The Coaching Approach

ATD Whitepaper

Transcript

1. In collaboration with: FEEDBACK AND EVALUATION LEADERSHIP COMMUNICATION MANAGEMENT RESEARCH REPORT Manager listens to employee Manager asks employee questions Manager gives employee feedback CEI PROCESS COACHING SCORE ATD Research: Connecting Research to Performance THE COACHING APPROACH A Key Tool for Successful Managers WHITEPAPER
2. © 2014 by ASTD DBA Association for Talent Development (ATD). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to ATD Research, 1640 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. ORDERING INFORMATION Research reports published by ATD can be purchased by visiting ATD’s website at store.astd.org or by calling 800.628.2783 or 703.683.8100. ASTD Product Code: 791408-WP e-ISBN: 978-1-60728-514-4 (digital only) Publication Date: October 2014 ATD EDITORIAL STAFF Director, ATD Research: Laurie Miller Associate Editor, ATD Press: Sarah Cough Research Analyst: Maria Ho Research Specialist: David Frankel Interior Design and Production: Bey Bello Cover Design: Bey Bello Template Design: Lon Levy and Bey Bello Production Specialist: Dara Friel
3. 01 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers A NOTE FROM THE ATD FORUM A Note From the ATD Forum The ATD Forum provides a confidential environment for the exploration and sharing of innovative talent development practices, to generate business results for approximately 50 member organizations. We co-create learning and foster exclusive relationships that affect organizational results, while leading and giving back to the talent development profession. The ATD Forum partners with member organizations to host learning labs to explore and collaborate on the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry at large. The 2014 ATD Forum Fall Summit, The Suite Spot: Developing Agile and Innovative Leadership, was hosted by Cochlear in September in Centennial, Colorado. The Fall Summit is a highly interactive event that provides a hands-on, collaborative experience where senior talent management professionals test innovative practices in a lab environment. One of the learning objectives of the 2014 Fall Summit was developing a point of view on agile and innovative leadership within an organizational system that includes ideas on a strategy, talent development, and the role of learning leaders serving as talent accelerators. Part of the discussion centered on how using a coaching approach can enable leaders to enhance performance and develop employees. To support the Summit experience, the Forum collaborated with ATD Research on The Coaching Approach: A Key Tool for Successful Managers. This report looks at the use of coaching as a managerial tool in organizations and the role of learning leaders in developing and sustaining thriving coaching programs.
4. 02 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers EXECUTIVE SUMMARY “Everyone needs a coach. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast, or a bridge player.” —Bill Gates In any organization, it is impossible to get work done without effective managers. Managers at all levels, including frontline leaders, middle managers, and senior leaders, perform the many tasks necessary to ensure employees’ performance is aligned with the business strategy. Managers are also responsible for developing both individual employees and work teams. Both performance and development are critical to sustaining a successful organization. As the article “Putting the Focus on Coaching” from T+D magazine pointed out, when an organization needs to boost results and engagement, managers must play a starring role (Maxey, 2014). Learning leaders have the equally important responsibility of ensuring that managers have access to and are prepared to use the various managerial tools that drive performance and development. For managers to function at their full potential, organizations need to identify the crucial skills they need at each level and provide them with opportunities to develop these skills. To support managers, talent development professionals work with them to make formal and informal learning assets and structures available. Important steps in providing this assistance include securing senior leadership support, developing content and strategies around management tools, introducing these tools to employees, creating opportunities for practicing using these tools, tracking effectiveness, and creating an environment where the use of these tools is encouraged, recognized, and sustained. of organizations heavily incorporate coaching in their talent development portfolio. 27% EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | 02 In The Coaching Approach: A Key Tool for Successful Managers, ATD Research examines the use of coaching as a managerial tool, and provides insight on how learning leaders can more effectively develop and sustain successful coaching programs. Although coaching is a powerful tool, only about a quarter of organizations heavily incorporate it in their talent development portfolio.
5. 03 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers Some key questions the Study poses are: » » Have organizations identified the skills that managers need to be effective? » » Do learning leaders provide managers with the learning assets associated with the necessary skills? » » Do organizations emphasize, measure, and recognize coaching? This Study also introduces the Coaching Effectiveness Index (CEI), a comprehensive, straightforward, and actionable measure of coaching effectiveness in organizations. By comparing CEI scores between groups of organizations, the Study identifies best practices related to implementing, growing, and sustaining coaching. These findings are supplemented by interviews with learning leaders at organizations that have thriving coaching programs.
