching
will differ in the extent to which the individual or the coach/organisation are leading the activity. Different activities are plotted on this continuum as well as considering whether the objectives for the coaching are long-term and broad, or short-term and specific.
The most common types of coaching in use are performance and skills coaching, which were
both used by two-thirds of respondents. Coaching types aimed at the personal needs/concerns of employees,
such as life and career coaching, were among the least common forms of coaching used.
So what is meant by these different terms?
Performance coaching. Coaching activities here are aimed at enhancing an individual’s performance in their
current role at work. The specific issues covered by the coaching will vary, but the aim will always be to
increase their effectiveness and productivity at work. Generally, performance coaching derives its theoretical
underpinnings and models from business and sports psychology as well as general psychological theory.
Skills coaching. This form of coaching focuses on the core skills an employee needs to perform in their role.
Skills coaching provides a flexible, adaptive, ‘just-in-time’ approach to skills development. Coaching programmes
are tailored specifically to the individual and are generally focused on achieving a number of skill development
objectives that are linked to the needs of the organisation.
Career coaching. Coaching activities focus on the individual’s career concerns, with the coach eliciting and
using feedback on the individual’s capabilities as part of a discussion of career options. The process should
lead to increased clarity, personal change and forward action.
Personal or life coaching. This form of coaching provides support to individuals wishing to make some
form of significant changes happen within their lives. Coaches help individuals to explore what they want in
life and how they might achieve their aspirations and fulfil their needs. Personal/life coaching generally takes
the individual’s agenda as its start point. % of respondents
Type of coaching who report using it
Performance 67
Skills 67
Development 59
Executive 34
Remedial 28
Career 27
Team 25
Life 8
Other 2 Business coaching. Business coaching is always conducted within the constraints placed on the individual or
group by the organisational context. The term is used to refer to any coaching activity that takes place in a
business setting, so by definition overlaps with other terms.
Executive coaching. Organisations are now generally more willing to invest in coaching for their senior managers
and executives. By improving the performance of the most influential people within the organisation, the theory
goes that business results should improve. Executive coaching is often delivered by coaches operating from outside
the organisation whose services are requested for an agreed duration or number of coaching sessions.
Practical tool: Making sense of the terminology and the coaching approach you want
The simple tool shown below can be used in a variety of different ways to help you define the type
of coaching that best meets your needs.
Exercise 1: A useful exercise may be to map the key characteristics of the coaching
approach/activity that would work well in your particular organisational context. On each of the
dimensions below, mark a cross where your ideal approach sits. This can be used as part of the
‘ideal coach profile’ when selecting a coach.
Exercise 2: When considering introducing coaching to an organisation, it can be helpful to use the tool
to draw out different people’s understanding of the term 'coaching'. For example, ask all key
stakeholders to mark a cross on the dimensions indicating what they consider ‘coaching’ to involve.
By comparing answers, a discussion can emerge through which you can gain shared understanding.
Exercise 3: This tool can also be used in the coach selection process. You could ask the coach to discuss
their approach with regard to the different dimensions, perhaps even marking it on the diagram. This
can then be referred back to your original map of the key coaching characteristics you were looking for
in a coaching approach. All of these dimensions could also be turned into questions to gain greater
understanding of the coach’s approach eg to what extent does the individual lead the agenda?
Directive Non-directive
Individual leads the agenda Organisation leads the agenda
High personal content Low personal content
High business content Low business content
Short-term Long-term
Developmental Remedial
Holistic Specific Making sure you sort through the terminology issues
Because of the terminology issues that surround coaching, all parties concerned should check that there is
shared understanding. You can't assume that people are talking about the same thing when they refer to
coaching or mentoring. In reality, it doesn’t really matter whether the activity is labelled 'coaching', 'advising',
'counselling' or anything else, as long as everyone involved understands what it means in their specific
situation. For this shared understanding of terminology to take place, the CIPD recommends that:
• Coaches must be encouraged to provide clients with a clear understanding of what they mean by the
terms they use and the approach they offer. In this way, purchasers and users can make informed
judgements about the nature of the activities on offer.
• To avoid serious misunderstandings, HR practitioners should check definitions and, more importantly,
intended outcomes. It is necessary for the terms to be discussed by the users so that the overlaps in
meaning are understood and the differences appreciated.
As a rule of thumb, it is probably best to simply pick the terms that most people find acceptable and then
provide definitions to prevent misunderstandings. Coaching standards
Organisations and coaches should try to convert the confusion around terminology into
understanding of the overlaps, the distinctive objectives and the characteristics of each. The
CIPD hopes that this Guide provides encouragement in this direction. However, further
advances are progressing through a project being co-ordinated by the European Mentoring
and Coaching Council (EMCC) with the collaboration of all the coaching professional bodies.
This project has drawn together information about coaching and mentoring practice from
documented standards and competency frameworks created by experts in the field,
professional bodies, private organisations as well as specialist coaching and mentoring training
companies. The information has been distilled into a single comprehensive framework that
makes sense of the overlaps and differences between the services on offer. The EMCC is
currently in the process of collecting data to determine which competencies are core to all
types of coaching practice, and which competencies are specific to the different ‘types’ of
coaching and mentoring (eg executive coaching, developmental mentoring etc). Part 3 The key players in the coaching relationship • The individual and coach. This is the most visible relationship, and requires good matching for it to
work effectively.
• The coach and HR. These parties agree the contractual relationship, with the HR practitioner
representing the organisation’s interests. HR should thoroughly brief the coach so they understand the
organisational context in which the coaching will take place.
• The individual and HR. HR must explain why the individual is being coached, and allay any concerns
they have about it. They must also assess that there is a genuine need for coaching and that the
individual is ready for it.
• The individual and line manager. The line manager must understand and be supportive of the
individual during the coaching intervention, and for ongoing development plans. They can also be
involved in helping the individual decide the development objectives for the coaching programme.
• HR and the line manager. HR must manage the line manager’s expectations and explain his or her role
in supporting the coaching relationship. These relationships must be carefully managed for maximum benefit to be gained from a coaching initiative.
HR practitioners play a critical role in making sure that all the other stakeholders to the coaching intervention
are bought into the process and understand their roles in its success. A crucial role for HR?
Eighty per cent of respondents to the 2004 CIPD training and development survey felt that ‘HR has a crucial
role to play in selecting and evaluating the impact of coaching initiatives.’ Furthermore, 92% agreed that
‘when coaching is managed effectively it can have a positive impact on an organisation’s bottom line.’ It
therefore seems as though HR practitioners have a critical role in drawing up a framework for the coaching
activities that take place to ensure value for money and alignment with the organisation’s strategic goals.
In some organisations, individual managers or executives arrange their own coaching. When this happens and
if the HR department fails to play a co-ordinating and overseeing role, the organisation loses a valuable
opportunity to create a coaching strategy aligned with organisational goals and the overall training and
development strategy. Because no evaluation is taking place, they are also losing the opportunity to build up
a body of knowledge about lessons learned in the use of coaching in the organisation. Without HR
overseeing the coaching, it will be very difficult to get a clear picture of what coaching is taking place and
how effective it is. The evaluation of coaching activities will therefore be impossible. An overall perspective
allows the HR team to identify pockets of good and poor practice and to plan any necessary remedial action.
The HR team needs to have a good understanding of all the coaching taking place and to ensure it is
grounded in the goals of the organisation.
