Chartered Institute

of Personnel and
Coaching and buying coaching
Development services

a guide
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Coaching and buying coaching services
Coaching and buying coaching services
– a CIPD guide

Written by Jessica Jarvis, CIPD.

 Contents

Introduction Page 3

Part 1 Coaching – the current position Page 5

Part 2 Defining and demystifying coaching Page 17

Part 3 The key players in the coaching relationship Page 27

Part 4 Making the case for coaching Page 33

Part 5 Preparation and setting the scene Page 42

Part 6 Choosing the right coach Page 45

Part 7 Coach selection and matching Page 51

Part 8 Managing the onward coaching engagement Page 62

Summary and conclusions Page 69

Appendix Page 70

References Page 73

Useful sources of information Page 74

Acknowledgements Page 79
Coaching and buying coaching services
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Coaching and buying coaching services
Introduction
Few people can fail to have noticed the explosive growth in coaching in recent years. The 2004 CIPD training
and development survey shows that four-fifths of respondents now use coaching in their organisations. As a
tool that can help businesses to be competitive, as well as help people attain their potential, coaching seems
to offer a win–win solution for all. But there is also concern about a number of ‘cowboy’ coaches entering
the market who are inexperienced, have little training and lack the appropriate knowledge and skills. Part of
the problem lies in the fact that the coaching industry is highly fragmented, with no single professional body
or sets of standards and qualifications to guide buyers of coaching services.

Understandably, this situation leaves many HR practitioners wary and sceptical. How do you sort out the
wheat from the chaff? How can you be sure you are choosing the right type of coach? What can you do to
manage coaching relationships to make them successful? Making sense of the evolving coaching world,
ensuring you are getting value for money and managing coaching relationships to gain a high-quality service
are all real challenges for businesses today.

The HR department has a key role to play in selecting and managing coaching relationships within an
organisation. The quality of coaching and the results it delivers depend hugely on choosing appropriate
coaches, managing relationships and evaluating success. HR practitioners need to understand when coaching
is an appropriate and effective intervention in relation to other learning and development options. They need
to be clear about what the different types of coaching and diagnostic tools/models are, and when each is
appropriate. They need to determine when in-house or external coaches are most suitable. They need to
understand how to select appropriately qualified coaches and then match them to both the organisational
culture and to the needs of particular individuals. Finally, HR practitioners hold the responsibility for setting up
contractual arrangements, as well as developing mechanisms to evaluate the effectiveness of the coaching
activities. None of these activities are easy – particularly when the coaching industry has yet to develop
agreed sets of standards, ethics and/or qualifications to help HR practitioners make good decisions.

A significant number of CIPD members are now engaged in coaching activities, albeit in a variety of different
ways. Because of the widespread use of coaching and the confusion that seems to enshroud it, it seems
timely and important that the CIPD offers members advice and guidance on how to successfully design and
manage their coaching activities for the benefit of their staff and the organisation as a whole. This Guide
seeks to address one particular aspect of this – buying in, and managing, the services of external coaches. In
this way, it is an HR buyer’s guide to coaching that aims to help HR practitioners navigate the complex
coaching marketplace, by demystifying many of the concepts and terminology in use and providing clear
advice and guidance on some of the processes. We hope that the Guide will help build the knowledge and
confidence of HR practitioners by helping them become more knowledgeable advisers on coaching for their
 organisation. This Guide will be useful reading for practitioners considering using coaching, organisations
actively using coaching but with little HR involvement, and where HR practitioners are keen to better manage
their coaches. The Guide should also be of interest to coaches themselves, so that they can understand the
organisational perspective and the approach HR professionals may adopt when they are looking for external
coaching support.

This Guide:

• provides an overview of the coaching industry

• outlines the different professional bodies and the current training and qualification options

• explains the different types of coaching

• discusses the business case for coaching

• considers when coaching is an appropriate intervention

• discusses the different interest groups in coaching (HR, line managers, the individual etc)

• explains when the use of internal or external coaches may be appropriate

• provides guidance on what to look for in a coach during selection

• provides guidance and advice for HR on recruiting and matching coaches to your organisation.

We hope that you will find the Guide helpful, and that it offers practical advice about how to gain full value
from your use of external coaching services. By exerting pressure in terms of minimum expected standards,
qualifications and outcomes, the CIPD aims to help its members ‘raise the bar’ in terms of standards and
professionalism across the industry and ensure the potential benefits of coaching interventions are realised.

Jessica Jarvis
Adviser, Learning, Training and Development, CIPD
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Coaching and buying coaching services
Part 1 Coaching – the current position
Coaching is a hot topic in the HR and training community. However, a number of questions remain unanswered.
What exactly is it? How effective it is? Is it just a fad? How can its impact best be evaluated? What are
organisations using it for? The CIPD 2004 training and development survey responded to these questions by
dedicating an extensive part of the questionnaire to this topic. In this section, we provide a picture of how
coaching is being used in UK organisations and offer a general overview of the coaching industry. It should be
noted at this stage that coaching is a growing and emerging area of HR practice, which is continually evolving.
The survey evidence therefore only provides us with a ‘snapshot’ of current coaching activities.

How widely is coaching being used?

The survey results highlight the widespread use of coaching in organisations. Almost four-fifths of respondents
now use coaching in their organisation (79%). Use of coaching as a development tool has seen rapid growth
in recent years – in fact 77% of respondents reported that their organisation’s use of coaching has increased in
the last few years. Only 1% of respondents reported that coaching activities had decreased (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Changes in levels of usage of coaching in the last few years

20% Small increase

Large increase

Remained at same level

18% 57%
Don’t know

Small decrease

4%
1%

What is responsible for this rapid growth in use? Are we simply seeing the emergence of the latest HR trend,
or are organisations recognising that coaching activities produce major benefits for them and the ‘good
message’ is spreading into mainstream organisational practice?
 What are the drivers of the rise in the popularity of coaching?
A number of factors have been at play in making coaching such a popular intervention in organisations today
(Figure 2). These include:

• A rapidly evolving business environment. The fast pace of business alongside significant time
pressures mean that dealing with change is becoming an everyday challenge. The ability to learn and
adapt is quickly becoming an essential skill. Targeted development interventions such as coaching have
become popular in helping individuals adjust to major changes in the workplace.

• The features of modern organisations. Flatter organisational structures, broader management roles
and lower job security have also been contributing factors to the growth of coaching. Organisational
downsizing and the resulting flatter structures mean that newly promoted individuals often have to
make large step-changes in skills, responsibilities and performance because of the higher and broader
requirements of their new roles. Coaching can support these individuals in achieving these changes.

• Lifelong learning. The importance of learning throughout a person’s life is increasingly being recognised.
This has paralleled the growing need for organisations and individuals to change and keep changing in
order to keep up with a fast-paced, turbulent world market. Coaching has the adaptability to support
different learning styles so may be able to support more employees than traditional training methods.

• The need for targeted, individualised, just-in-time development. The development needs of
individuals can be diverse and in smaller organisations there are often too few individuals with specific
development needs to warrant the design of a formal training programme. This often means that the
traditional ‘one size fits all’ training programme that takes place every few months is inappropriate.
Coaching offers a flexible, responsive approach to development, which can be delivered individually,
and ‘just-in-time’ to address deficiencies in current performance or to strengthen under-developed skills.

• The financial costs of the poor performance of senior managers/executives. There is a growing
acceptance of the costs associated with poorly performing senior managers/executives. Coaching
provides organisations with an opportunity to undertake pre-emptive and proactive interventions to
improve their performance (Greco 2001; Kilburg 1996).

• Improving the decision-making of senior employees. For senior level employeees it can be ‘lonely
at the top’ as they have few people they can confide in, develop ideas and discuss decisions. A coach
can be used to provide a ‘safe and objective haven’ to discuss issues and give support (Masciarelli
1999). This can be valuable when the return on improvement in skill level and decision-making is
considered.
Coaching and buying coaching services

• Individual responsibility for development. There is an increasing trend for individuals to take greater
responsibility for their personal and professional development (see CIPD 2003). With the decline of ‘jobs
for life’, employees can no longer rely on employers to provide them with all of their career development
needs. If individuals are to take responsibility, they need support and advice. Coaching can help individuals
identify development needs, plan development activities and support personal problem-solving.
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• Employee demand for different types of training. The CIPD’s Survey Report, Who Learns at Work?,
showed that learning at work, as opposed to in the training room, is increasingly popular. Research has
also frequently demonstrated that people are more motivated and learn best when they see that the
training is relevant to their job. Coaching, with its focus on work issues and improving job performance,
fits in well with this.

• Support for other learning and development activities. Much money spent on training activities is
wasted if the personal development momentum is allowed to dissipate after the event. Coaching is a
valuable way of providing ongoing support for personal development plans.

• A popular development mechanism. People enjoy participating in coaching. It has many features that
make it attractive to those taking part. Participants get direct one-to-one assistance and attention; it can fit in
with their own timeframes and schedules; and there is the potential to see quick results if they are dedicated.

Figure 2: Drivers of the rise in the popularity of coaching

Features
Rapidly Employee demand
of modern
evolving business for different types
organisations of training
environment

Individual The need for lifelong

responsibility for learning and
development development
Drivers of the rise
in the popularity
Financial costs of coaching Improved decision-
of poor making by senior
performance executives

Popular Targeted,
Support for other just-in-time
development
mechanism learning and development
development activities

These are just some of the characteristics of the modern organisation and contemporary working lives that have
led to the burgeoning popularity of coaching. There is also little doubt that the increased demand for coaching
has been partly fuelled by the popular press. However, along with the increase in demand have come concerns
about how to ensure the effective use of coaching and how to navigate the complex coaching industry.
 Here to stay, or just a fad?
Despite the widespread use of coaching as a development tool, doubts remain about whether or not it is
simply the latest in a long line of HR and training fads. The reputation of coaching has been slurred by
descriptions like ‘paid friendships’, ‘a sounding board’, ‘the latest executive accessory’ and ‘pinstripe
counselling’, to name but a few. But many commentators argue that, although the term ‘coaching’ is
relatively new, the idea of one-to-one consultation on development needs has been around for decades.
Activities such as personal effectiveness programmes and 360-degree feedback initiatives have all focused on
making employees (most frequently managers and executives) more aware of their personal style and areas
they need to develop. Where these previous interventions were limited was in providing the means for
participants to actually make lasting changes. It seems that ‘knowing what you need to change’ is only one
piece of the jigsaw – it's not enough to bring about actual changes in a person’s style or work habits. This is
where coaching fits in, because of its change orientation and support for ongoing development.

As the coaching market matures, coaching has begun to look like more than a passing fashion. Lane and Rajan
(CIPD 2000) reported that coaching is a ‘growing trend’ rather than a fad, based on their research with 900
companies. They believe it is part of the new performance-led culture of employment rather than the traditional
employment model of job security. Janice Caplan (author of the 2003 CIPD book, Coaching for the Future) contends:
'I believe the reason for the massive increase in the use of coaching is that it is a process and a solution that suits our
times. It is an effective mechanism for enabling an organisation to meet competitive pressures, plan for succession
and bring about change.' This seems to be reflected in views of the HR/training community (see Table 1).

Table 1: Views on the benefits of coaching (CIPD 2004)

% of respondents
who agree
Coaching can deliver tangible benefits to both individuals and organisations 99
Coaching is an effective way to promote learning in organisations 96
Coaching and mentoring are key mechanisms for transferring learning from
training courses back to the workplace 93
When coaching is managed effectively it can have a positive impact
on an organisation's bottom line 92
Coaching and buying coaching services

As Table 1 illustrates, practitioners seem to believe coaching is an effective way of promoting learning, can
have an impact on the organisation’s bottom line and can deliver tangible benefits to individuals and
organisations. Practitioners rarely report such positive findings.
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Coaching activity in UK organisations – a current view
How is coaching being used?
We have seen that there are many interweaving factors that have led to the increased use of coaching, but
what are organisations actually using coaching to achieve? The results of the 2004 CIPD training and
development survey provide us with some answers to this question (Table 2).

Table 2: Objectives for organisations’ coaching activities

% of respondents reporting
this item as a main objective
Improving individual performance 78
Dealing with underperformance 30
Improving productivity 28
Career planning/personal development 27
Growing future senior staff 26
Fostering a culture of learning and development 24
Motivating staff 21
Accelerating change in organisation 16
Demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to staff 16
Improving staff retention 10
Reducing cost of sending staff to external courses 9
Helping staff to achieving better work–life balance 5
Satisfying demand for coaching from employees 2

Over three-quarters of respondents to the survey use coaching to improve individual performance, with the
second and third most common reasons being related to the first – to tackle underperformance and to improve
productivity. Beyond these three reasons, coaching tends to be used for a variety of training and staffing
reasons. It seems as if the main drivers of coaching activities are performance-related rather than being used to
address ‘softer' issues like improving work–life balance or increasing motivation. Contrary to the ‘touchy-feeley’
image of coaching that is sometimes portrayed by the media, organisations actually seem to be using coaching
to address significant business issues such as driving performance improvements and productivity.
 Who is receiving and delivering coaching in organisations?
The popular press frequently portray coaching as an expensive, luxury product undertaken by external
professionals and mostly aimed at executives or very senior managers. But a different picture emerged from
the 2004 training and development survey data (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Who is receiving coaching?

Junior manager/team 64%

leader/supervisor

Middle manager 64%

Senior manager 52%

Professional/technical staff 46%

Trainee/graduate 44%

Administrative staff 42%

Director 37%

Manual staff 28%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
% of respondents reporting coaching is provided

The most common recipients of coaching are in fact junior and middle managers. A significant proportion of
respondents reported that their senior managers and directors did receive coaching, but coaching appears to
be being used for the development of staff at many levels of the organisation – not just senior executives, as
the media may lead us all to believe.
Coaching and buying coaching services

Coaching can be delivered by trained external coaches, specialist internal coaches, line managers, peers,
members of the HR department, and others. The survey revealed that most organisations are using a mixture
of these groups to deliver their coaching activities (Figure 4).
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Figure 4: Who is delivering coaching?

Trained external 3% 13% 5% 37% 42% All

coaches
Specialist internal A majority
2% 17% 8% 40% 33%
coaches
About half
Line managers 2% 33% 23% 37% 5%
A minority
Peers 2% 12% 18% 51% 17%
None

HR department 1% 15% 9% 55% 20%

% of respondents

Line managers are most likely to deliver coaching, with a third of respondents reporting that this group
delivers ‘a majority' of coaching, and a further quarter saying that line managers are responsible for delivering
‘half’ of the coaching activities. Only 5% of respondents say that line managers deliver no coaching at all.
Conversely, over 40% of respondents never use external coaches for their activities and those who do use
them tend to use them only for a minority of the coaching that takes place.

