The Robocoaches are Coming…

Sep 3, 2024 | AI and technology, Thought leadership

By Claire Finch and Caroline Rook (2019)

During a coaching forum, senior coaches discussed the potential impact of technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) on executive coaching. Most in the room dismissed the thought: “We are a people-based industry!”; “We couldn’t be replaced by machines!” The resistance came from the belief that coaching is fundamentally based on human relationships, and that what makes coaching so successful is the working alliance between coach and coachee.  There was a sense that as an industry, coaching is somewhat untouchable. 

Yet is coaching really untouchable?  Many people scoffed at coaching ever being done via any method other than face-to-face, however as a colleague pointed out, using via video conference is now the norm.  Moreover, whether we like it or not, online coaching and apps using chatbots are already available via services such as coach.me[i] and emoquo.com[ii] (both of which are worth exploring if you haven’t experienced them).

Many people would agree that to be successful the human aspect of coaching is critical.  One could also argue that as well as the relationship itself, other aspects play an important part on the outcome of coaching: finding the right coach, having the right data to trigger insights, being able to provide regular check-ins to ensure momentum is maintained.

Thus perhaps the question to ask ourselves is does any discussion on the role of Artificial or Virtual Intelligence within coaching have to be so binary?  Is only considering human-less coaching (in the way we can imagine driverless cars making the need for human drivers obsolete) a naive or even dangerous position to take? 

What if instead we imagine a world of coaching where we harness and combine the strengths of both humans and AI?  As Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft points out “…rather than thinking in terms of human vs. machine, we want to focus on how human gifts such as creativity, empathy, emotion, physicality, and insight can be mixed with powerful AI computation to help move society forward.”[iii]

Suppose we envisage how we could integrate AI and technology into our executive coaching work? Blending our human gifts of curiosity, reflection and empathy with the intelligence, knowledge and speed of machines.  How could we as a sector embrace AI to improve the service we provide for our clients?  

Here are a few of our thoughts on how this integrated coaching could manifest:

—   Finding the right coach more quickly and effectively: Taking cues from dating apps where “AI matchmakers, which sound like Siri, ask you questions for a week before sending you matches”[iv], imagine an app to help coachees find the right coach, where you are connected based on particular experience, approach, accreditations, geography, or expertise, thus facilitating and enhancing chemistry sessions and the overall coaching relationship. 

—   Develop and practice new skills: Use simulations in Virtual Reality for the development of a new skill in a real-life, dynamic environment and analyse ‘results’ in coaching sessions.[v]

—   Provide data points to trigger reflections: a new form of 360-degree feedback, using personal wearable technology to have real time data on how a coachee interacts with their boss and co-workers.  In essence a coaching Fit-Bit designed to measure behaviours in the workplace, and nudge the wearer when needed.[vi]

—   Checking-in and following up: Based on keywords from coaching sessions and action plans, apps and chat bots could automatically follow up on coaching goals, give reminders, trigger and record reflections, and provide further sources of reading material on focus areas. [vii]

It is inevitable that AI will continue to enter the executive coaching space. The question then becomes how as an industry can we embrace and assimilate the opportunities it can create. Disruption will happen, and when it does any developments are likely to come from tech organisations who initially invent the base technology for a completely different purpose.  After all, Uber wasn’t created by a taxi firm, nor AirBnB by the hotel trade. Our role will be to recognise that coaching is not untouchable, and that we should work to unlock and seize the opportunity to integrate AI and technology to create the right ethical and effective tools to provide an improved outcome for our clients.

What fantasies do you have about the future of technology-enhanced coaching? What is your reaction to the idea of working alongside, or even being replaced by, AI? We are keen to hear your thoughts on this emotive topic.