Being a knowledgeable and discerning customer is crucial. HR practitioners may not necessarily have a great
deal of expertise about the process of coaching, but many of the generic skills held by HR practitioners lend
themselves to effectively managing coaching relationships. The skills and experience of selection interviewing,
drawing up contracts/agreements, ensuring there are efficient measurement systems, supervising projects
with multiple stakeholder groups, are all important parts of managing coaching activities. If, as an HR person,
you are given responsibility for managing a coaching initiative, you should try to build up your knowledge of
coaching processes, models and frameworks. This will enable you to become a more knowledgeable buyer of
coaching services and to cut through the issues around terminology and jargon that we have profiled. The key components of HR’s role in managing coaching engagements
HR practitioners should get involved in coaching engagements from the outset. Key areas of HR involvement
include:
• assessing an individual’s need for coaching
• assessing an individual’s readiness for coaching
• getting line managers on board
• determining best use of internal and external coaches
• running a rigorous coach selection process
• assisting in the matching process
• briefing the coach
• managing the contracting process
• monitoring effectiveness and measuring the impact
• capturing internal knowledge and evaluation data
• integrating coaching with other HR and development activity.
This list demonstrates just how much time and effort is needed to formally manage a coaching process,
particularly in large organisations or in organisations where coaching is being offered to a large number of
people. Challenges for HR
The activities listed opposite illustrate how complex the role of HR can be in this area. The multiple
stakeholders in coaching relationships create difficult issues that require consideration. Who is the primary
client? Is it the client organisation because it pays for the coach? Or is it the individual end user because
coaching requires an environment of trust to be effective? The most common answer to these questions is
that both the individual and the organisation are clients, with their own goals and objectives for the coaching
initiative. The coach and the HR practitioner must work to ensure that the needs and goals of both parties
are aligned and are met by the coaching intervention. Ensuring clarity of understanding is crucial for
managing issues around confidentiality and information flow.
Other key challenges facing HR practitioners include:
• Integrating coaching with the bigger picture. HR also holds the responsibility for ensuring that coaching
activities are aligned with the strategic goals of the organisation, and that they are integrated with other
HR/training plans and activities. At the moment it seems that this often doesn’t happen – the 2004 CIPD
training and development survey revealed that two-thirds of respondents who indicated coaching takes
place in their organisation reported that there is no formal strategy that governs coaching activities. Of
respondents who do have a strategy in place, the vast majority said that it only covers certain groups of
employees and only 6% of respondents using coaching have a written strategy on coaching for all staff.
• Opening ‘closed doors’. A key problem for HR is when coaching happens behind ‘closed doors’ because
senior-level employees bring in their own coaches and the activities aren’t co-ordinated by HR. This means
that there are no reporting structures and no accountability for the professional coaches. Organisations
can't learn from such coaching engagements. • Meeting the needs of both the organisation and the individual. Any HR practitioners who currently
have a responsibility for procuring coaching will be aware of the challenge of meeting the requirements
of the organisation and the individual being coached. The onus is on those buying coaching to ensure
that they approach the area in an informed and structured way, if they are to achieve value for money.
• Information flow and confidentiality. Another issue to think about is how information from coaching
conversations is used within an organisation, regardless of whether the coaching is external or internal.
From the start, it is essential that HR is clear about what information the organisation wants so that the
coaches and clients are clearly working towards specific goals. The clearer the goals, the easier it will be
for the organisation to measure the results.
• Scoping and controlling costs. In making decisions about how coaching will be run in an organisation,
there are several factors to think through. A factor that can’t be ignored is cost. HR practitioners need to
consider how resource constraints will affect how much coaching can be undertaken. Without a
bottomless pit full of money, it's important to establish parameters about coaching in the organisation.
Some questions for practitioners to consider are:
Without agreed parameters, coaching relationships can continue for long periods of time, becoming a
permanent ‘sounding board’ for a person’s work issues. This can mean costs can spiral. An ongoing role for
HR practitioners therefore is to define the scope of coaching assignments and control costs.
Coaching is believed to have a key role in supporting other learning and development activities. For example,
93% of respondents in the training and development survey agreed that coaching is a key mechanism for
transferring learning from training courses back to the workplace. An essential role for HR practitioners in
creating effective conditions for coaching is to ensure that the culture and climate within the organisation is
supportive of learning and development. In the survey, 80% of respondents agreed that ‘coaching will only
work well in a culture that supports learning and development.’ Many practitioners and academics suggest
that, ideally, a ‘coaching climate’ should exist within organisations. • Who should receive coaching – will there be limits?
• Which employee groups should we invest in?
• Will coaching be restricted to individuals of a certain level of seniority?
• Will coaching only be provided in relation to certain development activities?
• Will there be a limit on the number of hours available to each individual?
• Will you use internal or external coaches?
• How will you measure/evaluate success and value for money? Creating a coaching culture generally involves implementing a long-term, strategic organisational development
programme in an organisation. It is therefore not a light undertaking for HR practitioners. If a coaching culture
doesn't already exist within an organisation, coaching can still be an effective intervention, but there may be
challenges for HR in gaining support and buy-in to the initiative, as well as getting it effectively embedded.
So what exactly is a coaching climate? You will know you have a coaching climate when:
• Personal growth, team development and organisational learning are integrated and the
links clearly understood.
• People are able to engage in constructive and positive challenging.
• People welcome feedback (even at the top) and actively seek it.
• Coaching is seen as a responsibility of managers and their direct reports.
• There is good understanding at all levels about what effective developers and developees do.
• Coaching is seen primarily as an opportunity rather than as a remedial intervention.
• People are recognised and rewarded for their activity in sharing knowledge.
• Time for reflection is valued.
• There are effective mechanisms for identifying and addressing barriers to learning.
• People look first inside the organisation for their next job.
• There are strong role models of good coaching practice.
So how do you create a coaching climate?
• By ensuring that managers have at least the basic skills of coaching.
• By equipping all employees with the skills to be coached effectively.
• By providing an advanced coaching skills programme for senior managers and HR staff.
• By providing opportunities to review good coaching practice.
• By recognising and rewarding managers who demonstrate good coaching behaviour and
commitment to coaching.
• By measuring and providing feedback on the quality, relevance and accessibility of coaching.
• By ensuring that top management provides strong, positive role models.
• By identifying cultural and systems barriers to developmental behaviours.
HR practitioners can track how much the organisation is perceived to support development and
coaching activity in a variety of ways, including through employee attitude surveys. This is something
that can be measured and used as a broad benchmark of progress towards a coaching culture.
Part 4 Making the case for coaching
Whether coaching is an appropriate intervention depends on several factors: whether the organisational
conditions are conducive to coaching; whether the coaching is the most appropriate development
intervention for an individual; and whether the individual is ‘ready’ for coaching. In this part of the guide,
these different areas will be looked at in turn to allow practitioners to make informed decisions as to whether
coaching is really the right answer.
Organisational conditions for coaching
As discussed in part 3, for coaching to be successful, the organisational culture and climate should be
supportive of learning and development. Many writers go further and advocate a coaching culture that places
emphasis on learning, development and knowledge-sharing (Caplan 2003).
However, there are some particular organisational situations where coaching may be particularly appropriate
as a development intervention. Some examples of these are:
• Talent shortages. When organisations are suffering from significant skills shortages, money may be
better spent developing the skills of current employees through interventions like coaching, rather than
spending a great deal of money recruiting external candidates.
• Small or fast-growing businesses. People who initially set up small businesses don't necessarily have
the skills to manage larger businesses and the growing number of people they need to employ. It's also
unlikely that they can be away from work for extended periods of time for development activities. In this
situation, coaching can offer targeted, timely development on identified issues/areas that can be fitted
into the individual’s busy schedule.
• Belief that coaching can deliver long-term performance improvement. Organisations should only
invest in coaching when they think it will deliver significant and long-term improvements in individuals'
performance – ie that future performance will greatly exceed current performance, which can be
translated into business benefits.