Coaching therefore tends to involve a variety of internal and external practitioners, partly depending on the
seniority of the individual and the specific needs of different employee groups. External coaches, when used,
tend to be used for a minority of coaching activities in an organisation. This possibly reflects the cost of using
them and may mean that their use is generally reserved for senior-level or high-potential employees.

The UK coaching industry

An article in the Harvard Business Review in June 2002 (Berglas 2002) suggested that there were at least
10,000 professional coaches working for businesses in the US, and this figure was expected to exceed 50,000
by 2007. Although it is hard to determine how many coaches are working in the UK, many commentators
expect a similar picture to emerge over the next five years.

Coaching services are being delivered by a diverse group of individuals and organisations. Some coaches are
self-employed or operate within small firms. Additionally, there are coaching consulting firms for whom
 coaching is a major part of their practice, while large HR, management, outplacement and recruitment
consultancies are adding coaching services to their portfolios, aiming to secure large multinational contracts.
Many of these recruit people with track records in business and train them as coaches in-house. Other firms
operate within a business psychology model of coaching where their coaches are qualified occupational,
counselling or clinical psychologists, or come from the relatively new field of coaching psychology. Other
backgrounds include performance coaches from the sporting world, and practitioners from a range of other
therapeutic backgrounds (counselling, psychology, psychotherapy). Naturally, these different ‘types’ of
coaches all bring with them very different skills. And this is where opinion begins to diverge on which skills,
qualities and experience coaches should have.

Quality too can be hugely variable and this is where the buyers of coaching services – often HR – can face
difficulties. There is a growing number of business advisers and consultants who have reinvented themselves
as coaches and, without any further training, now operate as full-time coaches. Problems can arise when
these people delve into issues that they have little understanding of, and are not trained to deal with. While
demand grows steadily, many companies are now realising that a more discriminating approach is needed to
sort the higher-quality coaches from the rest.

The concerns of HR buyers

The CIPD training and development survey provides insights into the concerns of HR buyers (Table 3). They
reported that the lack of accreditation and regulation is ‘worrying’, that finding high-quality coaches is ‘a
difficult task’ and that the terminology can be confusing and off-putting. No surprise then that there's an
increasing demand from clients for an authoritative and objective source of information on the quality, rigour
and credibility of all these different offerings.

Table 3: Concerns of HR buyers of coaching services

% of respondents
Agree Don’t know
There is a great deal of confusion around what is meant by
the term ‘coaching’ 81 3
Coaching and buying coaching services

I clearly understand the difference between all the different

types of coaching on offer 50 14
Finding and selecting high-quality external coaches is a difficult task 49 29
The lack of regulation and accreditation in the coaching industry is
very worrying 40 27
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An array of professional bodies
Mirroring the fragmentation that exists in the industry generally, there are many professional bodies and
associations. There is a plethora of codes of practice, ethics, guidelines and standards of practice. And as well
as the CIPD, four key bodies have now emerged at the forefront of the industry:

• the Association for Coaching (AC)

• the Coaching Psychology Forum (CPF)

• the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC)

• the International Coach Federation (ICF).

A table comparing these professional bodies and providing an overview of what becoming a member entails is
shown in the appendix.

All these organisations are involved in a number of initiatives (some in co-operation with others) to improve
coaching standards, practices and services. They represent many of the professional coaches who are pushing
from the supply side for higher standards and quality.

However, even between the four coaching bodies there is still a degree of rivalry and vying for status and
position. Many commentators think that, as the coaching industry matures, consolidation of these bodies will
occur. Many CIPD training and development survey respondents felt that ‘a single professional body’ in the
coaching industry would be useful. But other views exist. Gladeana McMahon, Senior Coaching Consultant at
Penna Consulting, comments: 'It is possible that in the future only one coaching body will exist. However,
coaching is such a broad field that one body may not be able to fulfil the needs of such a diverse group and
we may find that as in accountancy and other such fields, there will be a number of bodies representing
differing aspects of the industry.'

Views of the HR community

The 2004 training and development survey results provide some insights into the views of HR practitioners
about the array of professional bodies. Of our respondents, 40% agreed that ‘the lack of regulation and
accreditation in the coaching industry is very worrying’, but 27% said they 'don't know'.

Forty five per cent of respondents thought that it would be useful if there was a single professional body for
coaches in the UK. A further 37% opted for the ‘don’t know’ option, but only 18% thought that it would
not be useful. Those who thought there should be a single professional body were asked what they felt the
role of this body should be. The results are shown in Table 4 overleaf.
 Table 4: Possible roles of a single coaching professional body

% that indicate
Possible roles the role
Providing information and advice 84
Providing training courses and qualifications 82
Providing a code of ethics and standards that all coaches must adhere to 80
Accrediting courses and qualifications 78
Providing research/information/publications on coaching 70
Monitoring the continuing professional development of coaches 67
Providing a register of approved coaches 67
Dealing with any complaints about member coaches 37

Coach training and qualifications

Coaching courses and qualifications vary hugely, from short introductory courses to doctorate-level coaching
qualifications. Between these extremes, there are certificate or diploma programmes such as those run by the CIPD,
modules of business programmes, masters’ programmes and coach training for professionals (eg HR/managers).
There are also programmes offered by specialist training providers. Some example of courses are shown in Table 5.

In the past, the reputation of the coaching industry has been weakened by training providers who claim to produce
professional coaches from five-day training courses. Coach training needs to be ‘fit for purpose’. While there is
definitely a place for short introductory courses, as with any discipline, expertise will vary depending on the length
of the course, level of qualification, depth of study, practical experience and extent of supervision while studying.

The drive towards professionalism

The drive for greater professionalism is now coming both from suppliers and buyers of coaching. On the
demand side, organisations are trying to be far more discerning about their use of coaching services.
Evidence of the effectiveness of coaching interventions is being sought and more questions asked about
Coaching and buying coaching services

spending and returns. From the supply side, quality coaches are keen to raise the reputation of the coaching
industry and weed out practitioners who operate unethically.

This process is not new. Other professions such as counselling and psychotherapy have been through
‘professionalisation’ over the last decade or so. HR professionals have a key role to play in promoting this agenda.
By exerting pressure regarding minimum expected standards, qualifications and outcomes, they can ‘raise the bar’
in terms of standards across the industry. Suppliers of coaching will have no option but to conform.
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Table 5: Examples of coaching qualifications and providers in the UK

Level of coaching qualifications Examples of institutions offering this level coaching the role
Doctorate-level coaching programmes Middlesex University/International Centre for the Study
of Coaching
Masters-level coaching programmes Middlesex University/i-coach academy
Oxford Brookes University
Portsmouth Business School/Performance Consultants
Sheffield Hallam University
Wolverhampton University
Postgraduate diplomas and CIPD/Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring
certificate-level programmes Academy of Executive Coaching
i-coach academy
City University
Centre for Coaching
Peter Bluckert Coaching/Leeds Metropolitan University
Shorter coaching programmes Corporate Coach U
UK College of Life Coaching
AAA Coaching Partners
Oxford Executive Coaching
Penna Consulting
Aspire 2

NB Contact information for all these institutions and others can be found in the ‘Useful sources of information’ section at the end
of the Guide. A useful source of information on all of these options is the Coaching and Mentoring Network website
www.coachingnetwork.org.uk

Looking to the future

The coaching industry is at a critical stage. The future success is likely to be determined by the quality and
professionalism of coaches and their ability to deliver demonstrable value to their clients. If coaching is to
become a true profession, further research into the effectiveness, business benefits and value of different
coaching methodologies is crucial. Neil Offley, Programme Director at the NHS Leadership Centre, comments:
'We hope that evaluation and research will help show how coaching can deliver real benefits, and overcome
a perception of it being the latest fad.'

As the coaching market continues to grow and mature, a number of trends are likely to appear. Jerry Arnott,
Managing Director of Origin Consulting, states: 'I believe there will be a consolidation of coaching providers
 and increased regulation and standardisation across the market. This is long overdue and there are already
signs of this evolution as the coaching profession begins to address the fundamental issues of ethics,
standards, accreditation and quality.' Peter Bluckert, Chair of the Standards and Ethics Group at the EMCC,
predicts that opportunities for different types of coaches will continue to exist: ‘Middle and upper market
coaching consultancies who have the capacity to win larger contracts will continue to do well and highly
regarded individual practitioners will always be in demand. New niche markets will open up not just in the UK
but further afield and many top coaching firms will plan with international markets in mind.'

The coaching industry is still in its infancy. However, over the next few years it is likely that we will see greater
professionalisation of coaching, organisations becoming more selective and a continuing increase in the
supply and demand for coaching services. The CIPD will continue to monitor these trends with interest over
the next few years.
Coaching and buying coaching services
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Coaching and buying coaching services
Part 2 Defi ning and demystifying coaching
The term ‘coaching’ has come to refer to many different activities. Although this guide focuses on the use of
coaching in organisational settings, it can be used in many other situations. Its early use in the business world
often carried a remedial connotation – people were coached because they were underperforming or their
behaviour was unsatisfactory. These days, coaching is more usually seen as a means of developing people
within an organisation in order that they perform more effectively and reach their potential.

Confusion exists about what exactly coaching is, and how it is different from other ‘helping behaviours’ such
as counselling and mentoring. A variety of niche types of coaching have also developed as the term has been
popularised – life coaching, skills coaching, health coaching, executive coaching, to name but a few. In part,
this may have arisen as a result of some practitioners taking advantage of a popular new term and applying it
to their general services. Consequently, coaching has suffered from a degree of misperception and
misrepresentation. To make things worse, people often use the terms interchangeably so that one person’s
life coaching is another’s developmental mentoring. Many organisations use the terms to mean specific things
in their own organisational contexts and others choose the terminology that seems most acceptable within
their organisation. The result is that the same definitions are being applied to a variety of terms. These
problems around terminology are illustrated in the 2004 training and development survey results, where 81%
of respondents agreed that ‘there is a great deal of confusion around what is meant by the term
“coaching ” .'

There is lively debate about this topic by academics and practitioners alike, which has led to a certain fixation
about the need for agreed definitions. While this debate rages, more and more terms emerge and there seem
to be almost as many definitions of coaching as there are practitioners. The fact that Europe and the US
interpret the words slightly differently adds further to the confusion. A selection of definitions of coaching are
provided in Table 6, but these are merely a handful of those in use.

In this Guide, we simply try to illustrate and explain the key differences between some of the common terms
that are currently being used. We will then concentrate on suggesting ways for practitioners to ensure they
have secured a good understanding of what exactly coaches mean when they describe their services.
 Table 6: Definitions of coaching

Defi nitions of coaching Author

A process that enables learning and development to occur and thus Parsloe (1999)
performance to improve
Unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance Whitmore (1996)
The overall purpose of coach-mentoring is to provide help and support for CIPD coaching courses
people in an increasingly competitive and pressurised world in order to help them: definition
• develop their skills
• improve their performance
• maximise their potential
• and to become the person they want to be
Primarily a short-term intervention aimed at performance improvement Clutterbuck (2003)
or developing a particular competence
A conversation, or series of conversations, one person has with another Starr (2003)
The art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another Downey (1999)
Defines the verb ‘coach’ – ‘tutor, train, give hints to, prime with facts’ Concise Oxford Dictionary
A coach is a collaborative partner who works with the learner to help Caplan (2003)
them achieve goals, solve problems, learn and develop
Meant to be a practical, goal-focused form of personal, one-on-one learning Hall et al (1999)
for busy executives and may be used to improve performance or executive
behaviour, enhance a career or prevent derailment, and work through organisational
issues or change initiatives. Essentially, coaches provide executives with feedback they
would normally never get about personal, performance, career and organisational issues
A collaborative, solution-focused, results-oriented and systematic process Grant (2000)
in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life
experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coach

Some generally agreed characteristics of coaching in organisations

Although there is a lack of agreement about precise definitions, there are some core characteristics of
coaching activities that are generally agreed on by most coaching professionals:

•
Coaching and buying coaching services

It consists of one-to-one developmental discussions.

• It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and weaknesses.

• It is aimed at specific issues/areas.

• It is a relatively short-term activity, except in executive coaching, which tends to have a longer timeframe.

• It is essentially a non-directive form of development.

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• It focuses on improving performance and developing/enhancing individuals skills.

• It is used to address a wide range of issues (see 'How is coaching being used?' page 5).

• Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals.

• It assumes that the individual is psychologically healthy and does not require a clinical intervention.

• It works on the premise that clients are self-aware, or can achieve self-awareness.

• It is time-bounded.

• It is a skilled activity.

• Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance at work.

Broadly speaking, from the CIPD’s perspective, coaching is developing a person’s skills and knowledge so that
their job performance improves, hopefully leading to the achievement of organisational objectives. It targets
high performance and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s private
life. It usually lasts for a short period and focuses on specific skills and goals.

The ‘helping behaviours’ – differences between coaching, mentoring, counselling

and consulting
Garvey (2004) suggests that activities such as coaching, mentoring and counselling can all be understood to
be ‘helping activities’. However, he agrees that understanding how they are different is difficult ‘because of
the sheer confusion over the terminology’. One way to tackle this is to make a brief comparison of the
activities involved.

Coaching vs mentoring
There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring since both involve a one-to-one relationship
that provides an opportunity for individuals to reflect, learn and develop. However, when comparing coaching
with the traditional understanding of mentoring, there are some key differences.

The term ‘mentoring’ originates from Greek mythology. Odysseus entrusted his house and the education of
his son to his friend, Mentor, saying to him, ‘tell him all you know.’ In practice, 'mentoring' has come to be
used interchangeably with 'coaching'. David Clutterbuck (2001) comments, 'In spite of the variety of
definitions of mentoring, all the experts appear to agree that it has its origins in the concept of
apprenticeship, when an older, more experienced individual passed down his knowledge of how the task was
done and how to operate in the commercial world.'

