Every organization has its own strategic goals, which are strongly related to the vision, mission and annual plans. The realization of these goals requires employees who have appropriate knowledge and competences to carry out activities that lead to the realization of the goals. If employees do not have the appropriate attitude, knowledge, skills or capabilities, they will have setbacks on the way to the desired state, and as a result, the company will be less effective in achieving results.

For any organization that wants to develop and compete in the market, it is extremely important to invest in the development of personnel, both managerial and professional. One of the most effective methods of employee development is the coaching method, which has a proven effect on:

  • increasing the organization’s income,
  • higher productivity and quality of work performed,
  • higher organizational agility and
  • employee proactivity.

In addition, positive effects on teamwork, job satisfaction, role clarity at work, individual responsibility, stress management, etc. have been detected.

Internal coaching system

Researches that focus on studying the effects of an internal coaching system on the organization and employees also exist. Various researchers highlight the many positive effects that the implementation of an internal coaching system has on the organization. Dolores Vidal-Salazar and others (2012) thus find that the internal coaching system is strongly related to more effective strategy implementation at different management levels throughout the organization. The internal coaching system also improves the optimization processes in the organization and thus contributes to greater competitiveness of the company.

Let me also highlight the effects that occur when managers (middle level) work with internal coaches:

  • faster growth of managerial potential,
  • higher affiliation to the organization,
  • improved communication with others,
  • better ability to resolve conflicts and
  • higher motivation and awareness that, as managers, they are responsible for the growth and development of their employees (McKee et al., 2009).

Likewise, leaders who have also taken on the role of coach (are using elements of coaching in leadership) are more resistant to the physiological and psychological effects of chronic stress associated with leadership positions. Therefore, it is not surprising that to maintain the effectiveness of both leaders and subordinates, it is suggested that coaching becomes part of the role of leaders and their habits (Boyatzis et al., 2006).

It is also worth noting the fact that the employees who were involved in internal coaching:

  • felt more appreciated (68%),
  • felt more motivated at work (54%)
  • the probability of leaving the organization decreased by 39% (Rose, Rule and Donde, 2006).

 

Measuring the effects of an internal coaching system

Based on research and practical experience, I have one main recommendation for all companies that are in the decision stage to establish an internal coaching system: connect the company’s strategic goals and the purpose and goals of the coaching system, so that the planned activities will support employees in a way that they can perform their work more successfully and efficiently and understand how they contribute to the realization of the company’s strategy.

Furthermore, it makes a lot of sense to measure and monitor the progress of the internal coaching system, because in this way we can ensure long-term investment in the development of coaching. Despite the many benefits of impact measurement for the further development and optimization of internal coaching programs, a CIPD survey (2010) found that only 36% of organizations measure effectiveness.

By measuring the effects of the internal coaching system, organizations gain insight into what is working well and what could be working better, which can help them improve their services. Based on the measurements, the managers of the internal coaching/HR service can also create a broader picture of the most common challenges that employees raise during coaching sessions, and define where additional commitment from the organization is needed. If, for example, overtime, burnout, balancing personal and business life and stress are among the common goals of coaching, then it makes sense for the organization to prepare measures for the highlighted issues.

In general, the biggest challenge in establishing internal coaching is establishing a balance between defining a clear role of the internal coach, the ability to measure the effectiveness of the coach’s role on employees and maintaining the quality and value of the relationship between employee and coach. The findings of the research suggest that it is good to build trust in internal coaches and that their work can create added value and contribute to better efficiency (Anderson et al., 2013).

 

To summarize, when establishing an internal coaching system, it makes sense to also establish a system for measuring coaching services and monitoring at least certain basic indicators. Because only with the help of measurement and monitoring of performance indicators can the company be sure of the quality of the work of internal coaches and their service. Without concrete empirical evidence of the results of coaching, it will be difficult for the company/HR department to advocate additional investment of resources and time in the internal coaching system, which, in my opinion, can have a significant impact on the development of the internal coaching system itself.

 

Dr. Sabina Đuvelek