• The organisation expects that behaviour can be changed in a short period of time. Organisations
should only invest in coaching if they think that the issues that need to be addressed can be achieved in a
relatively short period of time.
• During times of organisational change. Periods of major organisational change can require significant
shifts in the behaviour and attitudes of some employees in order to fit in with new structures or cultures.
Coaching can help individuals make these necessary changes.
• Changes in job role. Coaching can help individuals who are moving to a new job that requires different
skills and abilities. Coaching can be a valuable short-term intervention to help people adapt and cope
with their role change.
• Supporting expatriates. Coaching can offer support for expatriates who have to adjust to a new culture
and country. These people often have very specific requirements and they need immediate support as
issues arise.
• Developing the skills of ‘valuable’ technical experts. Where certain employees have high levels of
specific skills and experience (or critical relationships with contractors/suppliers etc), the organisation
might have difficulty replacing its human capital. In this situation, it may be more appropriate to provide
coaching to these managers to improve or develop some of their other skills (interpersonal/managerial) so
that their careers can progress within the organisation.
• Support for future leaders or senior executives. Senior managers or executives bring groomed for
leadership roles may be hesitant to attend training courses, as they may feel that they should already have
the skills, expertise etc. In this situation, coaching can be a suitable intervention as it is confidential,
personal and ‘safe’ development option where the individual is using an objective, external person to help
them with their development. Assessing when there is a need for an individual to receive coaching
Identifying that an individual could benefit from some coaching can happen in a variety of organisational
settings. The first step will be the identification of some kind of learning or development need. This is most
frequently articulated by the individual themselves, their line manager or by a member of the HR department
(eg during a development centre). Once a learning need has been identified, the next step is for the manager
and the individual to decide how best the need can be met.
The rise in the popularity of coaching in recent years means that there is a danger that coaching can be seen
as a panacea for all kinds of development needs. However, it is important that coaching is only used when it
is genuinely seen as the best way of helping an individual learn and develop. Coaching is just one of a range
of training and development interventions that organisations can use to develop their employees. It can also
be an expensive proposition, with costs quickly mounting up even if the coaching only lasts a few months. It
is therefore necessary to make sure that other possible avenues for development are fully explored. The merits
of coaching should be considered alongside other types of development interventions, such as training
courses, mentoring or on-the-job training. Employee preferences should also be borne in mind. While
coaching can be a very effective development tool, as with any learning intervention, it will be most effective
when a genuine need for it is identified, and when it is the best development tool for the specific purpose. Examples of development needs when coaching may be an appropriate solution
• Developing an individual’s potential. Sometimes an individual can be performing perfectly well, but
could be even more successful with some assistance. In this situation, the coach is not helping the
individual to ‘fix’ any particular problem, but instead will try to help motivate the individual to consider
their future plans and next steps in their job or career.
• Poor interpersonal skills. Some individuals in the workplace are highly competent, technical experts.
However, they can have poor interpersonal skills that make them appear arrogant or stubborn to those
they work with. Coaches can help managers to better 'read’ interpersonal situations and be more
effective in their interactions with colleagues.
• Poor conflict management skills. In some cases, managers may handle conflict situations in an
aggressive and non-compromising way that antagonises their colleagues. This may be quite intimidating
to peers and team members. Coaching can help these individuals to develop the skills of negotiation and
compromise so that conflict is resolved more effectively.
• Poor skills at developing others. Some managers have difficulty supporting the development of their
team members. Coaching can help managers develop junior colleagues more effectively by learning some
coaching skills themselves.
• Developing a more strategic perspective. As managers move from management or front-line positions
to more senior levels, they often need assistance in gaining a more strategic perspective. This involves
making decisions based on the best interests of the organisation as a whole, rather than their specific
area of the business. Coaches can help managers to become more sensitive to wider organisational
concerns and understand opportunities and problems occurring across multiple business units.
• Developing new skills due to a change in role. In instances where organisations restructure or refocus
their workforce, some individuals may be required to develop new skills very quickly. An example is when an
individual may move into a more customer-facing or business-development role. This can be quite daunting
and coaching can help them to develop these skills and be more confident and effective in their new role.
Assessing individual readiness for coaching
There are some individuals who may not respond well to coaching for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, their
problems are best dealt with by an intervention other than coaching, and in other circumstances their
attitude may interfere with the effectiveness of coaching. Before a coaching intervention is begun,
organisations need to assess an individual’s ‘readiness’ for coaching. Coaching may not be an appropriate
intervention in the following circumstances:
• If the individual has a personal or family crisis. In this situation, the individuals will certainly need
support and somebody to talk to, but that person is not a professional coach. A highly confidential
counselling intervention is likely to be more appropriate.
• If the individual has psychological problems. People suspected of suffering from psychological problems
can be offered referral to appropriate specialist support. Coaches don't necessarily have the depth of
psychological training to deal with these issues, nor the medical training to address any physiological
components that may also be part of the problem (eg addiction, depression).
• If the individual has a developmental need which is widely shared in the organisation. In this
case the individual may not need an intervention as costly or intensive as coaching. A course or
development programme may be an equally effective and more cost-effective solution.
• If the individual lacks self-insight. If an individual is without adequate self-insight or has no ability to
modify his or her behaviour from situation to situation, coaching will not be effective. In cases like this, a
coach may not be able to overcome such strong resistance to change.
• If the individual is resistant or closed to coaching. Coaching works best when there is a receptive
audience. It is likely to be ineffective if the person is forced into coaching under duress because they are
likely to be uncooperative. Attempts should be made to understand why they feel this way.
• If the individual continually engages in socially inappropriate behaviour. Once this kind of
behavioural problem, for example, behaviours bordering on sexual harassment, has become more frequent
and ingrained, coaching is not an appropriate intervention. Either the person in question will need longterm,
intense counselling or will be subject to the formal disciplinary process. As coaches can't refuse to
testify against clients in any subsequent legal proceedings, it is also in the best interests of employees
themselves to have professional counsellors with whom to discuss problems in total confidentiality.
• If the individual sees the coaching as a ‘quick fix’ and doesn't take responsibility for changing
their behaviour. Such individuals are unlikely to be successful if provided with coaching. Long-term
successful behavioural change requires a great deal of effort and hard work for it to really happen.
• If the individual is leaving the company or retiring. In this situation, it is unlikely that in such a short
timeframe the organisation will see any benefits in terms of improved performance. Outplacement or
career counselling may be a more appropriate solution.
In many of these situations, we are looking at the boundaries between coaching and therapy. Sometimes a clinical
intervention will be more appropriate support for the individual. A coach should be able to assess if a person is
coachable, but ideally the HR practitioner should try to identify any wider issues before the coach is contracted. The business case for coaching
Is coaching worth the time and investment? Based on the results from the 2004 CIPD training and
development survey, it would appear so. Two-thirds of respondents to the survey reported that they felt their
activities had been ‘effective’ (61%) or ‘very effective’ (6%) in meeting objectives. This is a positive response
and is mirrored by the fact that 99% also felt that ‘coaching can deliver tangible benefits both to individuals
and organisations.’ Furthermore, 92% also agreed that ‘when coaching is managed effectively it can have a
positive impact on an organisation’s bottom line.' This is a strong endorsement by the HR community about
the value and impact coaching can have in an organisational setting.
However, some commentators contend that coaching is simply an HR fad. In making the case for coaching,
HR practitioners need to be able to discuss the benefits that both the organisation and individual can expect
to receive.
Questions to consider when assessing an individual’s readiness for coaching
• Does the problem/development area require more in-depth psychological expertise?
• Is the problem/development area personal or work-based?
