Coaching for Change

What is Coaching?

Coaching is "a process that enables learning and development to occur and thus performance to improve." Eric Parsloe, The Manager as Coach and Mentor (1999)

Coaching has parallels with mentoring which is essentially off-line help from one individual to another in order to improve competency and performance. The main difference is that a mentor tends to be a more experienced and senior member within the same line of work, most often within the same organisation.

Coaching is also often confused with consulting and this is easy to understand as there are again some overlaps. Coaches may be asked to work with leaders in organisations on strategic issues and changes to systems, situations which would typically require the technical skills and knowledge of consultants. As business coaches are often equipped with this knowledge they can slip into the role of a consultant quite easily. However coaching is more of a psychological process that focuses on the human element and is in essence about change, starting with human behaviour before systems and processes.

Who can coach?

The competencies required by a coach to be successful depend to an extent on the environment in which the coach finds his or herself. If within an organisational environment, a coach would have to demonstrate a good track record in problem solving, planning and a sound grasp of organisational measures and internal politics.

All coaches however need to be able to show empathy and have a high level of self awareness. They require a solid understanding of adult learning principles and the change process. They need good influencial relating and communication skills and be able to select the appropriate assessment, measurement and feedback tools for any given situation. They also need to be flexible and adaptable to new environments.

In short, coaching is a profession that requires professional training.

Change and resistance to change

Change is usually uncomfortable and creates a feeling of instability, at least temporarily. If an organisation embarks on a programme of change but at the same time continues to frown upon risk takers or mistakes, then it could be inadvertently reinforcing the fear of change and thus compromise the entire programme, which would later be deemed as a failure. Rekindling the change programme at a later date would then prove to be an even more difficult challenge, given the level of scepticism present as a result of the first failed effort. Change is about learning which involves exploration and getting it wrong occasionally. Errors and the occasional failure must therefore be expected and tolerated by any organisational leader heading a change programme.

Resistance to change in an organisation may manifest itself in emotional instability, avoidance, increased absenteeism, stress and other health problems. Removing the resistance to change forms a key part of a coach’s role to avoid complete failure of the coaching process and entire change programme.

A coach should ensure that there is a means of communicating planned changes promptly and openly to ensure that everyone who needs to be informed is informed at the same time to avoid rumours taking hold.

A coach needs to be able to articulate why change is necessary. Rather than tell and sell, a good coach would typically solicit the reasons for change from the coachee(s). For example by asking whether the system in which the coachee works, or the way the work is done, is sufficient for the future needs of the business, followed by an exploration of the gaps. The benefits of change to the coachee as an individual and to the organisation as a whole need to be clear and understood in order to achieve buy-in and commitment to change.

A “Force Field” Analysis is normally conducted by a coach in order to weigh up the forces for and against change. When compiled with the coachee, this can help to objectify the change process. Discussing openly the means of dealing with the forces against change is a way of achieving collaboration and commitment on behalf of the coachee.

Coaching Tools and Techniques

The tools and techniques selected by a coach can depend on whether the coach has been hired to achieve performance improvements or behavioural improvements as the primary objective. The level of depth into which a coach can explore the inner beliefs and emotions of a coachee will depend upon the openness of the coachee and the level of trust between the two parties. Developing a trusting and confidential relationship is a pre-requisite of the coach’s role. Below are some of the coaching tools and techniques that are often used. For more information please click on the relevant links below.

Profiling

Coaches can make use of a number of profiling or assessment tools, some of which can only be prescribed by registered psychologists or licensed providers. Launchpad is an example of one such profiling tool. It is completed via a multitude of carefully constructed questions that helps a coachee identify strengths, weaknesses and aspects of his or her character that he or she may have never previously considered. Profiling forms a key part of increasing a coachee’s self awareness.

If these are not available to the coach then a series of structured questions can be asked during coaching sessions. Scaling questions, as described by Berg and Szabo in Brief Coaching for Lasting Solutions (2005), give the coachee an opportunity of first defining what a low and high score constitutes, and then positioning his or herself on this scale.

The result could be a radar diagram such as the one illustrated below. This provides a basis on which to identify gaps and set learning and improvement targets and actions. The scaling questions can then be reviewed in subsequent coaching sessions and the coachee judges for his or herself as to whether progress has been made, by refering to specific examples.

Appreciative Enquiry

Appreciative enquiry is about focusing on things that a coachee does well, or successes the coachee has had, exploring these in more depth and then trying to build on the strengths that have contributed to the positive results.

Changing Tense

This involves putting the current state of mind of the coachee into the past tense during conversation especially when the coachee seems to be stuck in a negative frame of mind. This encourages the coachee to move forwards and helps him or her to think more rationally and objectively on whatever problem is being addressed. 

Reframing

This is particularly useful for conflict resolution. Reframing is a technique whereby a point of view or thought is re-expressed differently but in a way that maintains the original meaning. Metaphors are often used to enable the coachee to remove his or herself from the situation and see it from a more objective angle. This technique is also useful for resolving disputes between two parties.