- Different Models of Coaching
- Benefits of Coaching to the Individual
- Benefits of Coaching to the Organisation
- Differences between Coaching and Other Learning and Development Methods
- Ways That Coaching Can Be Used to Meet Organisational Objectives
- Options for Developing a Coaching Culture within an Organisation
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Developing Coaching In-House
- References
Different Models of Coaching
Coaching can take different approaches based on the model that an organisation has chosen to use. One of the widely used models of coaching is the FUEL model. This model outlines four steps that should be followed when coaching. The first step is to frame the conversation. This involves defining the purpose of coaching and then coming up with an appropriate way of delivering the message. The second step is to understand the current state. The trainer will investigate the current capacities of the employees and identify coaching points. The third stage is to explore the desired state. It involves coming up with alternative paths that would help yield the desired outcome. The final stage is to lay out the successful plan (Aronowitz 45).
The second commonly used coaching model is the GROW model. In this model, the first step in coaching entails defining goals that should be achieved in the coaching process (Park 610). After defining the goal, the team will identify current realities, especially the weaknesses that need to be addressed. The third step is to weigh options to come up with the most appropriate way of addressing the weaknesses identified. The last stage is to define the way forward or will (Colombo, Cullen, and Lisle 56). This entails agreeing on how all the participants will participate in the coaching process.
Benefits of Coaching to the Individual
Coaching is very beneficial to individuals. First, it helps them keep abreast with the emerging trends because of the continuous development. It also makes individuals expand their knowledge in a given area of socialisation. Coaching also promotes confidence among individuals as their expertise in different skills gets improved.
Benefits of Coaching to the Organisation
Coaching also has several benefits to an organisation. According to Aronowitz (36), coaching helps in enhancing the capacity of an organisation to manage emerging environmental forces. With a highly dynamic workforce, an organisation is better placed to handle environmental problems. Coaching also improves the overall output of a firm. It helps to improve the productivity of the individual employees. This translates to an overall increase in the output of the given organisation. Coaching also promotes a good working environment for employees where they can share their workplace challenges.
Differences between Coaching and Other Learning and Development Methods
Coaching has several differences from other learning and development methods. In this section, coaching will be contrasted with mentoring and networking as some of the popular learning and development methods. Coaching is very different from mentoring based on how the two learning and development methods are done. In coaching, a coach is expected to impart new knowledge through a system of training while in mentoring, employees are expected to work alongside their mentors and learn from them. In coaching, training is conducted by an expert while in networking employees are allowed to mingle with specialists to learn new concepts in a social forum.
Ways That Coaching Can Be Used to Meet Organisational Objectives
Coaching can be used to meet organisational objectives in several ways. By coaching employees, their skills and experience in undertaking their assignments are improved. This makes it easy for them to meet their targets which bring about a positive impact on organisational performance. Coaching also ensures that employees have a better understanding of how they can work as a team in addressing different organisational tasks. This makes it easy to achieve organisational goals.
Options for Developing a Coaching Culture within an Organisation
A firm can adopt various options for developing a coaching culture within an organisation. The first option is to adopt an employee-driven, also known as peer-driven coaching culture. This involves a situation where employees are allowed to review their capabilities to deal with emerging environmental forces. When they identify major weaknesses, then they can request some form of employee coaching. The second option can be a task-oriented approach where the need for coaching is defined by the emergence of new tasks.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Developing Coaching In-House
Developing an in-house coaching program has its advantages and disadvantages. The main advantage of in-house coaching is that it is time-saving. Employees do not have to leave their workplaces to get the training. The training is conducted at their workstation. The second benefit of in-house training is that it is relatively cheap. The organisation does not need to pay for halls where training is to take place. Another advantage is that in-house training is more practical. Employees learn while they are at work. The main challenge of this method is that employees may sometimes fail to realise that they are under training because they do not change their workstations. Some of the employees may also consider this method boring because of the lack of change in the environment. In-house training also makes it impossible for learners to understand new workplace dynamics.
References
Aronowitz, Stanley. Against Schooling: Toward an Education That Matters. Journal of American Psychologists, 4.78 (2008): 4-78. Print.
Colombo, Gary, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle. Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2013. Print.
Park, Charles. Preachers, Politics, and Public Education: A Review of Right-Wing Pressures against Public Schooling in America. Journal of Education, 61.9 (2004): 608-612. Print.