• Is the individual a willing participant in the coaching?
• Does the individual accept that the coaching requires considerable effort from them for it
to be successful? Are they resistant to change?
• Is there another equally effective development option that may be more cost-effective?
Coaching and buying coaching services 39
Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the black box (CIPD 2003)
The CIPD 2003 Research Report, Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the black box, may
offer an understanding of how HR activities such as coaching can impact on individual and organisational
performance.
The research found that employees’ job performance is a function of their ability, their motivation to engage
with their work, and the opportunity to deploy their ideas, abilities and knowledge effectively. Coaching
contributes to this by offering an opportunity to improve the motivation and skills of employees, and enhance
their performance. What does the research say? Is there a business case for coaching?
Some research exists about the impact of coaching interventions in organisational settings, but it is far from
comprehensive. There is a broad base of research about coaching more generally, particularly from the sports
world and in educational settings, and this does tend to suggest that coaching is effective in improving
aspects of an individual’s behaviour. There is also a wealth of research relating to specific elements of
coaching, such as the use of specific techniques/tools (eg goal-setting). However, less is known about the
impact of coaching as an intervention in organisations, and particularly about the benefits of using external
coaches. Horner (2002) comments: 'There was surprisingly little empirical research on the efficacy of executive
coaching in the practice of management and leadership. This is particularly so for the practice of coaching by
external coaches, although this lack of empirical foundation has not inhibited practitioners or authors from
advocating their approaches or publishing their views.'
Research that has investigated the views of the participants in coaching generally has very positive findings.
For example, Hall et al (1999) reported that clients most frequently rated the overall effectiveness of their
coaching experiences as ‘very satisfactory’. And a recent study by the International Coach Federation found a
wide range of benefits reported by individuals who take part in coaching. These included:
There appears to be a genuine belief from those who take part in coaching that it does deliver benefits.
But what about benefits delivered to the organisation? Like many other training activities, it's difficult to
identify whether coaching has a direct effect on bottom-line performance because of all the other factors
that influence organisational performance. Studies are nonetheless emerging to substantiate the belief that
powerful benefits are achievable. Several studies have shown that coaching positively influences productivity,
quality, customer service and retention of best employees. One example is a study by Manchester Consulting
Inc., aimed at demonstrating the impact of executive coaching (using external coaches) on the organisation’s
bottom line. They describe a chain of impact originating in coaching: ‘coaching translates into doing, doing
translates into impacting the business, this impact can be quantified and maximised' (McGovern et al 2001). Increased self-awareness 68%
Better goal-setting 62%
More balanced life 61%
Lower stress levels 57%
Enhanced self-discovery 53%
Increased confidence 52%
Improved quality of life 43%
Enhanced communication skills 40%
Increased project completion 36%
Improved health or fitness level 34%
Better relationship with co-workers 33%
Better family relationships 33% The study results demonstrated the effectiveness of coaching and estimated an average return on investment
of $100,000 for the sample. In addition, a recent survey by MetrixGlobal LLC in the USA showed that
coaching produced a 529% return on investment alongside significant intangible benefits to the business.
So, it appears as though evidence is emerging, but much more research is needed before there can be said to
be ‘solid evidence’ of the benefits of coaching. Figure 15 lists some of the common benefits that coaching is
purported to deliver to individuals and organisations. These can be used by HR practitioners in building the
business case for using coaching in their organisation. Organisational and individual benefits of coaching
Benefits for the individual
• Learn to solve own problems
• Improve managerial and interpersonal skills
• Have better relationships with colleagues
• Learn how to identify and act on development needs
• Have greater confidence
• Become more effective, assertive in dealing with people
• Have a positive impact on performance
• Have greater self-awareness and gain of new perspectives
• Acquire new skills and abilities
• Develop greater adaptability to change
• Improve work–life balance
• Reduce stress levels Benefits for the organisation
• Improve productivity, quality, customer service and shareholder value
• Can gain increased employee commitment and satisfaction, which can
lead to improved retention
• Demonstrate to employees that an organisation is committed to developing its
staff and helping them improve their skills
• Support employees who've been promoted to cope with new responsibilities
• Help employees to sort out personal issues that might otherwise affect
performance at work
• Gain a satisfactory process for selfdevelopment
• Support other training and development initiatives eg reduce ‘leakage’ from training courses Part 5 Preparation and setting the scene
Before selecting and recruiting coaches to work with your organisation, there are some important preparatory
activities that require attention. Undertaking these will ensure that the coaching initiative has been carefully
thought through and that all stakeholder groups are clear about what it will involve, and what their role and
responsibilities entail. These include: setting expectations and briefing the individual; gaining the buy-in of
line managers; and ensuring clarity of approach and goals.
Setting expectations and briefing the individual
Coaching works best when the individual is both a willing and an informed participant. The more the individual
understands about the coaching process and is engaged with it, the easier it will be for the coach to work with
them. Before the coach and the individual are introduced, HR has an important role (working closely with the
line manager) in providing information to the individual and preparing them for the coaching activities.
In the past, coaching has often had negative connotations, being seen as a remedial activity. It is therefore
essential that HR practitioners or the individual’s line manager spend time carefully explaining to individuals
the purpose of the coaching, and making sure they don't misinterpret why it's being offered. This is crucial
for realistic expectations to be set. It is also important to understand that individuals may feel apprehensive –
time should be taken to explain how the process will work in order to allay fears and start the initiative off on
the right foot. Key messages to convey to individuals include:
• The organisation values you and wants to further develop your skills.
• This is an opportunity for you to have some one-to-one personal development time.
• The coaching will be confidential (be clear about what information, if any, will be fed back to the
organisation).
• You will have to do the work – there is no magic button to be pressed here.
Managing the individual’s expectations is crucial. Provide the individual with an honest explanation of why
you are recommending that they take part in some coaching, being as specific as possible. This should give
them a clear understanding of why they are being offered the coaching. It's equally important not to ‘overpromise’
anything to the individual at this stage – for example, by taking part they are not guaranteed a
promotion or any other specific career opportunity.
Being clear and supportive from the outset will motivate the individual. At an early stage, they should be
encouraged to consider what they would like to achieve from the coaching sessions and identify specific
areas to focus on. The individual should always own their learning. When people are learning things they
have identified as important, relevant and beneficial, they will be better motivated to commit to specific and
practical courses of action to make it happen.
Gaining the buy-in of line managers
The line manager, while not in the primary relationship in coaching (the coach and the individual), is
nonetheless an interested party. HR must ensure that the line manager understands their role in making the
coaching work, and does not simply see it as an easy way to pass on responsibilities for supporting staff
development.
• the purpose of the coaching
• why they have been selected
• the objectives for the coaching from the organisation’s perspective
• the length of the coaching arrangement (number of sessions; length of each session)
• who the coach will be
• typical outline of a coaching session
• confidentiality and reporting back of information
• how the coaching will be evaluated. Areas for HR or the line manager to cover when briefing individuals are:
• Explain what coaching is, and what it is not to build realistic expectations of outcomes.
• Explain how the coaching will benefit the individual, but also how this will translate into improved contribution to the team.
• Help the manager understand issues of confidentiality.
• Manage expectations about how much information they will receive back on the progress of the coaching.
• Explain how to identify signs that the individual is finding the coaching too demanding. HR practitioners should:
Managers should set an example by taking the coaching activities seriously and encourage the individual to
spend time and effort thinking about their development and onward career plans. HR practitioners need to
explain that as part of their role in supporting the coaching initiative, the line manager:
• must provide the individual with time to undertake the coaching
• must not expect to get information back from the coach on the individual, unless it has been explicitly
agreed with the individual and the coach
• should not put pressure on the individual to meet unrealistic goals or meet goals in unrealistic timeframes
• should discuss progress with the individual and what they feel they have gained
• should recognise progress and reward achievement of coaching goals.
