HR and Coaching

Over the past ten years the practice of hiring coaches to work with the leaders and those identified as future leaders has grown rapidly. Some organizations choose to send their leaders to coaches training; others hire external coaches, or a combination of both internal and external coaches. The question for organizations is whether or not to provide coaching training for leaders and whether to hire internal or external coaches. I have worked with many leaders in my career that are exceptional coaches, yet have not had any specific training as a coach. HR must develop a way to assess whether or not coaching training or providing a coach to a (potential) leader is the right choice, or if some other type of intervention would be more effective. In some organizations, the culture may not be suited to the structured form of coaching being taught in coaching programs today. HR must be able to determine what type of coaching, informal or formal is most appropriate in the organization and within specific work teams.

Google executive coaching and you will find various surveys that support executive coaching, however these surveys have small sample populations. The respondents are people who have had executive coaches and felt they had a good experience. As humans in a busy and stressed environment, a little one on one time focused entirely on your own specific needs is likely to be a good experience with a skilled coach. But does this experience translate into improved business results?

To date, there is no measurement tool available that would answer that question-some executive coaching businesses suggest using 360’s to show before and after results. 360’s may not be realistic for small to medium sized businesses, businesses undergoing market reversal, or budget tightening as they can be expensive to conduct. In addition, it is not possible to isolate coaching as the only cause of any change in 360 results. The variables that affect 360 results are significant and at best they can only tell one if they are improving in noted areas, not the source of the change. Learning is incremental and as the leader goes through their coaching process they are also involved in various other undertakings that will affect their knowledge, skills and abilities. In addition, who the respondents are to the 360 may change as people change jobs/organizations, or the same respondents will have undergone their own personal changes and now view the person being reviewed differently.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development provides this role for HR in managing coaching activities:
The HR department has a central role to play in designing and managing coaching within an organisation. The quality of coaching and the results it delivers depend on choosing appropriate coaches (line managers, internal or external 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 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.

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