6. 04 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers WHITEPAPER The Coaching Approach: A Key Tool for Successful Managers (hereafter the Study) provides findings based on a blended research approach. To obtain quantitative data for the Study, ATD Research sent a survey to learning leaders at organizations of all sizes and across all sectors in June 2014. The survey closed in July 2014, with 575 learning professionals responding overall. To supplement the survey-based findings, ATD Research conducted telephone interviews with learning leaders to obtain greater insights into how leading organizations are incorporating coaching into their talent development offerings. Coaching: A Promising Management Process In the context of this Study, coaching is a management process that includes three main activities on the part of the manager: » » proactive listening » » asking non-directive and prompting questions » » providing targeted, timely, and actionable feedback. WHITEPAPER | 04 FIGURE 1: THE COACHING PROCESS Manager listens to employee Manager asks employee questions Manager gives employee feedback Note that in this report coaching only refers to actions by managers interacting with direct reports within an organization, rather than the actions of professional executive coaches or consultants from outside entities, or the actions of full-time training staff with coaching roles within organizations. Ideally, the coaching process creates a dialogue for building awareness and action around both performance and self-directed learning and development. The dialogue may empower employees to take actions with positive results, such as: » » solving problems and resolving issues » » gathering information and drawing conclusions » » developing and structuring ideas » » reaching objectives and achieving goals.
7. 05 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers Although coaching is an ongoing process targeted at employees at all performance levels—including both high achievers and underperformers—it can also be used in the short-term to solve a specific problem. Active participation is required from the employee being coached. As stated in the TD article, “Transform Organizational Culture Through Coaching,” “Coaching requires action and accountability on the part of the employee. [It] is not a ‘do what I say’ activity” (Bianco-Mathis and Schurgin, 2014). A learning leader from a large multinational corporation agreed, stating that “with effective coaching, the coachee owns [his] outcome.” Coaching’s Place in an Organization For coaching to be an effective tool for enhancing performance and developing employees, it must be recognized not only as a skill needed by managers, but also as an integral part of an organization’s talent development strategy. The first step in creating a talent development strategy is talent management, which involves an organization identifying and understanding what skills, knowledge, and abilities are needed for each role, and how these are distributed among the workforce. Once roles and expectations are identified, the next step is identifying and applying the training and developmental processes that are appropriate for these needs. For a coaching program to thrive in an organization, coaching should be identified as a beneficial training and development practice across the organization and be used on a regular basis. of organizations have identified the skills of successful managers in their organizations. 47% of organizations have not identified the skills of successful managers in their organizations. 41% The Current Status of Coaching The data from ATD’s survey provide a picture of the current status of coaching in organizations. An encouraging finding is that organizations indicated a willingness to support managers by offering learning assets. However, some organizations struggle to identify the traits of successful managers, which may threaten development efforts. Forty-seven percent of organizations have identified the skills of successful managers in their organizations, but 41 percent have not. To fully realize coaching’s potential, organizations need to emphasize, measure, and recognize it. These three best practices are associated with greater coaching effectiveness, but many organizations do not implement them.
8. 06 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers of organizations have not identified the specific skills of successful managers. 41% Identifying the Skills of Successful Managers Having identified some of the measures used in manager evaluations, the findings suggest that the manager evaluation process often fails to identify the specific skills associated with good managers. In fact, among all organizations, only 47 percent indicated that they have identified specific skills related to successful people managers. Another 41 percent responded that they have not identified such skills, and the remaining 12 percent indicated that they do not know whether the skills have been identified. The failure to identify specific skills associated with managerial success has negative implications for organizations—without identifying these, organizations cannot optimize managerial selection, training, and development. Indeed, research from Gallup found that more than 80 percent of those in managerial roles did not possess a high level of managerial talent (Beck and Harter, 2014). Not surprisingly, organizations that use both unit performance and individual development and success in their manager evaluations fare better at identifying the skills of good managers than those that use only one metric or neither. More than 60 percent of organizations using both measures reported being able to identify the skills of successful managers, a 16 percent higher rate than for the full sample of organizations. This is likely due to a combination of two factors: companies that can identify critical managerial skills can develop more comprehensive evaluations, and companies with more evaluation measures have more data on successful managers. With more data, these organizations may also be able to develop more targeted training and development programs. In a follow-up question