Conveying these messages and ensuring managers take them on board is a key activity for HR practitioners as
it can have a real impact on the likely success of a coaching initiative. Ensuring clarity of approach and goals
Considerable money, time and energy will need to be invested to make coaching work effectively and it is
important to be clear about exactly what the coaching arrangement is trying to achieve.
When these questions have been thought through, and clear answers have been agreed, the selection and
recruitment of the coach(es) can begin. Many of the answers to these questions will also be useful in the
evaluation of the coaching initiative.
• What performance improvements are desired?
• What are the organisational goals for the coaching intervention?
• Are the organisational conditions conducive to the type of coaching you are planning to introduce?
• Is the individual ‘ready’ for coaching?
• Does the individual understand why they have been offered coaching?
• Is the line manager supportive and ready for the coaching initiative? Do they understand their role in supporting the
individual?
• What is the budget for the programme?
• Who will be eligible for coaching? How many sessions will initially be planned?
• How will we measure success, effectiveness and value for money?
Part 6 Choosing the right coach
The complex coaching marketplace makes decisions about the choice of coach unclear and difficult to
establish. There is little agreement about the characteristics of a ‘good’ coach and much debate about what
kind of experience, background and qualifications are really needed.
Because of this, HR practitioners need to be astute ‘buyers' and be clear about exactly what they want. They
need to build up their own knowledge of coaching so that they can make good decisions during selection
and recruitment. This part of the Guide offers a template of issues that need to be considered, as well as
guidance about the selection process.
Internal or external?
The first key decision is whether to use external coaches or internal coaches. Many organisations, particularly
smaller ones, will simply not have the internal capability and it may be more cost-effective to hire an external
coach, rather than train someone internally. Organisations that are undertaking a considerable amount of
coaching, however, may find it more cost-effective to build up their internal capability and only use external
coaches in certain specific situations. Apart from the impact of cost and resource issues, there are also some
specific situations where either internal or external coaches may be preferable. Hall et al (1999) suggest the
use of internal coaches when a quick intervention is needed and detailed knowledge of the corporate culture
is critical. In contrast, external coaches may be more appropriate when there are highly sensitive or
confidential issues to be addressed or when a coach with extensive and diverse experience is needed.
External coaches are preferable:
• For providing sensitive feedback to senior business leaders. For political reasons, this can
be difficult for an internal coach
• For bringing specialised expertise from a wide variety of organisational and industry situations
• When individuals are concerned about ‘conflict of interests’ and whether confidentiality will be observed
• For providing a wider range of ideas and experience
• For being less likely to judge and being perceived as more objective. Internal coaches are preferable:
• When knowing the company culture, history and politics is critical
• When easy availability is desired
• For being able to build up a high level of personal trust over a period of time
• For not being seen to be ‘selling’ consulting time
• For keeping costs under control – and may be less expensive. This Guide focuses on the use of external coaches, so this part will look at the profile of a good external coach,
and how HR practitioners should go about recruiting and selecting coaches to work in their organisation.
What does the profile of a good external coach look like?
The variable quality of coaches who are working in the industry has resulted in practitioners adopting a more
discriminating approach in order to identify high-calibre coaches and secure a quality service. New research
from the University of Central England and Origin Consulting (Arnott and Sparrow 2004) reveals that some
large organisations that use coaching extensively are already using fairly stringent criteria. Apart from the
right cultural fit and personal style, the research indicates that they are also keen to establish other coaching
credentials such as evidence of a positive track record, having a structured approach, relevant qualifications,
adherence to professional standards and evidence of supervision of coaches.
Here are some of the areas that HR practitioners should consider when selecting coaches:
• Appropriate level of coaching experience. Different levels of coaching experience may be required,
depending on the complexity of the issues being addressed, as well as the seniority of the individual. The
coach needs to be ‘fit for purpose’. For example, the level of experience and skill set of a coach needed to
provide career coaching for a junior manager would be different from those needed when an executive is
being coached. To ascertain their level of experience, the coach should be questioned about how many
hours of coaching they have delivered, how many coaching assignments they have delivered, what kinds
of issues they have coached individuals for, and at what level of seniority they usually work.
• Relevant business/industry experience. An interesting, and debatable, criterion when selecting a
coach is whether to look for candidates with relevant business experience (eg of a particular job,
organisation or industry sector). Opinions differ as to whether this is a necessary requirement. Most
people would agree that coaches do need strong understanding of organisational dynamics and the
business world to be effective. However, direct experience of a particular industry or organisation is
unlikely to be a necessary requirement for a person to be an effective coach. It is important to remember
that, while the coach should have a sound knowledge of business, their real contribution is their ability to
help individuals learn and develop. In some cases, though, industry experience may be desirable. In
particular, relevant experience can be useful in establishing the ‘face validity’ of the coach (ie for coaches
to have credibility with the individuals being coached). The competence and credibility of the coach is a
major part in the process of winning over the individual and creating a good working relationship.
Some commentators point out that hiring a coach on the basis of specific experience can be
counterproductive. One of the main benefits of using external coaches is their neutrality and objectivity.
They can uncover limiting beliefs, values and assumptions that may be obstructing the strategic objectives
of the individual and the organisation. Coaches should be hired for their ability to help someone see
opportunities for improvements in performance as well as practical ways to help them make changes. It
should also be noted that, if necessary, HR (working with the coach) can bring in other experts to give
specific technical advice or skills coaching.
• References. Talking to previous clients of the coach is a good way of finding out about their style and
skills, as well as how effective they were in producing the desired results. A good coach should always be
able to supply references and it's important for HR practitioners to check them early on in the process to
accurately establish their credentials, experience and ability to deliver.
• Background of the coach. Coaches come from a variety of different professional backgrounds. Examples
include human resources, occupational psychology, training and development, sports psychology and
management development. Naturally, these different backgrounds will mean that the coaches will bring
some very different experience and skills to the coaching relationship. One of the most contentious debates
is whether or not a coach should have a background in psychology. This is covered in further detail in the
section on qualifications and training (page 48). There are no right and wrong answers here – the key is to
find a good fit with your organisation and the needs and purpose of the coaching intervention.
• Supervision. Supervision is a formal, independent process of reflection and review to enable the
practitioner to increase their self awareness, develop their competence and critique their work with their
client (Lane 2002). Professor Mike van Oudtshoorn and Professor David Lane from the International
Part 7 Coach selection and matching
Because of their knowledge and experience of recruitment, HR practitioners are well placed to undertake a
thorough coach selection process. Many of the processes used in general recruitment can be adapted to fit the
coach-selection process, as the same general principles apply. Nevertheless, you should still take time over the
selection process to make sure you find the right match for both the organisation and individual concerned.
Even if just a single coach is being hired, it’s still worth using a rigorous, carefully thought-out process.
The details of the selection process to be used when recruiting a coach will depend on whether you are
seeking to recruit a single coach to work with an individual, or a pool of suitable coaches that you can then
‘match’ to individuals in the organisation as and when coaching is identified as a suitable development
intervention. If you are selecting a coach to work with an individual, the first step will be to look at the
particular needs of that individual and draw this into a desired coach profile.
When an organisation is implementing coaching for a series of individuals in the organisation, it is often
sensible for the organisation to identify a number of suitable coaches (a ‘pool’) who fit the desired
requirements of the organisation. This allows the organisation to recruit a series of practitioners who fulfil the
organisation’s basic requirements, but who may also have different specialisms or approaches to coaching. They work with, in the knowledge that all the coaches have been assessed to ensure they fulfil the
organisation’s criteria.