Some commonly agreed differences between coaching and mentoring (in its traditional sense) are shown in
Table 7 overleaf.
 Table 7: Differences between mentoring and coaching

Mentoring Coaching
Ongoing relationship that can last for a long Relationship generally has a set duration
period of time
Can be more informal and meetings can take Generally more structured in nature and
place as and when the mentee needs some meetings are scheduled on a regular basis
advice, guidance or support
More long-term and takes a broader view of Short-term (sometimes time-bounded) and
the person focused on specific development areas/issues
Mentor is usually more experienced and qualified Coaching is generally not performed on the basis
than the ‘mentee’. Often a senior person in the that the coach needs to have direct experience
organisation who can pass on knowledge, of their client’s formal occupational role, unless
experience and open doors to otherwise the coaching is specific and skills-focused
out-of-reach opportunities
Focus is on career and personal development Focus is generally on development/issues at work
Agenda is set by the mentee, with the mentor The agenda is focused on achieving specific,
providing support and guidance to prepare them immediate goals
for future roles
Mentoring revolves more around developing the Coaching revolves more around specific
mentee professionally development areas/issues

In reality, there can be large overlaps between the roles of coach and mentor. A mentor may do some
coaching and a coach may do some mentoring if he or she is working with someone over time on issues that
relate to their career. Many people also understand mentoring to be a useful adjunct to coaching, specifically
in providing career guidance and longer-term support, as opposed to the relatively short-term and
performance-related focus of coaching.

Alongside the traditional idea of mentoring, there are now other types of mentoring that have come into
existence (eg transformational mentoring). These are understood to refer to different concepts, many of
which bear more similarities to coaching and/or counselling. It is therefore important to make sure that
everyone understands what is meant by different terms, so that confusion is avoided.
Coaching and buying coaching services

Coaching vs counselling/therapy
There are obvious similarities between coaching and counselling activities, with much of coaching’s theoretical
underpinnings, models and techniques being derived from fields such as psychology and associated therapies,
and applied in organisational contexts. However, while coaching and counselling both work within similar
areas, they are not the same thing. They can, however, work together in a complimentary way in workplace
settings. Counselling, is a highly skilled intervention focused on helping individuals address underlying
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Coaching and buying coaching services
psychological problems. It can be useful if employees are unable to resolve difficulties or make changes to
their behaviour during coaching, which may indicate deeper underlying problems/issues. Key differences
between counselling and coaching are shown in Table 8.

Table 8: Differences between counselling and coaching

Counselling Coaching
Broader focus and greater depth Narrower focus
Goal is to help people understand the root causes of The goal is to improve an individual’s
long-standing performance problems/issues at work performance at work
A short-term intervention, but can last for longer time Tends for be a short-term intervention
periods due to the breadth of issues to be addressed
Counselling can be used to address psycho-social Coaching does not seek to resolve any underlying
as well as performance issues psychological problems. It assumes a person does
not require a psycho-social intervention
The agenda is generally agreed by the individuals The agenda is typically set by the individual, but
and the counsellor in agreement/consultation with the organisation
Other stakeholders are rarely involved Other stakeholders (eg manager) are involved

Psychological assessment is a complex process that requires in-depth and specialised training. A professional
coach will be keen to maintain the professional boundaries between coaching and the traditional therapies
and will refer a client to an appropriate therapist/counsellor if they feel it will be useful and appropriate.

Watch out for the cowboys!

In the UK, the use of the designations 'psychologist', 'therapist', 'counsellor' are not restricted
by law to those who are qualified, so purchasers need to beware of ‘self-styled’ psychologists,
counsellors and therapists who may not have formal training or hold any degree of
professional accountability. It is therefore important to check the qualifications, experience and
membership of appropriate professional bodies of any firms or individuals that an organisation
uses to support their workforce in a counselling or coaching capacity.

Some individuals offering coaching services are qualified therapists or counselling psychologists
who are marketing their services in the name of coaching. When using these individuals, it is
important to be sure of the type of approach the person intends to use during sessions and
that they have appropriate business knowledge.
 Modelling the differences between the ‘helping behaviours
Some academics and practitioners have attempted to clarify some of the key differences between the
common forms of coaching, mentoring and counselling via a series of helpful models.

Relationship between coaching style and the different helping behaviours (Britnor-Guest and Willis, 2004)
One way of looking at the differences between the different types of helping behaviour is to consider how directive
the practitioner will be in their approach. To what extent will the person ‘tell’ the individual what to do or help
them work out their own solutions to their problems? Another key differentiator is the scope of the activities. Does
it concentrate on specific parts of a person’s life (eg work issues) or does it take a more holistic perspective? These
two dimensions and how they relate to the different forms of 'helping behaviours' are shown in Figure 5.

Figure 5: The relationship between coaching style and different types of helping practices

Holistic
Traditional Personal
mentoring (US) coaching
Directive Facilitative
Skills Career
coaching coaching
Specific

Model of the differences depending on whether the focus is busines or peresonal content (Horner 2002)
Another useful way of considering the different types of development/helping activities is given by Caroline Horner
from the i-coach academy, developed in conjunction with Morag Dwyer. The differences between coaching,
counselling and consulting are discussed in relation to the extent to which activities deal with business content
(high/low) or personal content (high/low). For example, counselling is understood to have high personal content
and low business content, whereas consulting is seen as being the opposite – high in business content, and low in
personal content. This model is shown below in Figure 6.
Coaching and buying coaching services

Coach/mentoring and other approaches – a framework for differentiating (Hay 1997)

Another useful dimension to think about is who is leading the activity – the individual, the organisation or a mixture
of both? On this dimension, counselling is clearly individually led, but different types of mentoring and coaching
will differ in the extent to which the individual or the coach/organisation are leading the activity. In Figure 7,
different activities are plotted on this continuum as well as considering whether the objectives for the coaching are
long-term and broad, or short-term and specific.
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Figure 6: Helping activities differentiated by levels of business/personal content

High personal content

Counselling Coaching
Low business High business
content content
Sports coaching Consulting

Low personal content

Figure 7: Coach/mentoring and other approaches: a framework for differentiating.

Individual-led
Developmental
Counselling
mentoring
Short-term/ Long-term/
specific content broad content
Traditional
Coaching
mentoring (US)
Organisation-led

Niche types of coaching

To add to the varying definitions, there are also many niche types of coaching including executive coaching,
performance coaching, skills coaching, developmental coaching, career coaching, to name but a few. Again, these
terms tend to be used in different ways by different people.

Figure 8 (overleaf) outlines the most common types of coaching used by CIPD members (CIPD 2004). Bear in mind
the finding that 50% of respondents reported that they didn’t clearly understand the differences between the
different types of coaching.
 Figure 8: Which of the following best describes the type of coaching at your organisation?

% of respondents
Type of coaching who report using it
Performance 67
Skills 67
Development 59
Executive 34
Remedial 28
Career 27
Team 25
Life 8
Other 2

As you can see, the most common types of coaching in use are performance and skills coaching, which were
both used by two-thirds of respondents. Coaching types aimed at the personal needs/concerns of employees,
such as life and career coaching, were among the least common forms of coaching used.

So what is meant by these different terms?

Performance coaching. Coaching activities here are aimed at enhancing an individual’s performance in their
current role at work. The specific issues covered by the coaching will vary, but the aim will always be to
increase their effectiveness and productivity at work. Generally, performance coaching derives its theoretical
underpinnings and models from business and sports psychology as well as general psychological theory.

Skills coaching. This form of coaching focuses on the core skills an employee needs to perform in their role.
Skills coaching provides a flexible, adaptive, ‘just-in-time’ approach to skills development. Coaching programmes
are tailored specifically to the individual and are generally focused on achieving a number of skill development
objectives that are linked to the needs of the organisation.

Career coaching. Coaching activities focus on the individual’s career concerns, with the coach eliciting and
Coaching and buying coaching services

using feedback on the individual’s capabilities as part of a discussion of career options. The process should
lead to increased clarity, personal change and forward action.

Personal or life coaching. This form of coaching provides support to individuals wishing to make some
form of significant changes happen within their lives. Coaches help individuals to explore what they want in
life and how they might achieve their aspirations and fulfil their needs. Personal/life coaching generally takes
the individual’s agenda as its start point.
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Coaching and buying coaching services
Business coaching. Business coaching is always conducted within the constraints placed on the individual or
group by the organisational context. The term is used to refer to any coaching activity that takes place in a
business setting, so by definition overlaps with other terms.

Executive coaching. Organisations are now generally more willing to invest in coaching for their senior managers
and executives. By improving the performance of the most influential people within the organisation, the theory
goes that business results should improve. Executive coaching is often delivered by coaches operating from outside
the organisation whose services are requested for an agreed duration or number of coaching sessions.

Practical tool: Making sense of the terminology and the coaching approach you want
The simple tool shown below can be used in a variety of different ways to help you define the type
of coaching that best meets your needs.

Exercise 1: A useful exercise may be to map the key characteristics of the coaching
approach/activity that would work well in your particular organisational context. On each of the
dimensions below, mark a cross where your ideal approach sits. This can be used as part of the
‘ideal coach profile’ when selecting a coach.

Exercise 2: When considering introducing coaching to an organisation, it can be helpful to use the tool
to draw out different people’s understanding of the term 'coaching'. For example, ask all key
stakeholders to mark a cross on the dimensions indicating what they consider ‘coaching’ to involve.
By comparing answers, a discussion can emerge through which you can gain shared understanding.

Exercise 3: This tool can also be used in the coach selection process. You could ask the coach to discuss
their approach with regard to the different dimensions, perhaps even marking it on the diagram. This
can then be referred back to your original map of the key coaching characteristics you were looking for
in a coaching approach. All of these dimensions could also be turned into questions to gain greater
understanding of the coach’s approach eg to what extent does the individual lead the agenda?

Directive Non-directive

Individual leads the agenda Organisation leads the agenda

Holistic Specific

High personal content Low personal content

High business content Low business content

Short-term Long-term

Developmental Remedial
 Making sure you sort through the terminology issues
Because of the terminology issues that surround coaching, all parties concerned should check that there is
shared understanding. You can't assume that people are talking about the same thing when they refer to
coaching or mentoring. In reality, it doesn’t really matter whether the activity is labelled 'coaching', 'advising',
'counselling' or anything else, as long as everyone involved understands what it means in their specific
situation. For this shared understanding of terminology to take place, the CIPD recommends that:

• Coaches must be encouraged to provide clients with a clear understanding of what they mean by the
terms they use and the approach they offer. In this way, purchasers and users can make informed
judgements about the nature of the activities on offer.

• To avoid serious misunderstandings, HR practitioners should check definitions and, more importantly,
intended outcomes. It is necessary for the terms to be discussed by the users so that the overlaps in
meaning are understood and the differences appreciated.

As a rule of thumb, it is probably best to simply pick the terms that most people find acceptable and then
provide definitions to prevent misunderstandings.

Coaching standar ds

Organisations and coaches should try to convert the confusion around terminology into
understanding of the overlaps, the distinctive objectives and the characteristics of each. The
CIPD hopes that this Guide provides encouragement in this direction. However, further
advances are progressing through a project being co-ordinated by the European Mentoring
and Coaching Council (EMCC) with the collaboration of all the coaching professional bodies.

This project has drawn together information about coaching and mentoring practice from
documented standards and competency frameworks created by experts in the field,
professional bodies, private organisations as well as specialist coaching and mentoring training
companies. The information has been distilled into a single comprehensive framework that
makes sense of the overlaps and differences between the services on offer. The EMCC is
currently in the process of collecting data to determine which competencies are core to all
Coaching and buying coaching services

types of coaching practice, and which competencies are specific to the different ‘types’ of
coaching and mentoring (eg executive coaching, developmental mentoring etc). More
information about the project can be found on the EMCC website: www.emccouncil.org
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Coaching and buying coaching services
Part 3 The key players in the coaching relationship
The primary relationship in any coaching activity involves the coach and the individual. However, it is not the
only important relationship. Other key stakeholders include the person representing the organisation’s
interests – most frequently an HR practitioner and the individual’s manager. Both of these parties are
interested in improving the individual’s performance and therefore their contribution to the organisation.
Figure 9 depicts these different relationships.

Figure 9: The four-cornered contract (Hay, 1995)

Individual Line
manager

Organisation
Coach (HR)

Figure 10 shows that there are different relationships that need to be managed for coaching to have
maximum impact:

• The individual and coach. This is the most visible relationship, and requires good matching for it to
work effectively.

• The coach and HR. These parties agree the contractual relationship, with the HR practitioner
representing the organisation’s interests. HR should thoroughly brief the coach so they understand the
organisational context in which the coaching will take place.

• The individual and HR. HR must explain why the individual is being coached, and allay any concerns
they have about it. They must also assess that there is a genuine need for coaching and that the
individual is ready for it.

• The individual and line manager. The line manager must understand and be supportive of the
individual during the coaching intervention, and for ongoing development plans. They can also be
involved in helping the individual decide the development objectives for the coaching programme.

• HR and the line manager. HR must manage the line manager’s expectations and explain his or her role
in supporting the coaching relationship.
 These relationships must be carefully managed for maximum benefit to be gained from a coaching initiative.
HR practitioners play a critical role in making sure that all the other stakeholders to the coaching intervention
are bought into the process and understand their roles in its success.

A crucial role for HR?

Eighty per cent of respondents to the 2004 CIPD training and development survey felt that ‘HR has a crucial
role to play in selecting and evaluating the impact of coaching initiatives.’ Furthermore, 92% agreed that
‘when coaching is managed effectively it can have a positive impact on an organisation’s bottom line.’ It
therefore seems as though HR practitioners have a critical role in drawing up a framework for the coaching
activities that take place to ensure value for money and alignment with the organisation’s strategic goals.

In some organisations, individual managers or executives arrange their own coaching. When this happens and
if the HR department fails to play a co-ordinating and overseeing role, the organisation loses a valuable
opportunity to create a coaching strategy aligned with organisational goals and the overall training and
development strategy. Because no evaluation is taking place, they are also losing the opportunity to build up
a body of knowledge about lessons learned in the use of coaching in the organisation. Without HR
overseeing the coaching, it will be very difficult to get a clear picture of what coaching is taking place and
how effective it is. The evaluation of coaching activities will therefore be impossible. An overall perspective
allows the HR team to identify pockets of good and poor practice and to plan any necessary remedial action.
The HR team needs to have a good understanding of all the coaching taking place and to ensure it is
grounded in the goals of the organisation.