for those organizations that could identify the skills related to managerial success, the skills identified as most likely to enable managers to be successful were clear communication, clear direction, and effective interaction. Three-quarters of answering organizations rated these three skills as enabling successful managers to a high or very high extent. In contrast, only about half of organizations felt disciplinary skills (for example, issuing reprimands when an employee breaks a written rule) enabled managerial success, suggesting that these organizations de-emphasize the managerial task of dealing with low-performing employees. Lack of Emphasis on Coaching and Perceptions of Coaching Only 27 percent of organizations incorporate coaching in their talent development portfolio to a high or very high extent. Another 27 percent only incorporate it to a moderate extent, and 31 percent incorporate it to a small extent. Finally, 15 percent do not include it at all. WHITEPAPER | 06
9. 07 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers When coaching is not consciously emphasized, it becomes harder to measure the quality and impact of any coaching that does occur, and it is a challenge to encourage managers to employ coaching. The reasons for this are not clear, although some learning executives pointed out that there may be negative perceptions of coaching. One learning executive suggested that coaching is “seen as something to ‘fix’ people.” Another stated that, “Much more can be done to elevate the importance, but the term has a negative connotation of being for those individuals who need help in problem situations or for those who are in a rut.” Coaching Varies by Organization and Level The coaching types that organizations use vary, but no single type was used by more than 60 percent of organizations. Only 57 percent of organizations reported using in-the-moment coaching, which is the most popular kind of coaching. Slightly under half of organizations use coaching as a discipline to build managerial competency and a little more than 40 percent use peer coaching, as seen in Figure 2. Fewer than 15 percent of organizations use all three types, and a similar fraction employs none of them. FIGURE 2: TYPES OF COACHING IN ORGANIZATIONS What types of coaching are used in your organization? Coaching as a discipline to build performance competency for all managers 46% Peer coaching 43% In-the-moment coaching 57% of organizations do not incorporate coaching or only incorporate it to a small extent. 46% More than 60 percent of respondents reported that coaching looks different depending on the organizational level (for example, frontline leaders versus senior leaders); at some organizations, different curriculums or methods of delivery are used at varying levels. Seventeen percent said coaching looks the same across all levels, and about a fifth said they were unsure.
10. 08 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers SECTION 4: Best Practices, Challenges, and Recommendations | CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS | 08 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS “I absolutely believe that people, unless coached, never reach their maximum capabilities.” —Bob Nardelli, former CEO, Home Depot In an organization, managers have the critical responsibilities of delivering performance results and developing people. If managers do not perform these tasks effectively, the organization cannot thrive. Learning and development professionals should make sure that managers have the tools to accomplish these goals, and coaching is one tool that managers at all levels should use to drive both unit performance and talent development. However, this Study finds that there is room for organizations to increase the use of coaching, and the extent to which it is measured and rewarded. Key conclusions and recommendations emerging from the Study are: » » Organizations indicated a willingness to support managers by offering learning assets, but some organizations struggle to identify traits of successful managers, which may threaten development efforts. Forty-seven percent of organizations have identified the skills of successful managers in their organizations, but 41 percent have not. » » To fully realize the potential of coaching, organizations should emphasize, measure, and recognize it. These three best practices are associated with greater coaching effectiveness. » » Coaching is not actively emphasized in many organizations, which in turn makes it harder to measure the quality of coaching or encourage managers to coach.
11. 09 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ATD gratefully acknowledges the contributions of time and professional insights from the following: » » Tom Anderson, Senior Consultant of Leadership Development, Tennessee Valley Authority » » Sandi Maxey, Vice President and Manager, Learning and Professional Development, Sandy Spring Bank » » Colin Pitcairn, Learning and Development Manager, Keller North America » » Emil Sadloch, President, Sadloch Development Associates ATD also gratefully acknowledges the time and input of all of the members of the ATD Forum. In particular, ATD recognizes the ongoing support and insights provided by senior learning professionals from Honeywell International and Intel.
12. 10 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers REFERENCES | 10 REFERENCES Beck, R., and J. Harter. 2014. “Why Good Managers Are So Rare.” Harvard Business Review, March 13, http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/03/why-good-managers-are-so-rare. Bianco-Mathis, V., and W. Schurgin. 2014. “Transform Organizational Culture Through Coaching.” TD, August 9, www.astd.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/TD-Archive/2014/08/Transform-Organizational-Culture-Through-Coaching. Maxey, S. 2014. “Putting the Focus on Coaching.” T+D, April 8, www.astd.org/Publications/Magazines/TD/ TD-Archive/2014/04/Putting-the-FOCUS-on-Coaching. Romero, H. 2013. “How Many Supervisors Does Government Need?” Government Executive, December 6, www.govexec.com/excellence/promising-practices/2013/12/how-many-supervisors-does-government-need/75011.