REFERENCES

[i] https://www.coach.me

[ii] https://www.emoquo.com/

[iii] Nadella, S (2017) Hit Refresh 

[iv] https://mashable.com/article/future-online-dating/

[v] https://virtualitytech.ae/how-can-vr-be-used-in-executive-coaching-2/

[vi] https://www2.deloitte.com/insights/us/en/focus/signals-for-strategists/wearable-devices-in-the-workplace.html

[vii] https://learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/2197/a-mobile-coach-can-help-elearning-stick

KDVI Writer’s Colony, 2019

 

 

Oriane Kets de Vries:

Oriane Kets de Vries is CEO and owner of the Kets de Vries Institute. She leads a global team of coaches, consultants and educators dedicated to developing reflective, emotionally intelligent leaders and cultivating workplaces where people can thrive. In her faculty role, she draws on extensive experience designing and directing leadership programmes for senior executives, contributing her expertise in psychodynamic coaching, organisational culture, and transformational leadership development.

Oriane has served as consultant, coach, and programme director for clients including Pictet, Deutsche Bank, Merck, UBS, Mishcon de Reya, and Engie, and she has taught on open-enrolment programmes with leading institutions such as Cambridge Judge Business School, Oxford Saïd, INSEAD, ESCP, ESMT and CEDEP. Her interests centre on the human side of leadership, particularly identity, creativity, entrepreneurship and gender dynamics. She holds an MBA and Executive MA in Coaching and Consulting for Change from INSEAD, has trained at the Harvard Kennedy School, and brings more than a decade of professional experience in creative and entrepreneurial industries into her work with leaders.

Manfred Kets de Vries:

Manfred Kets de Vries is a pioneering authority in leadership development, coaching, and organisational change. He is a founder and director of the Kets de Vries Institute (KDVI) and served as Distinguished Clinical Professor of Leadership Development and Organisational Change at INSEAD. With academic credentials in economics (University of Amsterdam), management (MBA and DBA, Harvard Business School), and psychoanalysis (trained in Canada), he brings a uniquely interdisciplinary perspective to leadership. His work bridges management theory and clinical insight, establishing him as a global thought leader in executive coaching and transformation. At INSEAD, he founded the Global Leadership Centre and led the flagship programme The Challenge of Leadership for 31 years. He also served as scientific director of Coaching and Consulting for Change, an 18-month Executive Master’s programme that has shaped over 3,000 senior leaders and executive coaches worldwide. He has advised and coached senior executives at global firms including Goldman Sachs, BP, Shell, Unilever, McKinsey, and Volvo. A prolific author of over 60 books and 400 articles, his work appears regularly in The Financial Times, The Economist, and Harvard Business Review. Recognised by Le Capital, Wirtschaftswoche, and The Financial Times as one of the world’s top 50 management thinkers, he is widely regarded for advancing more human-centred approaches to leadership.

Yulia Chupina:

Senior Adviser (Luminary) at Accenture and executive coach with over 12 years of board experience. Formerly a banker and McKinsey consultant, Yulia has led banking transformations in digital, agile, organisational change, and talent development. Her coaching spans the finance, tech, and consumer goods sectors, blending technological insight with emotional intelligence to guide leaders through transformation. Recently, she advised BBVA on agile methodologies and senior talent development. Influenced by thought leaders such as Manfred Kets de Vries and Gabor Maté, Yulia brings an analytical, reflective approach to leadership. She has lived and worked across the UK, Spain, the US, and Russia.

Elizabeth Florent:

Elizabeth has worked closely with Manfred Kets de Vries for many years and has served as a Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow at INSEAD. Her extensive background in leadership development spans organisational consulting, executive coaching, and academic research. She holds advanced degrees in Organisational Development and Clinical Organisational Psychology and is a certified Coaching Supervisor through the Tavistock Institute. Her doctoral research explored experiential domains in executive education, and she has authored or co-authored numerous academic articles, case studies, and books on leadership and organisational dynamics. Elizabeth led the development teams behind KDVI’s diagnostic instruments, including the GELM, OCA™, and ITI. Drawing on her diverse training and global experience, she brings deep cross-cultural insight to her work with leaders worldwide. Originally from California, Elizabeth has made France her home for over 30 years.