Being a knowledgeable and discerning customer is crucial. HR practitioners may not necessarily have a great
deal of expertise about the process of coaching, but many of the generic skills held by HR practitioners lend
themselves to effectively managing coaching relationships. The skills and experience of selection interviewing,
drawing up contracts/agreements, ensuring there are efficient measurement systems, supervising projects
with multiple stakeholder groups, are all important parts of managing coaching activities. If, as an HR person,
you are given responsibility for managing a coaching initiative, you should try to build up your knowledge of
coaching processes, models and frameworks. This will enable you to become a more knowledgeable buyer of
coaching services and to cut through the issues around terminology and jargon that we have profiled.
Coaching and buying coaching services
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Coaching and buying coaching services
The key components of HR’s role in managing coaching engagements
HR practitioners should get involved in coaching engagements from the outset. Key areas of HR involvement
include:

• assessing an individual’s need for coaching

• assessing an individual’s readiness for coaching

• getting line managers on board

• determining best use of internal and external coaches

• running a rigorous coach selection process

• assisting in the matching process

• briefing the coach

• managing the contracting process

• monitoring effectiveness and measuring the impact

• capturing internal knowledge and evaluation data

• integrating coaching with other HR and development activity.

This list demonstrates just how much time and effort is needed to formally manage a coaching process,
particularly in large organisations or in organisations where coaching is being offered to a large number of
people. The details of these activities are tackled later. Figure 10 shows where in the Guide you can find this
information.

Challenges for HR
The activities listed opposite illustrate how complex the role of HR can be in this area. The multiple
stakeholders in coaching relationships create difficult issues that require consideration. Who is the primary
client? Is it the client organisation because it pays for the coach? Or is it the individual end user because
coaching requires an environment of trust to be effective? The most common answer to these questions is
that both the individual and the organisation are clients, with their own goals and objectives for the coaching
initiative. The coach and the HR practitioner must work to ensure that the needs and goals of both parties
are aligned and are met by the coaching intervention. Ensuring clarity of understanding is crucial for
managing issues around confidentiality and information flow.
 Figure 10: Where to find further information in the Guide

Where to find further

Areas of HR involvement information in the Guide Page
Assessing an individual’s need for coaching See Part 4: Making the case for coaching 33
Assessing an individuals’ readiness for coaching See Part 4: Making the case for coaching 33
Briefing the individual See Part 5: Preparation and setting the scene 42
Getting line managers on board and See Part 5: Preparation and setting the scene 42
managing expectations
Determining best use of internal and See Part 6: Choosing a coach 45
external coaches
Running a rigorous coach selection process See Part 7: Coach selection and matching 51
Assisting the matching process See Part 7: Coach selection and matching 51
Briefing the coach See Part 8: Managing the onward 62
engagement
Managing the contracting process See Part 7: Coach selection and matching 51

Monitoring effectiveness and measuring See Part 8: Managing the onward 62

the impact engagement
Capturing internal knowledge and See Part 8: Managing the onward 62
evaluation data engagement
Integrating coaching with other HR and See Part 8: Managing the onward
development activity engagement 62

Other key challenges facing HR practitioners include:

• Integrating coaching with the bigger picture. HR also holds the responsibility for ensuring that coaching
activities are aligned with the strategic goals of the organisation, and that they are integrated with other
HR/training plans and activities. At the moment it seems that this often doesn’t happen – the 2004 CIPD
training and development survey revealed that two-thirds of respondents who indicated coaching takes
place in their organisation reported that there is no formal strategy that governs coaching activities. Of
Coaching and buying coaching services

respondents who do have a strategy in place, the vast majority said that it only covers certain groups of
employees and only 6% of respondents using coaching have a written strategy on coaching for all staff.

• Opening ‘closed doors’. A key problem for HR is when coaching happens behind ‘closed doors’ because
senior-level employees bring in their own coaches and the activities aren’t co-ordinated by HR. This means
that there are no reporting structures and no accountability for the professional coaches. Organisations
can't learn from such coaching engagements.
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• Meeting the needs of both the organisation and the individual. Any HR practitioners who currently
have a responsibility for procuring coaching will be aware of the challenge of meeting the requirements
of the organisation and the individual being coached. The onus is on those buying coaching to ensure
that they approach the area in an informed and structured way, if they are to achieve value for money.

• Information flow and confidentiality. Another issue to think about is how information from coaching
conversations is used within an organisation, regardless of whether the coaching is external or internal.
From the start, it is essential that HR is clear about what information the organisation wants so that the
coaches and clients are clearly working towards specific goals. The clearer the goals, the easier it will be
for the organisation to measure the results.

• Scoping and controlling costs. In making decisions about how coaching will be run in an organisation,
there are several factors to think through. A factor that can’t be ignored is cost. HR practitioners need to
consider how resource constraints will affect how much coaching can be undertaken. Without a
bottomless pit full of money, it's important to establish parameters about coaching in the organisation.
Some questions for practitioners to consider are:

• Who should receive coaching – will there be limits?

• Which employee groups should we invest in?

• Will coaching be restricted to individuals of a certain level of seniority?

• Will coaching only be provided in relation to certain development activities?

• Will there be a limit on the number of hours available to each individual?

• Will you use internal or external coaches?

• How will you measure/evaluate success and value for money?

Without agreed parameters, coaching relationships can continue for long periods of time, becoming a
permanent ‘sounding board’ for a person’s work issues. This can mean costs can spiral. An ongoing role for
HR practitioners therefore is to define the scope of coaching assignments and control costs.

Coaching is believed to have a key role in supporting other learning and development activities. For example,
93% of respondents in the training and development survey agreed that coaching is a key mechanism for
transferring learning from training courses back to the workplace. An essential role for HR practitioners in
creating effective conditions for coaching is to ensure that the culture and climate within the organisation is
supportive of learning and development. In the survey, 80% of respondents agreed that ‘coaching will only
work well in a culture that supports learning and development.’ Many practitioners and academics suggest
that, ideally, a ‘coaching climate’ should exist within organisations. In Figure 11, David Clutterbuck (2004)
offers advice on this issue.
 Figure 11: Establishing a coaching climate (Clutterbuck, 2004)

So what exactly is a coaching climate? You will know you have a coaching climate when:
• Personal growth, team development and organisational learning are integrated and the
links clearly understood.
• People are able to engage in constructive and positive challenging.
• People welcome feedback (even at the top) and actively seek it.
• Coaching is seen as a responsibility of managers and their direct reports.
• There is good understanding at all levels about what effective developers and developees do.
• Coaching is seen primarily as an opportunity rather than as a remedial intervention.
• People are recognised and rewarded for their activity in sharing knowledge.
• Time for reflection is valued.
• There are effective mechanisms for identifying and addressing barriers to learning.
• People look first inside the organisation for their next job.
• There are strong role models of good coaching practice.

So how do you create a coaching climate?

• By ensuring that managers have at least the basic skills of coaching.
• By equipping all employees with the skills to be coached effectively.
• By providing an advanced coaching skills programme for senior managers and HR staff.
• By providing opportunities to review good coaching practice.
• By recognising and rewarding managers who demonstrate good coaching behaviour and
commitment to coaching.
• By measuring and providing feedback on the quality, relevance and accessibility of coaching.
• By ensuring that top management provides strong, positive role models.
• By identifying cultural and systems barriers to developmental behaviours.

HR practitioners can track how much the organisation is perceived to support development and
coaching activity in a variety of ways, including through employee attitude surveys. This is something
that can be measured and used as a broad benchmark of progress towards a coaching culture.
Coaching and buying coaching services

Creating a coaching culture generally involves implementing a long-term, strategic organisational development
programme in an organisation. It is therefore not a light undertaking for HR practitioners. If a coaching culture
doesn't already exist within an organisation, coaching can still be an effective intervention, but there may be
challenges for HR in gaining support and buy-in to the initiative, as well as getting it effectively embedded.
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Part 4 Making the case for coaching
Whether coaching is an appropriate intervention depends on several factors: whether the organisational
conditions are conducive to coaching; whether the coaching is the most appropriate development
intervention for an individual; and whether the individual is ‘ready’ for coaching. In this part of the guide,
these different areas will be looked at in turn to allow practitioners to make informed decisions as to whether
coaching is really the right answer.

Organisational conditions for coaching

As discussed in part 3, for coaching to be successful, the organisational culture and climate should be
supportive of learning and development. Many writers go further and advocate a coaching culture that places
emphasis on learning, development and knowledge-sharing (Caplan 2003).

However, there are some particular organisational situations where coaching may be particularly appropriate
as a development intervention. Some examples of these are:

• Talent shortages. When organisations are suffering from significant skills shortages, money may be
better spent developing the skills of current employees through interventions like coaching, rather than
spending a great deal of money recruiting external candidates.

• Small or fast-growing businesses. People who initially set up small businesses don't necessarily have
the skills to manage larger businesses and the growing number of people they need to employ. It's also
unlikely that they can be away from work for extended periods of time for development activities. In this
situation, coaching can offer targeted, timely development on identified issues/areas that can be fitted
into the individual’s busy schedule.

• Belief that coaching can deliver long-term performance improvement. Organisations should only
invest in coaching when they think it will deliver significant and long-term improvements in individuals'
performance – ie that future performance will greatly exceed current performance, which can be
translated into business benefits.

• The organisation expects that behaviour can be changed in a short period of time. Organisations
should only invest in coaching if they think that the issues that need to be addressed can be achieved in a
relatively short period of time.

• During times of organisational change. Periods of major organisational change can require significant
shifts in the behaviour and attitudes of some employees in order to fit in with new structures or cultures.
Coaching can help individuals make these necessary changes.

• Changes in job role. Coaching can help individuals who are moving to a new job that requires different
skills and abilities. Coaching can be a valuable short-term intervention to help people adapt and cope
with their role change.
 • Supporting expatriates. Coaching can offer support for expatriates who have to adjust to a new culture
and country. These people often have very specific requirements and they need immediate support as
issues arise.

• Developing the skills of ‘valuable’ technical experts. Where certain employees have high levels of
specific skills and experience (or critical relationships with contractors/suppliers etc), the organisation
might have difficulty replacing its human capital. In this situation, it may be more appropriate to provide
coaching to these managers to improve or develop some of their other skills (interpersonal/managerial) so
that their careers can progress within the organisation.

• Support for future leaders or senior executives. Senior managers or executives bring groomed for
leadership roles may be hesitant to attend training courses, as they may feel that they should already have
the skills, expertise etc. In this situation, coaching can be a suitable intervention as it is confidential,
personal and ‘safe’ development option where the individual is using an objective, external person to help
them with their development.

Assessing when there is a need for an individual to receive coaching

Identifying that an individual could benefit from some coaching can happen in a variety of organisational
settings. The first step will be the identification of some kind of learning or development need. This is most
frequently articulated by the individual themselves, their line manager or by a member of the HR department
(eg during a development centre). Once a learning need has been identified, the next step is for the manager
and the individual to decide how best the need can be met.

The rise in the popularity of coaching in recent years means that there is a danger that coaching can be seen
as a panacea for all kinds of development needs. However, it is important that coaching is only used when it
is genuinely seen as the best way of helping an individual learn and develop. Coaching is just one of a range
of training and development interventions that organisations can use to develop their employees. It can also
be an expensive proposition, with costs quickly mounting up even if the coaching only lasts a few months. It
is therefore necessary to make sure that other possible avenues for development are fully explored. The merits
of coaching should be considered alongside other types of development interventions, such as training
courses, mentoring or on-the-job training. Employee preferences should also be borne in mind. While
coaching can be a very effective development tool, as with any learning intervention, it will be most effective
when a genuine need for it is identified, and when it is the best development tool for the specific purpose.
Coaching and buying coaching services

Decisions as to whether coaching is an appropriate approach are illustrated in Figure 12.

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Figure 12: Decision tree: Is coaching an appropriate intervention?

Identification of
learning need

Consider: Selection of another

• employee Is coaching the No appropriate development
preferences right intervention? intervention (eg training
• other suitable, course, mentoring)
more cost-effective Yes
options

Identification of a
Encourage individual to
need for coaching
seek specialist support if
Consider: appropriate or seek
• personal or No alternative development
work-based issues interventions
• lack of self-insight Is a person
• resistant or closed coachable? Encourage individual to
attitude take part in more
Yes Unsure in-depth assessment of
their needs with
someone with greater
Begin looking specialist knowledge
for a coach (eg psychologist)

Questions to help you decide whether coaching is the

most appropriate course of action

• What are the developmental goals for the individual?

• What will happen if no coaching occurs?
• Are there any alternative learning interventions to consider?
• What is the impact the coaching is hoped to deliver?
• Are there any other development options that will deliver the same results?
 Examples of development needs when coaching may be an appropriate solution

• Developing an individual’s potential. Sometimes an individual can be performing perfectly well, but
could be even more successful with some assistance. In this situation, the coach is not helping the
individual to ‘fix’ any particular problem, but instead will try to help motivate the individual to consider
their future plans and next steps in their job or career.

• Poor interpersonal skills. Some individuals in the workplace are highly competent, technical experts.
However, they can have poor interpersonal skills that make them appear arrogant or stubborn to those
they work with. Coaches can help managers to better 'read’ interpersonal situations and be more
effective in their interactions with colleagues.

• Poor conflict management skills. In some cases, managers may handle conflict situations in an
aggressive and non-compromising way that antagonises their colleagues. This may be quite intimidating
to peers and team members. Coaching can help these individuals to develop the skills of negotiation and
compromise so that conflict is resolved more effectively.

• Poor skills at developing others. Some managers have difficulty supporting the development of their
team members. Coaching can help managers develop junior colleagues more effectively by learning some
coaching skills themselves.

• Developing a more strategic perspective. As managers move from management or front-line positions
to more senior levels, they often need assistance in gaining a more strategic perspective. This involves
making decisions based on the best interests of the organisation as a whole, rather than their specific
area of the business. Coaches can help managers to become more sensitive to wider organisational
concerns and understand opportunities and problems occurring across multiple business units.

• Developing new skills due to a change in role. In instances where organisations restructure or refocus
their workforce, some individuals may be required to develop new skills very quickly. An example is when an
individual may move into a more customer-facing or business-development role. This can be quite daunting
and coaching can help them to develop these skills and be more confident and effective in their new role.

Assessing individual readiness for coaching

There are some individuals who may not respond well to coaching for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, their
problems are best dealt with by an intervention other than coaching, and in other circumstances their
attitude may interfere with the effectiveness of coaching. Before a coaching intervention is begun,
Coaching and buying coaching services

organisations need to assess an individuals’ ‘readiness’ for coaching. Coaching may not be an appropriate
intervention in the following circumstances:

• If the individual has a personal or family crisis. In this situation, the individuals will certainly need
support and somebody to talk to, but that person is not a professional coach. A highly confidential
counselling intervention is likely to be more appropriate.
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• If the individual has psychological problems. People suspected of suffering from psychological problems
can be offered referral to appropriate specialist support. Coaches don't necessarily have the depth of
psychological training to deal with these issues, nor the medical training to address any physiological
components that may also be part of the problem (eg addiction, depression). Figure 13 illustrates this.

