Over the past few months, we’ve been exploring themes related to the Future of Work, Leadership Development and Coaching. In this article, KDVI Research Associate Alicia Cheak turns her attention to the concept of organisational coaching.
This was triggered by discussions at our recent annual KDVI retreat, where we explored having an impact not only on individuals but also, at a collective level, how we can influence the cultural fabric of organisations.
Many of our clients are wrestling with staying sane and functional amidst continued disruption, growing pressures and uncertainty (WEF, 2023, Work in America Survey, 2023). Work engagement continues to be a pressing issue, where mental health, stress and burnout (OECD, 2023, Gallup, 2023) impact our sense of meaning, stability and well-being (APA, 2024).
For leaders who adapt and learn quickly, these challenges can be a source of growth, development and innovation. But to grasp these opportunities, these leaders must have the ability to step back to see the bigger picture and understand the complexity of processes and human dynamics.
Perpetual learners
Edgar Schein (2010) talks about how leaders of tomorrow need to become perpetual learners, and that a specific type of learning culture is required to ensure that people remain adaptive and flexible. A coaching culture calms organisational anxieties and stressors by re-centring on the human side of organisational life, revitalising it through fostering adaptability, continuous collaborative learning and change. When successful, a coaching culture brings a ROI characterised by (CCL, 2021, DDI, 2018, Knowles, 2022):
- Superior internal talent pipelines
- Higher employee engagement
- Strengthened collaboration
- Spikes in creativity and agility
- Better team and change management outcomes
Pulling the coaching lever
Organisational coaching is a lever that can be pulled to instil a learning and coaching culture. It’s an integrated approach where a company’s overall coaching strategy connects explicitly to business strategy, with coaching built into talent and leadership initiatives.
Coaching is offered broadly in the organisation. Especially during times of uncertainty and change, this provides much needed reflective space to filter through the noise, understand complex dynamics and make clear decisions that propel their organisations forward. Every coaching session, micro or macro, is part of a holistic intervention, contributing to the transformation of the cultural fabric.
Team & peer coaching
Within this coaching ecosystem, team and peer coaching are powerful ways to advance the coaching culture. The process leverages the complexity and power of groups to help teams develop the competencies needed for collective leadership such as:
- high degrees of openness, trust and adaptability
- ability to listen to one another’s perspectives
- engage in candid and respectful coaching conversations
- courage to give critical feedback
- mutual accountability and personal sense of responsibility.
Beyond the team
When we coach teams, we also look beyond the team’s inherent challenges to how it interacts and operates in the broader system, exploring the ways in which organisational processes and structures enhance or undermine effectiveness.
We know that if we can change the way a team works, we can also impact the way the team interacts in the system. And if we do that, there is a chance that the culture itself can begin to shift.
By instilling consistent coaching practice, both formally and in everyday management, we flex the muscles required for adaptability and change. People are no longer stuck in organisational anxiety and stress; they’re working through it.
Our Group Coaching Practicum gives experienced coaches and leaders the tools they need to coach in a group and team setting, setting in motion the process of individual and collective change. With only a few spaces remaining, we recommend submitting your application as soon as possible.