13. 11 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS Laurie Miller is the director of ATD research services. In that capacity, she serves as ATD’s senior research program strategist and designer. She provides oversight and direction for all of ATD’s internal and external, industry-specific, and market research services. Contact information: 703.838.5846 or lmiller@td.org. Maria Ho is the research analyst for ATD and served as the author of this report. Contact information: 703.683.9586 or mho@td.org. David Frankel is the research specialist for ATD and served as an editor for this report. Contact information: 703.683.9593 or dfrankel@td.org. Sarah Cough is an associate editor for ATD Press and served as an editor for this report. She manages the production process for ATD research reports. Contact information: 703.683.8142 or scough@td.org. Bey Bello is a designer for ATD and served as the designer for this report. Contact information: 703.683.8148 or bbello@td.org. The Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly known as ASTD, is the world’s largest association dedicated to those who develop talent in organizations. These professionals take the knowledge, skills, and abilities of others and help them achieve their full potential. ATD’s members come from more than 120 countries and work in public and private organizations in every industry sector. For more information, visit www.td.org.
14. 12 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND CONTRIBUTORS | 12 The ATD Forum offers a collaborative learning environment for senior learning professionals and their organizations to explore the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry at large. Today’s economic climate and modern workforce have pushed the learning and development profession to be more efficient. Forum members benefit from the ability to share knowledge, best practices, and experiences with one another. Members ultimately develop results-driven strategies. Member organizations sign a confidentiality agreement that promotes a non-attribution environment for candid discussions. For more information, visit www.td.org/forum. M.J. Hall is a subject matter expert (SME) for the ATD Forum and served as an author and editor for this report. Contact information: mjhall@td.org. Laleh Patel is a manager for the ATD Forum and served as an editor for this report. Contact information: 703.683.8179 or lpatel@td.org.
15. 13 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers APPENDIX OVERVIEW: COACHING SURVEY Target Survey Population The target survey population of the Coaching Study were learning and business leaders from organizations of various sizes and industries. Overall, 575 people responded to the survey. Survey Instrument In this survey, multiple questions used the customary 1-5 Likert-type scale, with a 1 rating generally indicating a “not at all” response and a 5 rating indicating a response of “to a very high extent.” The survey was comprised of a total of 32 questions, including those geared toward the demographics of respondents. Procedure A link to an online survey was emailed to the target population in June 2014 and closed in July. Telephone interviews were also conducted in July 2014.
16. 14 | THE COACHING APPROACH: A Key Tool for Successful Managers Change Agents: The Role of Organizational Learning in Change Management This ATD and i4cp research collaborative, Change Agents: The Role of Organizational Learning in Change Management, aims to provide learning professionals with insight into the learning practices most likely to make a positive difference in an organization’s change- related capabilities. Learning and Development Trends in India, 2014 Learning and Development Trends in India, 2014 is a collaborative study between the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and Harvard Business Publishing (HBP). The two groups utilized research tools based on the annual ATD State of the Industry report to study the results of 56 organizations that completed the survey conducted in 2014. The research aims to take the pulse of learning and development practices in India. Playing to Win: Gamification and Serious Games in Organizational Learning Playing to Win: Gamification and Serious Games in Organizational Learning is an ASTD and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) research report that explores the use of gamification and serious games in organizational learning. One in four respondents (25 percent) said their organizations currently use gamification in learning, and one in five (20 percent) use serious games. Big Data, Better Learning? How Big Data Is Affecting Organizational Learning Big Data, Better Learning? How Big Data Is Affecting Organizational Learning is an ASTD and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) research report that dives into the trending field of how to gather and leverage big learning data. This Study examines the responses of 418 learning and development professionals in position of managers and above from varying sectors, sizes, and locations; these findings are complemented with interviews from industry thought leaders. Note: All ATD research reports can be purchased by visiting store.astd.org. Sponsored by: BIG DATA, BETTER LEARNING? How Big Data Is Affecting Organizational Learning BIG DATA AMOUNT OF DATA AVAILABLE TRENDS ANALYSIS RESEARCH REPORT SURVEY PARTICIPANTS 39% 0.7% 0.7% 1.7% 30.9% 34.7% 23.0% 8.2% 2.2% 2.5% 3.2% 16.8% 17.3% 22.0% 35.9% ASTD Research: Connecting Research to Performance CHANGE AGENTS The Role of Organizational Learning in Change Management ORGANIZATION AMOUNT OF DATA AVAILABLE COMPANY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH REPORT ROLE OF LEARNING ASTD Research: Connecting Research to Performance Sponsored by: In Partnership With: REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION ECONOMY RESEARCH REPORT LEARNING FUNCTIONS REPORTING Rs 11% 6% 83% Human Resources Talent Management Business/Operations ATD Research: Connecting Research to Performance LEARNING & DEVELOPMENT TRENDS IN INDIA, 2014 MORE FROM ATD RESEARCH MORE FROM ATD RESEARCH | 14
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