Figure 13: Grant (2001)

Clinical
population Coaching
population

High psychopathology/ Low psychopathology/

low functionality high functionality

• If the individual has a developmental need which is widely shared in the organisation. In this
case the individual may not need an intervention as costly or intensive as coaching. A course or
development programme may be an equally effective and more cost-effective solution.

• If the individual lacks self-insight. If an individual is without adequate self-insight or has no ability to
modify his or her behaviour from situation to situation, coaching will not be effective. In cases like this, a
coach may not be able to overcome such strong resistance to change.

• If the individual is resistant or closed to coaching. Coaching works best when there is a receptive
audience. It is likely to be ineffective if the person is forced into coaching under duress because they are
likely to be uncooperative. Attempts should be made to understand why they feel this way.

• If the individual continually engages in socially inappropriate behaviour. Once this kind of
behavioural problem, for example, behaviours bordering on sexual harassment, has become more frequent
and ingrained, coaching is not an appropriate intervention. Either the person in question will need long-
term, intense counselling or will be subject to the formal disciplinary process. As coaches can't refuse to
testify against clients in any subsequent legal proceedings, it is also in the best interests of employees
themselves to have professional counsellors with whom to discuss problems in total confidentiality.

• If the individual sees the coaching as a ‘quick fix’ and doesn't take responsibility for changing
their behaviour. Such individuals are unlikely to be successful if provided with coaching. Long-term
successful behavioural change requires a great deal of effort and hard work for it to really happen.
 • If the individual is leaving the company or retiring. In this situation, it is unlikely that in such a short
timeframe the organisation will see any benefits in terms of improved performance. Outplacement or
career counselling may be a more appropriate solution.

In many of these situations, we are looking at the boundaries between coaching and therapy. Sometimes a clinical
intervention will be more appropriate support for the individual. A coach should be able to assess if a person is
coachable, but ideally the HR practitioner should try to identify any wider issues before the coach is contracted.

Questions to consider when assessing an individual’ s readiness

for coaching

• Does the problem/development area require more in-depth psychological expertise?

• Is the problem/development area personal or work-based?
• Is the individual a willing participant in the coaching?
• Does the individual accept that the coaching requires considerable effort from them for it
to be successful? Are they resistant to change?
• Is there another equally effective development option that may be more cost-effective?

The business case for coaching

Is coaching worth the time and investment? Based on the results from the 2004 CIPD training and
development survey, it would appear so. Two-thirds of respondents to the survey reported that they felt their
activities had been ‘effective’ (61%) or ‘very effective’ (6%) in meeting objectives. This is a positive response
and is mirrored by the fact that 99% also felt that ‘coaching can deliver tangible benefits both to individuals
and organisations.’ Furthermore, 92% also agreed that ‘when coaching is managed effectively it can have a
positive impact on an organisation’s bottom line.' This is a strong endorsement by the HR community about
the value and impact coaching can have in an organisational setting.

However, some commentators contend that coaching is simply an HR fad. In making the case for coaching,
HR practitioners need to be able to discuss the benefits that both the organisation and individual can expect
Coaching and buying coaching services

to receive.
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Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the black box (CIPD 2003)
The CIPD 2003 Research Report, Understanding the People and Performance Link: Unlocking the black box, may
offer an understanding of how HR activities such as coaching can impact on individual and organisational
performance. This is illustrated in Figure 14.

Figure 14: How coaching can impact on business performance

improves drives delivers

Effectively Employee Organisational Business

managed performance performance performance
coaching • Ability • Cost-effective outcomes
• Motivation HR investment
• Opportunity • Labour
productivity
• Product/service
quality
• Innovation

The research found that employees’ job performance is a function of their ability, their motivation to engage
with their work, and the opportunity to deploy their ideas, abilities and knowledge effectively. Coaching
contributes to this by offering an opportunity to improve the motivation and skills of employees, and enhance
their performance. Coaching can deliver this by:

• developing employee skills in line with organisational objectives

• engaging employees’ with their work, making them feel valued and fostering commitment to the
organisation

• promoting self-responsibility and initiative, and facilitating adaptation to new challenges and change

• accommodating and supporting employees’ obligations to their home lives so that they are productive and
effective while they are at work.

By improving the performance of individuals, coaching should enable the organisation to achieve superior
performance in terms of labour productivity, cost-effective investment in HR, quality, innovation and customer
satisfaction.
 What does the research say? Is there a business case for coaching?
Some research exists about the impact of coaching interventions in organisational settings, but it is far from
comprehensive. There is a broad base of research about coaching more generally, particularly from the sports
world and in educational settings, and this does tend to suggest that coaching is effective in improving
aspects of an individual’s behaviour. There is also a wealth of research relating to specific elements of
coaching, such as the use of specific techniques/tools (eg goal-setting). However, less is known about the
impact of coaching as an intervention in organisations, and particularly about the benefits of using external
coaches. Horner (2002) comments: 'There was surprisingly little empirical research on the efficacy of executive
coaching in the practice of management and leadership. This is particularly so for the practice of coaching by
external coaches, although this lack of empirical foundation has not inhibited practitioners or authors from
advocating their approaches or publishing their views.'

Research that has investigated the views of the participants in coaching generally has very positive findings.
For example, Hall et al (1999) reported that clients most frequently rated the overall effectiveness of their
coaching experiences as ‘very satisfactory’. And a recent study by the International Coach Federation found a
wide range of benefits reported by individuals who take part in coaching. These included:

Increased self-awareness 68% Improved quality of life 43%

Better goal-setting 62% Enhanced communication skills 40%
More balanced life 61% Increased project completion 36%
Lower stress levels 57% Improved health or fitness level 34%
Enhanced self-discovery 53% Better relationship with co-workers 33%
Increased confidence 52% Better family relationships 33%

There appears to be a genuine belief from those who take part in coaching that it does deliver benefits.

But what about benefits delivered to the organisation? Like many other training activities, it's difficult to
identify whether coaching has a direct effect on bottom-line performance because of all the other factors
Coaching and buying coaching services

that influence organisational performance. Studies are nonetheless emerging to substantiate the belief that
powerful benefits are achievable. Several studies have shown that coaching positively influences productivity,
quality, customer service and retention of best employees. One example is a study by Manchester Consulting
Inc., aimed at demonstrating the impact of executive coaching (using external coaches) on the organisation’s
bottom line. They describe a chain of impact originating in coaching: ‘coaching translates into doing, doing
translates into impacting the business, this impact can be quantified and maximised' (McGovern et al 2001).
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The study results demonstrated the effectiveness of coaching and estimated an average return on investment
of $100,000 for the sample. In addition, a recent survey by MetrixGlobal LLC in the USA showed that
coaching produced a 529% return on investment alongside significant intangible benefits to the business.

So, it appears as though evidence is emerging, but much more research is needed before there can be said to
be ‘solid evidence’ of the benefits of coaching. Figure 15 lists some of the common benefits that coaching is
purported to deliver to individuals and organisations. These can be used by HR practitioners in building the
business case for using coaching in their organisation.

Figure 15: Organisational and individual benefits of coaching

Benefits for the individual Benefits for the organisation

• Learn to solve own problems • Improve productivity, quality, customer
• Improve managerial and interpersonal service and shareholder value
skills • Can gain increased employee
• Have better relationships with colleagues commitment and satisfaction, which can
lead to improved retention
• Learn how to identify and act on
development needs • Demonstrate to employees that an
organisation is committed to developing its
• Have greater confidence
staff and helping them improve their skills
• Become more effective, assertive in
• Support employees who've been
dealing with people
promoted to cope with new
• Have a positive impact on performance
responsibilities
• Have greater self-awareness and gain of
• Help employees to sort out personal
new perspectives
issues that might otherwise affect
• Acquire new skills and abilities performance at work
• Develop greater adaptability to change • Gain a satisfactory process for self-
• Improve work–life balance development
• Reduce stress levels • Support other training and development
initiatives eg reduce ‘leakage’ from
training courses
 Part 5 Preparation and setting the scene
Before selecting and recruiting coaches to work with your organisation, there are some important preparatory
activities that require attention. Undertaking these will ensure that the coaching initiative has been carefully
thought through and that all stakeholder groups are clear about what it will involve, and what their role and
responsibilities entail. These include: setting expectations and briefing the individual; gaining the buy-in of
line managers; and ensuring clarity of approach and goals.

Setting expectations and briefing the individual

Coaching works best when the individual is both a willing and an informed participant. The more the individual
understands about the coaching process and is engaged with it, the easier it will be for the coach to work with
them. Before the coach and the individual are introduced, HR has an important role (working closely with the
line manager) in providing information to the individual and preparing them for the coaching activities.

In the past, coaching has often had negative connotations, being seen as a remedial activity. It is therefore
essential that HR practitioners or the individual’s line manager spend time carefully explaining to individuals
the purpose of the coaching, and making sure they don't misinterpret why it's being offered. This is crucial
for realistic expectations to be set. It is also important to understand that individuals may feel apprehensive –
time should be taken to explain how the process will work in order to allay fears and start the initiative off on
the right foot. Key messages to convey to individuals include:

• The organisation values you and wants to further develop your skills.

• This is an opportunity for you to have some one-to-one personal development time.

• The coaching will be confidential (be clear about what information, if any, will be fed back to the
organisation).

• You will have to do the work – there is no magic button to be pressed here.

Managing the individual’s expectations is crucial. Provide the individual with an honest explanation of why
you are recommending that they take part in some coaching, being as specific as possible. This should give
them a clear understanding of why they are being offered the coaching. It's equally important not to ‘over-
promise’ anything to the individual at this stage – for example, by taking part they are not guaranteed a
Coaching and buying coaching services

promotion or any other specific career opportunity.

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Areas for HR or the line manager to cover when briefing individuals are:

• the purpose of the coaching • who the coach will be

• why they have been selected • typical outline of a coaching session

• the objectives for the coaching from the • confidentiality and reporting back of
organisation’s perspective information

• the length of the coaching arrangement • how the coaching will be evaluated.
(number of sessions; length of each session)

Being clear and supportive from the outset will motivate the individual. At an early stage, they should be
encouraged to consider what they would like to achieve from the coaching sessions and identify specific
areas to focus on. The individual should always own their learning. When people are learning things they
have identified as important, relevant and beneficial, they will be better motivated to commit to specific and
practical courses of action to make it happen.

Gaining the buy-in of line managers

The line manager, while not in the primary relationship in coaching (the coach and the individual), is
nonetheless an interested party. HR must ensure that the line manager understands their role in making the
coaching work, and does not simply see it as an easy way to pass on responsibilities for supporting staff
development.

HR practitioners should:

• Explain what coaching is, and what it is not • Manage expectations about how much
to build realistic expectations of outcomes. information they will receive back on the
progress of the coaching.
• Explain how the coaching will benefit the
individual, but also how this will translate • Explain how to identify signs that the
into improved contribution to the team. individual is finding the coaching too
demanding.
• Help the manager understand issues of
confidentiality.
 Managers should set an example by taking the coaching activities seriously and encourage the individual to
spend time and effort thinking about their development and onward career plans. HR practitioners need to
explain that as part of their role in supporting the coaching initiative, the line manager:

• must provide the individual with time to undertake the coaching

• must not expect to get information back from the coach on the individual, unless it has been explicitly
agreed with the individual and the coach

• should not put pressure on the individual to meet unrealistic goals or meet goals in unrealistic timeframes

• should discuss progress with the individual and what they feel they have gained

• should recognise progress and reward achievement of coaching goals.

Conveying these messages and ensuring managers take them on board is a key activity for HR practitioners as
it can have a real impact on the likely success of a coaching initiative.

Ensuring clarity of approach and goals

Considerable money, time and energy will need to be invested to make coaching work effectively and it is
important to be clear about exactly what the coaching arrangement is trying to achieve.

Questions that need to be asked include:

• What performance improvements are • Is the line manager supportive and

desired? ready for the coaching initiative? Do they
understand their role in supporting the
• What are the organisational goals for the
individual?
coaching intervention?
• What is the budget for the programme?
• Are the organisational conditions conducive
to the type of coaching you are planning to • Who will be eligible for coaching? How
introduce? many sessions will initially be planned?

• Is the individual ‘ready’ for coaching? • How will we measure success,

effectiveness and value for money?
• Does the individual understand why they
have been offered coaching?
Coaching and buying coaching services

When these questions have been thought through, and clear answers have been agreed, the selection and
recruitment of the coach(es) can begin. Many of the answers to these questions will also be useful in the
evaluation of the coaching initiative.
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Part 6 Choosing the right coach
The complex coaching marketplace makes decisions about the choice of coach unclear and difficult to
establish. There is little agreement about the characteristics of a ‘good’ coach and much debate about what
kind of experience, background and qualifications are really needed.

Because of this, HR practitioners need to be astute ‘buyers' and be clear about exactly what they want. They
need to build up their own knowledge of coaching so that they can make good decisions during selection
and recruitment. This part of the Guide offers a template of issues that need to be considered, as well as
guidance about the selection process.

Internal or external?
The first key decision is whether to use external coaches or internal coaches. Many organisations, particularly
smaller ones, will simply not have the internal capability and it may be more cost-effective to hire an external
coach, rather than train someone internally. Organisations that are undertaking a considerable amount of
coaching, however, may find it more cost-effective to build up their internal capability and only use external
coaches in certain specific situations. Apart from the impact of cost and resource issues, there are also some
specific situations where either internal or external coaches may be preferable. Hall et al (1999) suggest the
use of internal coaches when a quick intervention is needed and detailed knowledge of the corporate culture
is critical. In contrast, external coaches may be more appropriate when there are highly sensitive or
confidential issues to be addressed or when a coach with extensive and diverse experience is needed.
Figure 16 provides a summary of the different reasons for using internal and external coaches.

Figure 16: Use of internal and external coaches

External coaches are preferable: Internal coaches are preferable:

• For providing sensitive feedback to senior • When knowing the company culture,
business leaders. For political reasons, this can history and politics is critical
be difficult for an internal coach • When easy availability is desired
• For bringing specialised expertise from a wide • For being able to build up a high
variety of organisational and industry situations level of personal trust over a period
• When individuals are concerned about ‘conflict of time
of interests’ and whether confidentiality will be • For not being seen to be ‘selling’
observed consulting time
• For providing a wider range of ideas and • For keeping costs under control –
experience and may be less expensive.
• For being less likely to judge and being
perceived as more objective.
 This Guide focuses on the use of external coaches, so this part will look at the profile of a good external coach,
and how HR practitioners should go about recruiting and selecting coaches to work in their organisation.

