Coaching

What this means…

Coaching is a way of helping someone to develop a particular skill or understanding, aiding them to learn by doing.

It is based on the premise that learning occurs through practice, so long as that practice is guided by awareness of actual behaviour, behavioural norms, and results.

Coaching is directed toward improving a person’s own understanding and control of her/his practice behaviour.

It can be organisationally directed and the focus is often on a person’s job or role and centred on achievement of tasks, standards and quality control.

Stimson (1994) says success as a manager depends on the performance of your staff/employees and that coaching occupies a middle ground between teaching or formal training and ordinary everyday management feedback.

In her definition, coaching is helping people to learn from everyday tasks – for example writing a report, representing their department at a meeting, checking their own work, checking other people’s work – and it is a ‘conscious deliberate process’ which helps people understand and learn from their experiences.

She also identifies benefits for the manager and the organisation as a result of effective coaching.

Bunker and Winijberg (1988) stress the importance of ‘ownership’ of and responsibility for own actions by the ‘learner’ who then becomes able to see the relationship between means and ends employed and results obtained. Coaches need to:

Develop a relationship with the coachee
Enter into a joint inquiry: What is going on now? What is required? Key points, clarity of objectives, performance standards, goals – process or tasks, targets, outcomes
Clarify and build on ideas
Explain or demonstrate the performance required
Do
Observe
Feedback on performance, encourage reflection
Evaluate and set new goals.

There may be a need to go through the cycle again either for the same objectives, for new ones, or for competent staff in new roles.

This cycle is reflected in the Oasis Seven Stage Model of Effective Relationship.