Step 1: Develop desired coach profile
The first step in the selection process is to spend time drawing up a profile of the coach(es) you are looking to
recruit. All of the factors discussed in ‘What does the profile of a good external coach look like?’, on page 46,
should be considered. It’s important to make sure that the coach profile is appropriate for the level of the individual
and the budget you have. The coach profile form opposite may be useful in thinking through these issues.
Step 2: Develop a pool of prospective coaches
Once you have decided on the profile of the coach, there are several sources you can use to help you find a
suitable coach. Many professional coaches are self-employed, although there are some coaching organisations
that employ a number of coaches. A good way to find coaches is to contact relevant professional bodies (CIPD,
ICF, AC, CPF – see ‘Useful sources of information’ at the end of the Guide), which can refer you to people who
have graduated from their programmes or who are members of their organisation. All of these bodies have
code of ethics/conduct so hiring a coach from these organisations will at least help to ensure your coach’s
professional conduct and standards are of a high level. Another alternative is to simply use word of mouth. Ask
colleagues in other organisations for recommendations of coaches who have been effective. Ask prospective
coaches to provide you with their CVs and references from previous clients to aid the first step of the selection Area Desired requirements process.
Another useful source of information is the Coaching and Mentoring Network website where there is
a searchable coach referral system (see ‘Useful sources of information’ at the end of the Guide). Every coach
on their system has had their qualifications checked and verified. Step 3: Paper/web-based selection to produce coach shortlist
There are several levels of selection for coaches. The first round should involve a paper/web-based exercise of
looking through the CVs of prospective coaches to identify a shortlist of suitable coaches. They should then be
invited for an interview so that you can meet them and ask more questions to determine whether they are the
kind of coach you are seeking.
Step 4: Invite coaches to interview. Ask them to fill in skills/experience/qualities inventory
Organisations hiring coaches need to check coaches’ references and credentials thoroughly as well as assessing
both their coaching skills and industry knowledge. One idea is to use a questionnaire or checklist to get
coaches to clarify their style and approach to coaching and provide information about their skills, experience
and qualifications (including which assessment instruments they are qualified to use).
Step 5: Interview
The interview should be used to establish how well the candidate matches your desired coach profile, and to
explore any particular areas that you would like more information on. The interview can take place face to face
or by telephone. Some example questions are provided in Table 9.
Asking the coaches how they would approach a certain situation or problem is another useful technique for
gaining a more in-depth understanding of their coaching style and approach. During the interview, you should
also discuss with the coaches preferred methods of working. For example, do they deliver coaching face to face,
by telephone, by email or a combination of these. Fees, payment, terms, frequency and estimated duration of
the coaching sessions should also be discussed.
Beware of coaches who:
• can’t explain the model they use
• name individual clients
• can’t say what they can do, and what they can’t
• don’t know who they would not coach
• have no experience in organisational settings
(eg only a therapeutic background)
• insist on using their own coaching model, assessment instruments and so forth, instead
of using yours or integrating it with theirs
• have only done outplacement work
• take credit for past coaching results – ‘I fixed this guy’
• see coaching as a ‘power trip’
• use a strictly counselling approach (coaching is not counselling) Area Possible questions to ask if information has not been gathered from CVs
Previous coaching
• How long have you worked as a coach?
experience
• In what kinds of organisations and industry sectors have you worked?
• At what levels in an organisation have you worked?
• How many hours of coaching have you delivered?
• How many coaching assignments have you delivered?
• What kinds of issues/problems have you coached individuals on? References
• Are you able to provide us with references from previous clients?
• Are you a member of any professional bodies? If yes, at what level?
professional bodies
• Do you adhere to a code of ethics/conduct as part of your membership of a professional body?
Qualifications/training
• What training/qualifications have you undertaken relating to your coaching practice?
• Please describe any development activities you have undertaken in the
past year as continuing professional development?
• Are you qualified to use any psychometric tests?
Relevant experience
• Please describe your business experience?
• What experience/understanding do you have of the [specific organisation/industry] environment?
Professional indemnity
• Do you hold professional indemnity insurance? insurance • If yes, with whom and to what level?
Supervision
• How do you maintain your objectivity and perspective during coaching assignments?
• What activities do you undertake to keep your skills up to date and ensure
you are keeping abreast of professional developments in the field of coaching?
• Do you think supervision is important for coaching professionals? What
formal supervision arrangements do you currently have in place?
• Do you have your own coach or supervisor? What are their credentials?
Establishing the coaching
• How do you suggest we should evaluate the success/impact of the framework/process coaching?
• Can you describe the theoretical framework you use for the coaching you deliver?
• What tools/techniques/models do you like to use? Step 6: Making your decision
When making your decision, you should go back to the original coach profile you drew up and assess each
candidate against it. The decision checklist may help with this process.
Decision Checklist Yes/No/
Unsure
• Did the coach have the experience, training and/or qualifications that are
relevant to your needs?
• Is the coach a member of a professional body that has a code of conduct and
a complaints procedure?
• Is the coach able to articulate, simply, the coaching model they use and the
process that they typically follow? Is it appropriate to your needs?
• Is the coach able to provide examples of the impact of previous
coaching assignments?
• Does the coach understand the purpose and boundaries of coaching?
• Is the coach willing to work with HR and the manager in the coaching
engagement?
• Has the coach undergone formal, independently accredited training?
• Is the coach able to provide evidence of continuing professional development?
• What is the coach’s background? Are they familiar with how business works?
Do they have experience at the right level?
• Would the coach inspire trust and motivation in the individual?
• Is the coach’s style aligned with organisational culture? Is it too flamboyant
or conservative?
• Are they credible? Would individuals take them seriously?
• Does the coach have a coaching supervisor? How regularly do they meet? Step 7: Draw up pool of suitable coaches and use in ‘matching’ (individual needs)
After you have decided which coaches are most suitable for working in your organisation, their details can be
drawn up to form a pool of coaches.
Individual–coach matching
Research has demonstrated that the single most important factor for successful outcomes in one-to one
relationships such as coaching is the quality of the relationship between coach and client. For example, Assay
and Lambert (1999) examined the relative importance of key factors in therapeutic relationships and found
that the largest contributing factor is the existence of a positive relationship. This is why the ‘matching’ of
individuals to coaches is so critical.
Different individuals will prefer different styles of coaching relationship based on a supportive approach,
whereas a few benefit from a rather more confrontational dialogue. Hay (2003) suggests that there is a
continuum of coaching styles based on how directive the coach is in working with the individual (Figure 19).
This is a very broad model of coaching styles and includes styles used by internal coaches and managers who
coach, as well as external coaches. The vast majority of external coaches will work using a style of coaching
Checklist Yes/No/
Unsure
• Do they demonstrate flexibility in responding to your needs, and the needs
of individuals?
• Do their fees represent value for money and fit in with the agreed budget?
• Are they available to do the work in your planned timescale?
• Are they located for easy access to your organisation? If no, is this an issue?
• Do they broadly fit coach profile you drew up?
• Are there any areas for concern? Do you need to ask other questions? that is closer to the ‘pull’ end of the continuum. Considering an individual’s personality and preferred learning
style may give an indication of which of these styles may work best.
Figure 19: Continuum of coaching styles
Hall et al (1999) suggests, ‘it is an art to match temperament and learning styles for coaches and clients.’
HR should use information provided by the individual about their specific development needs and preferred
learning styles, alongside information about the coaches’ expertise and style to try to make a good ‘match’.