What does the profile of a good external coach look like?

The variable quality of coaches who are working in the industry has resulted in practitioners adopting a more
discriminating approach in order to identify high-calibre coaches and secure a quality service. New research
from the University of Central England and Origin Consulting (Arnott and Sparrow 2004) reveals that some
large organisations that use coaching extensively are already using fairly stringent criteria. Apart from the
right cultural fit and personal style, the research indicates that they are also keen to establish other coaching
credentials such as evidence of a positive track record, having a structured approach, relevant qualifications,
adherence to professional standards and evidence of supervision of coaches.

Here are some of the areas that HR practitioners should consider when selecting coaches:

• Appropriate level of coaching experience. Different levels of coaching experience may be required,
depending on the complexity of the issues being addressed, as well as the seniority of the individual. The
coach needs to be ‘fit for purpose’. For example, the level of experience and skill set of a coach needed to
provide career coaching for a junior manager would be different from those needed when an executive is
being coached. To ascertain their level of experience, the coach should be questioned about how many
hours of coaching they have delivered, how many coaching assignments they have delivered, what kinds
of issues they have coached individuals for, and at what level of seniority they usually work.

• Relevant business/industry experience. An interesting, and debatable, criterion when selecting a

coach is whether to look for candidates with relevant business experience (eg of a particular job,
organisation or industry sector). Opinions differ as to whether this is a necessary requirement. Most
people would agree that coaches do need strong understanding of organisational dynamics and the
business world to be effective. However, direct experience of a particular industry or organisation is
unlikely to be a necessary requirement for a person to be an effective coach. It is important to remember
that, while the coach should have a sound knowledge of business, their real contribution is their ability to
help individuals learn and develop. In some cases, though, industry experience may be desirable. In
particular, relevant experience can be useful in establishing the ‘face validity’ of the coach (ie for coaches
to have credibility with the individuals being coached). The competence and credibility of the coach is a
major part in the process of winning over the individual and creating a good working relationship.
Coaching and buying coaching services

Some commentators point out that hiring a coach on the basis of specific experience can be
counterproductive. One of the main benefits of using external coaches is their neutrality and objectivity.
They can uncover limiting beliefs, values and assumptions that may be obstructing the strategic objectives
of the individual and the organisation. Coaches should be hired for their ability to help someone see
opportunities for improvements in performance as well as practical ways to help them make changes. It
should also be noted that, if necessary, HR (working with the coach) can bring in other experts to give
specific technical advice or skills coaching.
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• References. Talking to previous clients of the coach is a good way of finding out about their style and
skills, as well as how effective they were in producing the desired results. A good coach should always be
able to supply references and it's important for HR practitioners to check them early on in the process to
accurately establish their credentials, experience and ability to deliver.

• Background of the coach. Coaches come from a variety of different professional backgrounds. Examples
include human resources, occupational psychology, training and development, sports psychology and
management development. Naturally, these different backgrounds will mean that the coaches will bring
some very different experience and skills to the coaching relationship. One of the most contentious debates
is whether or not a coach should have a background in psychology. This is covered in further detail in the
section on qualifications and training (page 48). There are no right and wrong answers here – the key is to
find a good fit with your organisation and the needs and purpose of the coaching intervention.

• Supervision. Supervision is a formal, independent process of reflection and review to enable the
practitioner to increase their self awareness, develop their competence and critique their work with their
client (Lane 2002). Professor Mike van Oudtshoorn and Professor David Lane from the International
Centre for the Study of Coaching (ICSC)/Professional Development Foundation suggest a number of
benefits that supervision can deliver:

- It offers protection to clients – cases are discussed with trained professionals who are able to identify
areas of potential concern and offer advice or referral to specialist support if appropriate.

- It offers coaches the opportunity to reflect on their work and gain insights to improve their
interventions.

- It offers coaches the opportunity to identify their own personal strengths and weaknesses as a coach in
order to realistically judge what limitations to set with respect to the type of work they undertake.

- It offers coaches the opportunity to learn from peers who have had similar cases and experiences to
further develop their skills as a coach.

- It offers coaches the opportunity to keep up to date with professionals developments in the field and to
continually work to increase their competency as a coach.

Because of these benefits, many in the coaching world believe that supervision is an important part of a
coach's continuing professional development. There is less agreement, however, about what exactly
constitutes ‘supervision’ and whether it is necessary throughout a coach’s career or just while they are being
trained. During selection, HR practitioners can question coaches about their supervision arrangements so
that they feel comfortable with how they review their coaching relationships and keep their skills up to date.

• Breadth of tools, techniques, models. Coaches should have an extensive ‘kit bag’ of tools and
techniques that they use in different situations and with different clients. Coaches should be able to clearly
describe their favoured approaches, but you should watch out for coaches who push particular models and
are unable or unwilling to flex their approach to suit a particular individual/organisation. Good coaches will
use models, techniques and frameworks from a wide range of theoretical backgrounds, including
organisational theory, occupational psychology, psychometrics, learning and counselling.
 HR people should not be overawed by the high number of different models, frameworks or techniques.
As with many things, the simplest tools/techniques are often the most effective. Coaches should use tools
that are ‘fit for purpose’ to encourage reflective learning and change, and they should be able to describe
these clearly and concisely during selection.

• Understanding of boundaries and approach to referral. Coaches should understand the boundaries of
their expertise. This means that coaches should not knowingly accept an individual into a coaching
programme if they need specialist support beyond the competence of the coach or the resources available.
In this situation, the coach should encourage the individual to seek appropriate support from a qualified
professional. It is essential that coaches understand their own limitations and can see when their
methods/techniques are not able to address an individual’s needs. In this situation, the coach, in conjunction
with HR, should follow a process to identify an appropriate practitioner to refer the individual on to.

• Relevant qualifications and training. Coaches should be able to demonstrate that they are competent
in the provision of coaching services. One way of proving this is to demonstrate that they possess a
relevant qualification. A considerable debate surrounds what is considered a suitable ‘relevant
qualification’. A key debate is whether or not coaches need to be fully qualified as chartered psychologists
with the British Psychological Society (BPS). Advocates suggest that these individuals will have a solid
understanding of how people work, covering topics such as personality, learning, behaviour, motivation
and so on. Berglas (2002) argued: 'I believe that in an alarming number of situations, executive coaches
who lack rigorous psychological training do more harm than good. By dint of their backgrounds and
biases, they downplay or simply ignore deep-seated psychological problems they don’t understand.'
However, other parties argue that although coaches need a good understanding of relevant psychological
principles and theories, it is not necessary for them to be formally qualified as a chartered psychologist.
This is because coaching qualifications should cover relevant psychological theories in enough depth to
provide individuals with a necessary grounding for them to operate as a coach.

The training of coaches should be fit for purpose. There is definitely a place for short introductory courses,
but, as with any discipline, expertise will vary depending on the length of the course, level of
qualification, depth of study, practical experience of delivery and extent of supervision and support
received while studying.

There are now a number of different training routes for coaches, and new professionals have a wide range
of options to choose from. Specific coaching qualifications, ranging from masters-level to short courses, are
being offered by institutions across the UK and across the world. Understandably, a qualification that is
specific to ‘coaching’ would seem like the most relevant qualification for a coach to have. However, people
Coaching and buying coaching services

should remember that these qualifications have only been available relatively recently and therefore the
majority of professionals delivering coaching services will not possess one of these newer qualifications. In
such cases you should examine their other formal qualifications and experience.

It is also worth noting that if you are employing a coach for the specific transfer of skills (eg skills-based
coaching on presentation skills), you should look for any further ‘skills-based’ qualifications they might need.
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There is a large number of providers involved in training and accreditation in the fields of coaching. Useful
sources of information on page 74 provides information about some of the different coaching providers,
including their contact details and details of the courses offered.

• Membership of professional bodies. Buyers of coaching services should certainly consider membership
of professional bodies as part of their selection criteria. Professor Stephen Palmer, Past Chair of the
Coaching Psychology Forum, believes: 'the good practitioners are likely to be a member of coaching-related
professional bodies, have relevant qualifications and take part in ongoing continuing professional
development.' As the table in the appendix demonstrates, all the main professional bodies demand that
members adhere to codes of conduct and ethics with associated complaints procedures. While this is not a
watertight guarantee, it does offer some avenue for complaint if the services delivered are unsatisfactory.

• Professional indemnity insurance. Coaches can be asked whether they subscribe to professional
indemnity insurance. Holders of professional indemnity insurance may be understood to take their
professional services more seriously by preparing for any situations where they unintentionally have a
negative impact on their clients. In order to be clear, HR practitioners can ask coaches whether or not they
hold professional indemnity insurance, with whom and for how much. This also provides the organisation
(and HR practitioner) with some legal protection if problems arise as a result of a coaching intervention
introduced by them. Before a coach is formally hired, the HR practitioner should ask to see their certificate
of insurance.

• Other qualities/personal characteristics. The best coaches are those who give honest, realistic,
challenging, feedback, are good listeners and suggest good ideas for action. Beyond looking for specific
qualifications, experience and knowledge, it is important to look for coaches who have certain qualities,
skills or personal characteristics that are critical to successful coaching. Different qualities may be needed
depending on the specific individual, the problems being tackled and the organisational context. However,
it is widely agreed that there are some general skills that characterise effective coaches. These include:

• Self-awareness and self-knowledge • Ability to motivate

• Clear and effective communication skills • Ability to encourage new perspectives
(verbal and non-verbal) • Ability to assist in making sense of a situation
• Relationship-building skills (including ability to • Ability to identify significant patterns of
establish rapport) thinking and behaving
• Flexibility of approach • Ability to challenge and give feedback
• Listening and questioning skills • Ability to establish trust and respect
• Ability to design an effective coaching process • Ability to facilitate depth of understanding
• Ability to assist goal development and • Ability to promote action
setting, including giving feedback
• Ability to build resilience
 The European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) has drawn together an extensive map of the specific
knowledge, skills, behaviours and personal attributes of coaches and mentors that relate to the general
abilities described above. This important initiative has engaged participants from the UK, mainland Europe
and Australia and is the most comprehensive review of coaching and mentoring professional standards and
their associated behavioural indicators.

Building on this work, a key output will be the publication of a set of coach and mentor standards. These
standards will be an important future resource for organisations in supporting the decisions associated with
selecting coaches and mentors as well as the design and evaluation of coach and mentor training
programmes. More information about this project can be found on the EMCC website
www.emccouncil.org.uk
Coaching and buying coaching services
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Part 7 Coach selection and matching
Because of their knowledge and experience of recruitment, HR practitioners are well placed to undertake a
thorough coach selection process. Many of the processes used in general recruitment can be adapted to fit the
coach-selection process, as the same general principles apply. Nevertheless, you should still take time over the
selection process to make sure you find the right match for both the organisation and individual concerned.
Even if just a single coach is being hired, it’s still worth using a rigorous, carefully thought-out process.

The details of the selection process to be used when recruiting a coach will depend on whether you are
seeking to recruit a single coach to work with an individual, or a pool of suitable coaches that you can then
‘match’ to individuals in the organisation as and when coaching is identified as a suitable development
intervention. If you are selecting a coach to work with an individual, the first step will be to look at the
particular needs of that individual and draw this into a desired coach profile. An example of a coach selection
process in this instance is shown in Figure 17. However, it is important to make sure that the process you
adopt will suit the particular needs and culture of your organisation.

Figure 17: Example of a coach selection process when recruiting a single coach

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Assess individual’s Develop desired coach Paper-based selection
development profile (individual and to produce coach
needs organisation requirements shortlist

Step 7 Step 6 Step 5 Step 4

Individual to Make decision Semi- Invite coaches to
meet with (HR and interview. Ask to fill
structured
coach individual) interview in skills/ experience
inventory

When an organisation is implementing coaching for a series of individuals in the organisation, it is often
sensible for the organisation to identify a number of suitable coaches (a ‘pool’) who fit the desired
requirements of the organisation. This allows the organisation to recruit a series of practitioners who fulfil the
organisation’s basic requirements, but who may also have different specialisms or approaches to coaching.
Developing a pool of coaches in this way also allows the possibility of offering individuals a choice about who
 they work with, in the knowledge that all the coaches have been assessed to ensure they fulfil the
organisation’s criteria. An example of a coach selection process using the pool approach is shown in Figure 18,
and more detail on each step follows.

Figure 18: Example of a coach selection process when recruiting a ‘pool’ of suitable coaches

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3

Develop desired coach Develop a pool Paper/web-based
profile(s) (organisation of prospective selection to produce
requirements) coaches coach shortlist

Step 7 Step 4
Draw up ‘pool’ of Step 6 Step 5 Invite coaches to
suitable coaches Make Semi- interview. Ask to
and use in decision structured fill in skills/
‘matching’ interview experience
(individual needs) inventory

Step 1: Develop desired coach profile

The first step in the selection process is to spend time drawing up a profile of the coach(es) you are looking to
recruit. All of the factors discussed in ‘What does the profile of a good external coach look like?’, on page 46,
should be considered. It’s important to make sure that the coach profile is appropriate for the level of the individual
and the budget you have. The coach profile form opposite may be useful in thinking through these issues.

Step 2: Develop a pool of prospective coaches

Once you have decided on the profile of the coach, there are several sources you can use to help you find a
suitable coach. Many professional coaches are self-employed, although there are some coaching organisations
that employ a number of coaches. A good way to find coaches is to contact relevant professional bodies (CIPD,
Coaching and buying coaching services

ICF, AC, CPF – see ‘Useful sources of information’ at the end of the Guide), which can refer you to people who
have graduated from their programmes or who are members of their organisation. All of these bodies have
code of ethics/conduct so hiring a coach from these organisations will at least help to ensure your coach’s
professional conduct and standards are of a high level. Another alternative is to simply use word of mouth. Ask
colleagues in other organisations for recommendations of coaches who have been effective. Ask prospective
coaches to provide you with their CVs and references from previous clients to aid the first step of the selection
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process. Another useful source of information is the Coaching and Mentoring Network website where there is
a searchable coach referral system (see ‘Useful sources of information’ at the end of the Guide). Every coach
on their system has had their qualifications checked and verified.

Example of a coach profile form

Area Desired requirements

Previous coaching
experience

Relevant business/
industry experience

References

Membership of
professional bodies

Qualifications/training

Relevant experience

Professional indemnity
insurance

Supervision

Qualities/personal
attributes

Tools/techniques/
models
 Step 3: Paper/web-based selection to produce coach shortlist
There are several levels of selection for coaches. The first round should involve a paper/web-based exercise of
looking through the CVs of prospective coaches to identify a shortlist of suitable coaches. They should then be
invited for an interview so that you can meet them and ask more questions to determine whether they are the
kind of coach you are seeking.

Step 4: Invite coaches to interview. Ask them to fill in skills/experience/qualities inventory

Organisations hiring coaches need to check coaches’ references and credentials thoroughly as well as assessing
both their coaching skills and industry knowledge. One idea is to use a questionnaire or checklist to get
coaches to clarify their style and approach to coaching and provide information about their skills, experience
and qualifications (including which assessment instruments they are qualified to use).

Step 5: Interview
The interview should be used to establish how well the candidate matches your desired coach profile, and to
explore any particular areas that you would like more information on. The interview can take place face to face
or by telephone. Some example questions are provided in Table 9.

Asking the coaches how they would approach a certain situation or problem is another useful technique for
gaining a more in-depth understanding of their coaching style and approach. During the interview, you should
also discuss with the coaches preferred methods of working. For example, do they deliver coaching face to face,
by telephone, by email or a combination of these. Fees, payment, terms, frequency and estimated duration of
the coaching sessions should also be discussed.

Beware of coaches who:

• can’t explain the model they use • insist on using their own coaching model,
• name individual clients assessment instruments and so forth, instead
of using yours or integrating it with theirs
• can’t say what they can do, and what
they can’t • have only done outplacement work
Coaching and buying coaching services

• don’t know who they would not coach • take credit for past coaching results –
‘I fixed this guy’
• have no experience in organisational settings
(eg only a therapeutic background) • see coaching as a ‘power trip’
• use a strictly counselling approach
(coaching is not counselling)
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Table 9: Questions to ask the coach during the selection process

Area Possible questions to ask if information has not been gathered from CVs
Previous coaching • How long have you worked as a coach?
experience • In what kinds of organisations and industry sectors have you worked?
• At what levels in an organisation have you worked?
• How many hours of coaching have you delivered?
• How many coaching assignments have you delivered?
• What kinds of issues/problems have you coached individuals on?
References • Are you able to provide us with references from previous clients?
Membership of • Are you a member of any professional bodies? If yes, at what level?
professional bodies • Do you adhere to a code of ethics/conduct as part of your membership
of a professional body?
Qualifications/training • What training/qualifications have you undertaken relating to your
coaching practice?
• Please describe any development activities you have undertaken in the
past year as continuing professional development?
• Are you qualified to use any psychometric tests?
Relevant experience • Please describe your business experience?
• What experience/understanding do you have of the [specific
organisation/industry] environment?
Professional indemnity • Do you hold professional indemnity insurance?
insurance • If yes, with whom and to what level?
Supervision • How do you maintain your objectivity and perspective during coaching
assignments?
• What activities do you undertake to keep your skills up to date and ensure
you are keeping abreast of professional developments in the field of
coaching?
• Do you think supervision is important for coaching professionals? What
formal supervision arrangements do you currently have in place?
• Do you have your own coach or supervisor? What are their credentials?
Establishing the coaching • How do you suggest we should evaluate the success/impact of the
framework/process coaching?
• Can you describe the theoretical framework you use for the coaching
you deliver?
• What tools/techniques/models do you like to use?
 Step 6: Making your decision
When making your decision, you should go back to the original coach profile you drew up and assess each
candidate against it. The decision checklist in Table 10 may help with this process.

Table 10: Decision checklist:

Checklist Yes/No/
Unsure

• Did the coach have the experience, training and/or qualifications that are
relevant to your needs?

• Is the coach a member of a professional body that has a code of conduct and
a complaints procedure?

• Is the coach able to articulate, simply, the coaching model they use and the
process that they typically follow? Is it appropriate to your needs?

• Is the coach able to provide examples of the impact of previous

coaching assignments?

• Does the coach understand the purpose and boundaries of coaching?

• Is the coach willing to work with HR and the manager in the coaching
engagement?

• Has the coach undergone formal, independently accredited training?

• Is the coach able to provide evidence of continuing professional development?

• What is the coach’s background? Are they familiar with how business works?
Do they have experience at the right level?

• Would the coach inspire trust and motivation in the individual?

• Is the coach’s style aligned with organisational culture? Is it too flamboyant

Coaching and buying coaching services

or conservative?

• Are they credible? Would individuals take them seriously?

• Does the coach have a coaching supervisor? How regularly do they meet?
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Checklist Yes/No/
Unsure

• Do they demonstrate flexibility in responding to your needs, and the needs

of individuals?

• Do their fees represent value for money and fit in with the agreed budget?

• Are they available to do the work in your planned timescale?

• Are they located for easy access to your organisation? If no, is this an issue?

• Do they broadly fit coach profile you drew up?

• Are there any areas for concern? Do you need to ask other questions?

Step 7: Draw up pool of suitable coaches and use in ‘matching’ (individual needs)
After you have decided which coaches are most suitable for working in your organisation, their details can be
drawn up to form a pool of coaches.

Individual–coach matching
Research has demonstrated that the single most important factor for successful outcomes in one-to one
relationships such as coaching is the quality of the relationship between coach and client. For example, Assay
and Lambert (1999) examined the relative importance of key factors in therapeutic relationships and found
that the largest contributing factor is the existence of a positive relationship. This is why the ‘matching’ of
individuals to coaches is so critical.

Different individuals will prefer different styles of coaching relationship based on a supportive approach,
whereas a few benefit from a rather more confrontational dialogue. Hay (2003) suggests that there is a
continuum of coaching styles based on how directive the coach is in working with the individual (Figure 19).
This is a very broad model of coaching styles and includes styles used by internal coaches and managers who
coach, as well as external coaches. The vast majority of external coaches will work using a style of coaching
 that is closer to the ‘pull’ end of the continuum. Considering an individual’s personality and preferred learning
style may give an indication of which of these styles may work best.

Figure 19: Continuum of coaching styles

Coaching styles continuum

PUSH style PULL style

do it tell them advise suggest drop a ask leave

instead of exactly them what they hint so questions them
them what to what they might do they so they alone: let
do could do realise work it them do
out it

work done by learner

work done by coach

Hall et al (1999) suggests, ‘it is an art to match temperament and learning styles for coaches and clients.’
HR should use information provided by the individual about their specific development needs and preferred
learning styles, alongside information about the coaches’ expertise and style to try to make a good ‘match’.

The matching process

Via the coach selection process outlined above, a shortlist of coaches who meet the minimum requirements of
the organisation will have been identified. Following on, HR must determine appropriate matches between the
coach’s expertise and the individuals needs. Figure 20 illustrates an example of a matching process.

Having identified the specific needs of the individual, HR should identify two or three coaches who have an
appropriate skillset, experience and personality that the individual will find credible and supportive. Information
Coaching and buying coaching services

about the coaches can then be passed to the individual for them to choose who they would like to meet.
Some larger organisations have developed searchable coach databases that individuals can browse through to
select a coach. In this way, HR have established the coach’s track record, but allow the individual an element of
choice so that the final selection decision can be based on a degree of ‘chemistry’ between the individual and
coach. This will be essential to ensuring the coaching relationship works.
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It is important that the individual selects the most appropriate coach for their needs, and not just the one they
like the most. To educate the individuals, the kinds of things they should be looking for in a coach need to be
explained (see Part 6).

Figure 20: Example of a matching process

Coach selection process produces a ‘pool’ or shortlist of coaches

Individual’s specific learning needs and learning preferences are identified

HR identifies two or three suitable coaches using knowledge of individual

and coach expertise

Individual is provided with information about the two or three coaches, to select
one to work with

Individual telephones or meets potential coaches and selects one

Individual notifies HR of choice

HR informs coach of selection and draws up any necessary contractual

arrangements

Individual/HR contacts coach to arrange first session

 Contracting
Establishing a contract for the coaching services is very important as it sets out clearly what services have been
agreed for the fees, and what outcomes and deliverables you are entitled to expect. A contract sets the ground
rules for the coaching relationship so that both parties know their obligations. It is essential to avoid
misunderstandings and provides a firm basis for dealing with any disagreements if any issues arise.

The contract in coaching is often more complicated than those used in counselling/therapy. Normally the goal
of coaching is defined in terms of the client’s professional life rather than their personal life. As a result, the
coaching contract may well include levels of complexity (due to the third party – the organisation) that are not
present in a therapeutic contract. Conflicts may concern issues such as objectives for the coaching (individual
vs organisation) and confidentiality. These areas need careful and explicit explanation in the contract,
particularly when the organisation is providing funding.

The coaching contract represents both its scope and its boundaries and should therefore include:

• the parties to the contract

• how termination by either party will be handled, any alternative arrangement if the coach–individual
relationship doesn’t work out, for any reason, and what monies will owe if the programme is cancelled at
any point

• expected outcomes/deliverables

• etiquette/expected behaviours

• timing, frequency, duration and location of coaching sessions

• confidentiality, feedback and information flow

• use of external resources

• a schedule of payments, with clear indications of when monies are due and precisely what fees include

• arrangements for dealing with additional fees (expenses etc)

• how the work will be controlled and monitored – how regular are reviews?

• criteria for evaluating the results

Coaching and buying coaching services

• if coaching organisations are being used, the coaches providing the services will be identified in the
contract and any subsequent changes will take place only in consultation with the client

• agreement on the nature of the coach–client relationship (eg roles, responsibilities, boundaries, timeframes)

• dealing with further requests for business by individuals which should be cleared by HR

• any variations to the contract being discussed in full and agreed in writing.
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It is important that the expectations of client and coach are spelled out clearly so that they do not give rise to
disappointment or disagreement. The coach should be provided with a copy of the contract for their records.

A more detailed note on confidentiality and information flow

While coaches need to develop trust with the individuals they are working with, HR and top management also
need to be kept abreast of progress. Thus, coaches and HR have to come up with some workable agreements
about the degree and type of confidentiality they can promise the individuals. The nature and extent of
confidentiality should be clarified and explained from the start to all the parties involved in the coaching
assignment. Coaches should respect the confidentiality of both the client organisation and the individual and
no information from either party should be disclosed without prior agreement. Any circumstances in which
confidentiality may be breached should be identified and explained.

Coaches should provide the organisation with regular updates on the progress of services and sufficient
information to enable them to monitor the quality and effectiveness of services provided and the satisfaction of
individuals with services. Individuals should be made aware of what information is being fed back to the
organisation. Individuals can be encouraged to feedback their views about the effectiveness of the coaching as
and when they feel ready to do so.
 Part 8 Managing the onward coaching engagement
After a coach or coaches have been selected to work with the organisation, there are a number of activities that
HR can undertake to build the coach’s understanding of the organisation and make the coaching engagement
run as smoothly as possible. These areas are illustrated in Figure 21 and are discussed in turn below.

Figure 21: Areas to consider when managing the onward coaching engagement

Initial orientation
of the coach

Drawing things Setting up the

to a close coaching

Managing the
onward coaching
engagement

Setting and
Evaluating
managing
effectiveness
expectations
Checking
satisfaction and
progress

Initial orientation of the coach

The first step should be to arrange a briefing meeting with the coach(es). It is important that the coach is
clear about the objectives and desired outcomes for the coaching, as well as having a good understanding of
the broader organisational context. Before the meeting, prepare some background material on your
organisation and a detailed brief for the coach. Some of this may have been covered during selection, but it
Coaching and buying coaching services

is worth spending time going over it again. During the meeting you could usefully consider covering:

• organisation vision, mission, strategy, values, locations, products, customers, competitors and other
important organisational issues

• strategy and context of why you’re conducting coaching

• organisational objectives for the coaching initiative or programme

• how it fits into overall HR/training strategy and activities

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• the coaching process and model, including the organisation's leadership and competency models

• the outcomes/benefits you expect to achieve

• the estimated timescale for the coaching programme

• clear information about roles and responsibilities (coach/HR)

• evaluation of progress and attainment of goals

• confidentiality arrangements

• administration – time and expense records, notice of cancellation, updates on progress etc

• who will be the company contact person.

If you are providing the coach with any sensitive information about the organisation, make sure they have
signed a confidentiality a agreement. It may also be useful to have a discussion about how the coach should
handle typical coaching dilemmas so that potential problems can be considered and are well thought through.

A confidential session should take place to brief the coach about the initial perceptions of the person’s
interpersonal strengths and weaknesses. Information from development centres, appraisals and 360-degree
feedback exercises can be used to illustrate some of the issues identified.

Setting up the coaching

Many coaching relationships start with a three-way meeting between the coach, line manager and the
individual to discuss how the coaching intervention will work. Occasionally, HR may also be involved in this
meeting if it's considered helpful. Issues that need to be discussed up front include confidentiality, the
reporting of information, the structure of coaching sessions and how the manager and HR will receive
information about the effectiveness of the coaching.

There are also logistical topics to be covered. How many sessions will there be? How often should they take
place, and how long will they last? Where will they take place? Will they be face to face or by telephone?
Will there be any contact between sessions? Average coaching interventions are relatively short-term, lasting
between six and eight weeks, but some executive coaching programmes can last for a year or more. The
length of the coaching contract will depend on the coaching aims, the individual’s specific needs and the
breadth of issues to be covered. Myles Downey (1999) suggests the following structure: four sessions,
followed by a six-month break, then a check-up session, with the option of reverting to further sessions if the
need arises. He suggests that this approach prevents the quasi-counselling pattern of regular fortnightly or
weekly sessions running on until the individual wants it to end. It also helps to control costs and reduces the
likelihood of the individual becoming dependent on the coach.
 The coaching sessions themselves should be frequent enough for momentum on the development plan to be
maintained, but should also allow the individual enough time to undertake any agreed activities and to reflect
on the previous session. Fortnightly or monthly sessions may be a sensible approach. There are differing opinions
about the actual length of a coaching session, but many coaches recommend one to two hours as being
appropriate. Janice Caplan (2003) suggests, 'Some points to bear in mind are that coaching can be intense, and
an hour might well be as much as a learner can take. There are also some situations where learners need to
work in a sustained fashion on issues that require a lot of thinking through, and these may require a longer
session. On the other hand, some sessions may be more action-based and the coaching may be shorter.'