The matching process
Via the coach selection process outlined above, a shortlist of coaches who meet the minimum requirements of
the organisation will have been identified. Following on, HR must determine appropriate matches between the
coach’s expertise and the individuals needs. Figure 20 illustrates an example of a matching process.
Having identified the specific needs of the individual, HR should identify two or three coaches who have an
appropriate skillset, experience and personality that the individual will find credible and supportive. Information
about the coaches can then be passed to the individual for them to choose who they would like to meet.
Some larger organisations have developed searchable coach databases that individuals can browse through to
select a coach. In this way, HR have established the coach’s track record, but allow the individual an element of
choice so that the final selection decision can be based on a degree of ‘chemistry’ between the individual and
coach. This will be essential to ensuring the coaching relationship works. Coaching styles continuum
PUSH style PULL style
work done by coach
work done by learner It is important that the individual selects the most appropriate coach for their needs, and not just the one they
like the most. To educate the individuals, the kinds of things they should be looking for in a coach need to be
explained (see Part 6). Coach selection process produces a ‘pool’ or shortlist of coaches
Individual’s specific learning needs and learning preferences are identified
HR identifies two or three suitable coaches using knowledge of individual
and coach expertise
Individual is provided with information about the two or three coaches, to select
one to work with
HR informs coach of selection and draws up any necessary contractual
arrangements
Individual telephones or meets potential coaches and selects one
Individual notifies HR of choice
Individual/HR contacts coach to arrange first session Contracting
Establishing a contract for the coaching services is very important as it sets out clearly what services have been
agreed for the fees, and what outcomes and deliverables you are entitled to expect. A contract sets the ground
rules for the coaching relationship so that both parties know their obligations. It is essential to avoid
misunderstandings and provides a firm basis for dealing with any disagreements if any issues arise.
The contract in coaching is often more complicated than those used in counselling/therapy. Normally the goal
of coaching is defined in terms of the client’s professional life rather than their personal life. As a result, the
coaching contract may well include levels of complexity (due to the third party – the organisation) that are not
present in a therapeutic contract. Conflicts may concern issues such as objectives for the coaching (individual
vs organisation) and confidentiality. These areas need careful and explicit explanation in the contract,
particularly when the organisation is providing funding.
The coaching contract represents both its scope and its boundaries and should therefore include:
• the parties to the contract
• how termination by either party will be handled, any alternative arrangement if the coach–individual
relationship doesn’t work out, for any reason, and what monies will owe if the programme is cancelled at
any point
• expected outcomes/deliverables
• etiquette/expected behaviours
• timing, frequency, duration and location of coaching sessions
• confidentiality, feedback and information flow
• use of external resources
• a schedule of payments, with clear indications of when monies are due and precisely what fees include
• arrangements for dealing with additional fees (expenses etc)
• how the work will be controlled and monitored – how regular are reviews?
• criteria for evaluating the results
• if coaching organisations are being used, the coaches providing the services will be identified in the
contract and any subsequent changes will take place only in consultation with the client
• agreement on the nature of the coach–client relationship (eg roles, responsibilities, boundaries, timeframes)
• dealing with further requests for business by individuals which should be cleared by HR
• any variations to the contract being discussed in full and agreed in writing. It is important that the expectations of client and coach are spelled out clearly so that they do not give rise to
disappointment or disagreement. The coach should be provided with a copy of the contract for their records.
A more detailed note on confidentiality and information flow
While coaches need to develop trust with the individuals they are working with, HR and top management also
need to be kept abreast of progress. Thus, coaches and HR have to come up with some workable agreements
about the degree and type of confidentiality they can promise the individuals. The nature and extent of
confidentiality should be clarified and explained from the start to all the parties involved in the coaching
assignment. Coaches should respect the confidentiality of both the client organisation and the individual and
no information from either party should be disclosed without prior agreement. Any circumstances in which
confidentiality may be breached should be identified and explained.
Coaches should provide the organisation with regular updates on the progress of services and sufficient
information to enable them to monitor the quality and effectiveness of services provided and the satisfaction of
individuals with services. Individuals should be made aware of what information is being fed back to the
organisation. Individuals can be encouraged to feedback their views about the effectiveness of the coaching as
and when they feel ready to do so. Part 8 Managing the onward coaching engagement
After a coach or coaches have been selected to work with the organisation, there are a number of activities that
HR can undertake to build the coach’s understanding of the organisation and make the coaching engagement
run as smoothly as possible.
The first step should be to arrange a briefing meeting with the coach(es). It is important that the coach is
clear about the objectives and desired outcomes for the coaching, as well as having a good understanding of
the broader organisational context. Before the meeting, prepare some background material on your
organisation and a detailed brief for the coach. Some of this may have been covered during selection, but it
is worth spending time going over it again. During the meeting you could usefully consider covering:
• organisation vision, mission, strategy, values, locations, products, customers, competitors and other
important organisational issues
• strategy and context of why you’re conducting coaching
• organisational objectives for the coaching initiative or programme
• how it fits into overall HR/training strategy and activities
• the coaching process and model, including the organisation's leadership and competency models
• the outcomes/benefits you expect to achieve
• the estimated timescale for the coaching programme
• clear information about roles and responsibilities (coach/HR)
• evaluation of progress and attainment of goals
• confidentiality arrangements
• administration – time and expense records, notice of cancellation, updates on progress etc
• who will be the company contact person.
If you are providing the coach with any sensitive information about the organisation, make sure they have
signed a confidentiality a agreement. It may also be useful to have a discussion about how the coach should
handle typical coaching dilemmas so that potential problems can be considered and are well thought through.
A confidential session should take place to brief the coach about the initial perceptions of the person’s
interpersonal strengths and weaknesses. Information from development centres, appraisals and 360-degree
feedback exercises can be used to illustrate some of the issues identified.
Setting up the coaching
Many coaching relationships start with a three-way meeting between the coach, line manager and the
individual to discuss how the coaching intervention will work. Occasionally, HR may also be involved in this
meeting if it's considered helpful. Issues that need to be discussed up front include confidentiality, the
reporting of information, the structure of coaching sessions and how the manager and HR will receive
information about the effectiveness of the coaching.
There are also logistical topics to be covered. How many sessions will there be? How often should they take
place, and how long will they last? Where will they take place? Will they be face to face or by telephone?
Will there be any contact between sessions? Average coaching interventions are relatively short-term, lasting
between six and eight weeks, but some executive coaching programmes can last for a year or more. The
length of the coaching contract will depend on the coaching aims, the individual’s specific needs and the
breadth of issues to be covered. Myles Downey (1999) suggests the following structure: four sessions,
followed by a six-month break, then a check-up session, with the option of reverting to further sessions if the
need arises. He suggests that this approach prevents the quasi-counselling pattern of regular fortnightly or
weekly sessions running on until the individual wants it to end. It also helps to control costs and reduces the
likelihood of the individual becoming dependent on the coach. The coaching sessions themselves should be frequent enough for momentum on the development plan to be
maintained, but should also allow the individual enough time to undertake any agreed activities and to reflect
on the previous session. Fortnightly or monthly sessions may be a sensible approach. There are differing opinions
about the actual length of a coaching session, but many coaches recommend one to two hours as being
appropriate. Janice Caplan (2003) suggests, 'Some points to bear in mind are that coaching can be intense, and
an hour might well be as much as a learner can take. There are also some situations where learners need to
work in a sustained fashion on issues that require a lot of thinking through, and these may require a longer
session. On the other hand, some sessions may be more action-based and the coaching may be shorter.'
There is also the question of how the sessions themselves will be structured. It may be that all the sessions will
follow the same format or they will vary according to different needs at different times. The proposed structure
of the sessions should be discussed so that the individual can put forward their views on the appropriateness
and usefulness of the process used. Although coaches tailor their coaching in different ways depending on the
specific individuals’ needs, many coaching relationships follow a relatively simple structure. For example:
• setting the initial goals for the proposed coaching intervention
• pre-coaching diagnostic work (eg psychometrics, 360-degree feedback)
• providing feedback to the individual on any diagnostic work
• developing more specific action and learning plans and discussion of a variety of approaches for
improving job effectiveness
• regular coaching sessions to implement new approaches and to review progress towards goals
• periodic follow-up and monitoring after the regular coaching sessions have ended.
After the initial three-way meeting where the broad parameters are discussed and agreed, the coach and the
individual should then meet. In their first meeting it will be important to set realistic expectations of the
• How do you feel about your progress with the action points from the last session?
• What issues would you like to discuss in this session?
• What would you like to achieve?
• What factors are stopping you?
• What do you need to change to achieve your goal(s)?
• What are your action points to work on before the next session?
The individual coaching sessions should have a fairly simple structure that allows flexibility while
retaining a consistent approach. An example of some questions to structure the discussion are:
coaching relationship, discuss any initial concerns, establish trust and define the parameters of the issues to
be discussed during the coaching sessions. Setting and managing expectations
At the outset, it's essential to have an open discussion about expectations to make sure any differences are
cleared up early on. The coach is not there to take responsibility away from the individual – they must take
responsibility for driving their own learning and development. The role of the coach is to help the individual
identify goals/development areas (in line with the organisation’s goals for the coaching) and plan appropriate
actions to help them build self-awareness and make sustained changes in their behaviour. It's important to
establish clear objectives alongside measures to evaluate the success of the coaching intervention. This can be
difficult, particularly when the changes involve people’s attitudes and behaviour. However, as far as possible
the objectives should be SMART:
• specific – so people know exactly what's expected
• measurable – so results can be evaluated
• achievable – within people’s capabilities
• realistic – so there is a good chance of success
• timebound – with clear milestones of progress.
If the organisation doesn't have any specific objectives for the coaching – for example, if the coaching is
being used to enhance retention or to help people better manage their work–life balance – it's appropriate to
let the coach and individual agree an agenda and objectives without input from HR. The line manager
however should still be involved. Checking satisfaction and progress
During the coaching intervention, HR should monitor satisfaction and progress by gaining feedback from the
individual, the line manager and the coach. The coach and the organisational representative (HR) should
conduct regular updates and briefings, discuss broad areas that surface in the coaching (without breaching
agreed confidentiality guidelines) and get a sense of how people are progressing towards their goals. The HR
person should also keep the coach abreast of key developments and changes in the organisation that may
have an impact on the individual or the coaching intervention.
Near the end of the programme, it will be useful to review progress with those who attended the original
meeting. This ensures the evaluation process is started, while allowing the coach to address with the
individual any outstanding issues. Not all coaching relationships work out. This can happen for a variety of reasons and, in these instances, HR
need to have a mechanism in place for either party (coach or individual) to come out of the relationship. This
process should be covered in the contractual arrangements with the external coach and should be discussed at
the initial three-way meeting so that all parties are aware of it. If the coaching is terminated, the individual may
choose to select an alternative coach to work with or an alternative development approach may be discussed. Evaluating effectiveness
Assessment of the tangible benefits of coaching are critical. There should be accountability on the part of the
coach, data to prove the value of the initiative for HR and closure on the part of the individual. However,
formal evaluation of coaching initiatives is often lacking, with a large proportion of organisations relying on
little more than anecdotal evidence to measure effectiveness. This was illustrated in the 2004 CIPD training
and development survey, which found that feedback from participants was the most common form of
evaluation used in coaching Before the coaching assignment begins, it's important to plan how you intend to evaluate the coaching. HR
should work with the line manager and the coach early on to establish realistic ways of monitoring progress
and success. Evaluation should focus on a number of different areas – the performance of the coach,
feedback to improve the organisation’s management/administration of the coaching processes, the
individual's and line manager’s satisfaction with the coaching intervention, the degree of behaviour
% of respondents reporting using this measure
Feedback from participants 75
Appraisal systems 61
Feedback from coaches 44
Employee attitude surveys 41
Exit interviews 38
Assessment against objectives set at the start of a coaching initiative 37
Business performance indicators 29
360º feedback 25
Staff turnover rates 21
Other 6 Establishing the return on
investment (ROI) on coaching – as with many other HR activities – is difficult, as it is hard to isolate the
impact of a coaching intervention on business indicators such as productivity and turnover. However, it is
possible to identify a number of measures that can be used to assess overall effectiveness and satisfaction
with the coaching intervention. There is a variety of different options and choices, but which to use will
depend on the exact nature of the coaching relationship. Feedback from HR, the individual, the line manager and top management are all important when assessing
the effectiveness of the coaching intervention. But it's essential to consider the higher-level criteria in line
with Kirkpatrick’s four-tier model of evaluation (Kirkpatrick 1967). In particular, HR should look at criteria to
measure the degree of learning by the individual, the degree of behavioural change and the degree of
improvement in business unit effectiveness. Feedback on the coach should also be recorded for use in future
matching decisions. Drawing things to a close
As the coaching assignment draws to a close, the coach should discuss any further development or actions
that may be appropriate to continue progress and growth, and to maintain and reinforce any new learned
skills or behaviours. The coach also needs to discuss with the individual and the line manager/HR any further
development actions that may have been raised during the coaching.
• What other forms of ongoing development can be put in place (eg action learning groups, mentors)?
• How will onward progress continue to be monitored?
• How can the individual continue to receive feedback on their performance/development?
• What other areas for development have been identified?
Once the coaching relationship concludes, HR may follow up with individuals and their managers periodically
to assess progress and results. It may be that, at a later stage, further coaching may be appropriate to help
the individual fine-tune behaviour and to reinforce the changes they have made. Summary and conclusions
Coaching has rapidly become a significant part of many organisations’ learning and development strategy.
However, due to its relatively recent emergence, few HR professionals have in-depth expertise of managing
coaching activities, and in particular selecting and supervising external coaches. So, many practitioners are
struggling with a variety of issues that are preventing them from gaining full value from their current
coaching activities. Among the challenges reported are confusion around the terminology in use, a lack of
agreement about what a good coach looks like, engaging different stakeholders in coaching relationships,
drawing up contractual arrangements and evaluating the impact of activities. All of these are significant
challenges for HR professionals, as they work to draw up a framework to ensure value for money and
alignment with the organisation’s strategic goals.
The coaching industry itself is at a critical stage. Future success is likely to be determined by the quality and
professionalism of coaches and their ability to deliver demonstrable value to their clients. This is now being
taken seriously and both suppliers and buyers are pushing for greater professionalism, quality standards and
more ethical practice. On the demand side, organisations are becoming more sophisticated about their use of
coaching services. Evidence of the effectiveness of coaching interventions is being sought and more questions
are being asked about accountability and what returns are being seen. HR practitioners must continue to exert
pressure in terms of minimum expected standards, qualifications and outcomes, so that practitioners who
operate unethically are weeded out and the potential benefits of coaching interventions are realised.
Hopefully this Guide provides CIPD members with advice and guidance to help them navigate through the
complex coaching marketplace, by demystifying many of the concepts and terminology in use and providing
clear advice and guidance on some of the processes. We have tried not to set out a single ‘best practice’ set
of processes, but rather discussed the options and offered some suggestions of ways to think through the
issues. The challenge for HR is to take forward some of these ideas and adapt them to fit their organisation’s
culture and strategy, so that they have an informed, tailored and proactive approach to selecting coaches and
managing coaching activities effectively. References
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