There is also the question of how the sessions themselves will be structured. It may be that all the sessions will
follow the same format or they will vary according to different needs at different times. The proposed structure
of the sessions should be discussed so that the individual can put forward their views on the appropriateness
and usefulness of the process used. Although coaches tailor their coaching in different ways depending on the
specific individuals’ needs, many coaching relationships follow a relatively simple structure. For example:

• setting the initial goals for the proposed coaching intervention

• pre-coaching diagnostic work (eg psychometrics, 360-degree feedback)

• providing feedback to the individual on any diagnostic work

• developing more specific action and learning plans and discussion of a variety of approaches for
improving job effectiveness

• regular coaching sessions to implement new approaches and to review progress towards goals

• periodic follow-up and monitoring after the regular coaching sessions have ended.

The individual coaching sessions should have a fairly simple structure that allows flexibility while
retaining a consistent approach. An example of some questions to structure the discussion are:

• How do you feel about your progress with • What factors are stopping you?
the action points from the last session?
• What do you need to change to achieve
• What issues would you like to discuss in this your goal(s)?
Coaching and buying coaching services

session?
• What are your action points to work on
• What would you like to achieve? before the next session?

After the initial three-way meeting where the broad parameters are discussed and agreed, the coach and the
individual should then meet. In their first meeting it will be important to set realistic expectations of the
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coaching relationship, discuss any initial concerns, establish trust and define the parameters of the issues to
be discussed during the coaching sessions.

Setting and managing expectations

At the outset, it's essential to have an open discussion about expectations to make sure any differences are
cleared up early on. The coach is not there to take responsibility away from the individual – they must take
responsibility for driving their own learning and development. The role of the coach is to help the individual
identify goals/development areas (in line with the organisation’s goals for the coaching) and plan appropriate
actions to help them build self-awareness and make sustained changes in their behaviour. It's important to
establish clear objectives alongside measures to evaluate the success of the coaching intervention. This can be
difficult, particularly when the changes involve people’s attitudes and behaviour. However, as far as possible
the objectives should be SMART:

• specific – so people know exactly what's expected

• measurable – so results can be evaluated

• achievable – within peoples’ capabilities

• realistic – so there is a good chance of success

• timebound – with clear milestones of progress.

If the organisation doesn't have any specific objectives for the coaching – for example, if the coaching is
being used to enhance retention or to help people better manage their work–life balance – it's appropriate to
let the coach and individual agree an agenda and objectives without input from HR. The line manager
however should still be involved.

Checking satisfaction and progress

During the coaching intervention, HR should monitor satisfaction and progress by gaining feedback from the
individual, the line manager and the coach. The coach and the organisational representative (HR) should
conduct regular updates and briefings, discuss broad areas that surface in the coaching (without breaching
agreed confidentiality guidelines) and get a sense of how people are progressing towards their goals. The HR
person should also keep the coach abreast of key developments and changes in the organisation that may
have an impact on the individual or the coaching intervention.

Near the end of the programme, it will be useful to review progress with those who attended the original
meeting. This ensures the evaluation process is started, while allowing the coach to address with the
individual any outstanding issues.
 Not all coaching relationships work out. This can happen for a variety of reasons and, in these instances, HR
need to have a mechanism in place for either party (coach or individual) to come out of the relationship. This
process should be covered in the contractual arrangements with the external coach and should be discussed at
the initial three-way meeting so that all parties are aware of it. If the coaching is terminated, the individual may
choose to select an alternative coach to work with or an alternative development approach may be discussed.

Evaluating effectiveness
Assessment of the tangible benefits of coaching are critical. There should be accountability on the part of the
coach, data to prove the value of the initiative for HR and closure on the part of the individual. However,
formal evaluation of coaching initiatives is often lacking, with a large proportion of organisations relying on
little more than anecdotal evidence to measure effectiveness. This was illustrated in the 2004 CIPD training
and development survey, which found that feedback from participants was the most common form of
evaluation used in coaching (see Table 11).

Table 11: Measures used to assess effectiveness of coaching

% of respondents
reporting using this measur e
Feedback from participants 75
Appraisal systems 61
Feedback from coaches 44
Employee attitude surveys 41
Exit interviews 38
Assessment against objectives set at the start of a coaching initiative 37
Business performance indicators 29
360º feedback 25
Staff turnover rates 21
Other 6
Coaching and buying coaching services

Before the coaching assignment begins, it's important to plan how you intend to evaluate the coaching. HR
should work with the line manager and the coach early on to establish realistic ways of monitoring progress
and success. Evaluation should focus on a number of different areas – the performance of the coach,
feedback to improve the organisation’s management/administration of the coaching processes, the
individual's and line manager’s satisfaction with the coaching intervention, the degree of behaviour
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change/development achieved by the individual and the impact on business results. Establishing the return on
investment (ROI) on coaching – as with many other HR activities – is difficult, as it is hard to isolate the
impact of a coaching intervention on business indicators such as productivity and turnover. However, it is
possible to identify a number of measures that can be used to assess overall effectiveness and satisfaction
with the coaching intervention. There is a variety of different options and choices, but which to use will
depend on the exact nature of the coaching relationship. These are illustrated in Figure 22.

Figure 22: Evaluating coaching – some options

Individual and line

manager satisfaction Employee
with the coaching attitude/climate
surveys

Improved appraisal/ The performance

performance ratings of the coach

Evaluation of
coaching: options Staff turnover rates or
Impact on business
performance to consider improved retention of
indicators key staff

Comparison on Feedback from

pre-/post-coaching Achievement of the coach
360-degree feedback objectives set at the
ratings start of the coaching
assignment

Feedback from HR, the individual, the line manager and top management are all important when assessing
the effectiveness of the coaching intervention. But it's essential to consider the higher-level criteria in line
with Kirkpatrick’s four-tier model of evaluation (Kirkpatrick 1967). In particular, HR should look at criteria to
measure the degree of learning by the individual, the degree of behavioural change and the degree of
improvement in business unit effectiveness. Feedback on the coach should also be recorded for use in future
matching decisions.
 Drawing things to a close
As the coaching assignment draws to a close, the coach should discuss any further development or actions
that may be appropriate to continue progress and growth, and to maintain and reinforce any new learned
skills or behaviours. The coach also needs to discuss with the individual and the line manager/HR any further
development actions that may have been raised during the coaching.

• What other forms of ongoing development can be put in place (eg action learning groups, mentors)?

• How will onward progress continue to be monitored?

• How can the individual continue to receive feedback on their performance/development?

• What other areas for development have been identified?

Once the coaching relationship concludes, HR may follow up with individuals and their managers periodically
to assess progress and results. It may be that, at a later stage, further coaching may be appropriate to help
the individual fine-tune behaviour and to reinforce the changes they have made.
Coaching and buying coaching services
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Summary and conclusions
Coaching has rapidly become a significant part of many organisations’ learning and development strategy.
However, due to its relatively recent emergence, few HR professionals have in-depth expertise of managing
coaching activities, and in particular selecting and supervising external coaches. So, many practitioners are
struggling with a variety of issues that are preventing them from gaining full value from their current
coaching activities. Among the challenges reported are confusion around the terminology in use, a lack of
agreement about what a good coach looks like, engaging different stakeholders in coaching relationships,
drawing up contractual arrangements and evaluating the impact of activities. All of these are significant
challenges for HR professionals, as they work to draw up a framework to ensure value for money and
alignment with the organisation’s strategic goals.

The coaching industry itself is at a critical stage. Future success is likely to be determined by the quality and
professionalism of coaches and their ability to deliver demonstrable value to their clients. This is now being
taken seriously and both suppliers and buyers are pushing for greater professionalism, quality standards and
more ethical practice. On the demand side, organisations are becoming more sophisticated about their use of
coaching services. Evidence of the effectiveness of coaching interventions is being sought and more questions
are being asked about accountability and what returns are being seen. HR practitioners must continue to exert
pressure in terms of minimum expected standards, qualifications and outcomes, so that practitioners who
operate unethically are weeded out and the potential benefits of coaching interventions are realised.

Hopefully this Guide provides CIPD members with advice and guidance to help them navigate through the
complex coaching marketplace, by demystifying many of the concepts and terminology in use and providing
clear advice and guidance on some of the processes. We have tried not to set out a single ‘best practice’ set
of processes, but rather discussed the options and offered some suggestions of ways to think through the
issues. The challenge for HR is to take forward some of these ideas and adapt them to fit their organisation’s
culture and strategy, so that they have an informed, tailored and proactive approach to selecting coaches and
managing coaching activities effectively.
70 Coaching and buying coaching services

Comparison of the different coaching professional bodies

Appendix
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ART AND SCIENCE OF COACHING, WHERE WE INSPIRE ORGANISATION WHICH AIMS TO OPERATE AS AN ETHICAL INCLUSIVE BODY COVERING A BROAD SPECTRUM OF
TRANSFORMATIONAL CONVERSATIONS, ADVOCATE EXCEL- AND RESPONSIBLE ASSOCIATION OF MEMBERS, AND TO CORPORATE, VOLUNTARY AND COMMUNITY ORGANISA- q SUPPORT THE SETTING UP OF A 3PECIAL 'ROUP IN
LENCE, AND EXPAND AWARENESS OF THE CONTRIBUTION ADVANCE THE PROFESSIONALISM OF COACHING ACROSS TIONS PLUS ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL TRAINING #OACHING 0SYCHOLOGY WITHIN THE "03
COACHING IS TO THE FUTURE OF HUMANKIND’. THE INDUSTRY. AND DEVELOPMENT QUALIlCATIONS AND ACCREDITING
BODIES IN BOTH THE COACHING AND MENTORING q PROMOTE THE ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL
!S THE INTERNATIONAL PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF 4HEIR VISION IS TO BE THE LEADING MEMBERSHIP COMMUNITIES. DEVELOPMENT OF COACHING PSYCHOLOGY, AND
PERSONAL AND BUSINESS COACHES THE )#& SEEKS TO ASSOCIATION FOR PROFESSIONAL COACHES AND ENCOURAGE ITS RESEARCH AND STUDY
PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY OF COACHING AROUND THE ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN COACHING AND RELATED %-## AIMS TO DRAW TOGETHER THOSE INVOLVED
GLOBE. TRAINING ACROSS ALL DISCIPLINES TO ENABLE INDIVIDUALS IN THE ACTIVITY AND PROFESSION OF COACHING AND q PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF APPROPRIATE
AND BUSINESSES TO DEVELOP, EXPAND AND ACHIEVE MENTORING AND IT WORKS TO PROMOTE BOTH THE ETHICAL STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES FOR THE
THEIR GOALS. ADOPTION OF, AND THE EXPECTATION OF, GOOD PRACTICE OF COACHING PSYCHOLOGY
PRACTICE AND HIGH STANDARDS IN COACHING AND
MENTORING PROVIDERS/CUSTOMERS ACROSS %UROPE. q ENCOURAGE THE DEVELOPMENT OF COACHING
PSYCHOLOGY BY FACILITATING WORKSHOPS,
CONFERENCES AND PUBLICATIONS.

0ROPORTION OF 4HE APPROXIMATE SPLIT IN )#& MEMBERSHIP IS 50:50. 4HE SPLIT INCORPORATES EXECUTIVES, BUSINESS, -EMBERS OFFER A BROAD RANGE OF SERVICES RELATED -EMBERS COME FROM A WIDE RANGE OF COACHING
BUSINESS/LIFE ð0%CORPORATE/EXECUTIVE COACHES AND 40% SPECIALITY (EG HEALTH, LEADERSHIP), LIFE/PERSONAL AND TO COACHING AND MENTORING, BUT THE MAJORITY ARE AND PSYCHOLOGY BACKGROUNDS, BUT ALL ARE
COACHES IN CAREER/PERSONAL/LIFE COACHES. GROUP COACHING FOCUSED ON BUSINESS-WORK-RELATED ISSUES. INTERESTED IN COACHING PRACTICES BASED ON SOUND
MEMBERSHIP PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY AND PRINCIPLES.

3IZE OF ð,500 MEMBERS OVER 33 COUNTRIES, WITH APPROXI- 350n400 MEMBERS (EG INDIVIDUAL AND ORGANISA- 3ð ORGANISATIONS AND 200 INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS. 400 MEMBERS.
MEMBERSHIP MATELY ð00 MEMBERS IN THE 5+. TIONAL MEMBERS). $ISCUSSIONS ARE ONGOING WITH GROUPS IN SEVERAL
%UROPEAN COUNTRIES.

4YPICAL PROlLE !LL MEMBERS OPERATE WITHIN THE COACHING INDUSTRY, )NDIVIDUAL MEMBERS ARE EXPERIENCED COACHES FROM /RGANISATIONAL MEMBERS INCLUDE CORPORATE 4HE #0& CONSISTS OF MEMBERS OR AFlLIATE
OF MEMBERS BUT HAVE DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS. A WIDE SPAN OF BACKGROUNDS AND PROFESSIONAL ORGANISATIONS, COACHING PROVIDERS, PROFESSIONAL, SUBSCRIBERS OF THE "03 WHO MAY BE:
DISCIPLINES n EG CONSULTANCY, (2/TRAINING, ACADEMIC AND QUALIlCATION BODIES.
PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATION ETC. q INTERESTED OR INVOLVED IN COACHING AND
)NDIVIDUAL MEMBERS INCLUDE EXPERIENCED AND COACHING PSYCHOLOGY
/RGANISATIONAL MEMBERS INCLUDE TRAINING PROVIDERS, LESS EXPERIENCED COACHES AS WELL AS TRAINERS AND
COACHING COMPANIES AND LARGE CORPORATE SUPERVISORS OF COACHES. q UNDERTAKING RESEARCH INTO COACHING
ORGANISATIONS.
q WANT TO PROMOTE IMPROVED COACHING
PRACTICE.

/VER 50% OF MEMBERS OF #0& ARE "03

#HARTERED 0SYCHOLOGISTS.

#OMPLAINTS 4HE )#& HAS A FORMAL COMPLAINT PROCEDURE IN 9ES. 4HERE IS A COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE ASSOCIATED WITH 4HE "03 HAS A FULL, COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE
PROCEDURE PLACE THAT PROVIDES FOR REVIEW, INVESTIGATION THE ETHICS POLICY. ASSOCIATED WITH ITS #ODE OF #ONDUCT. 4HIS COVERS
AND RESPONSE TO ALLEGED UNETHICAL PRACTICES OR ALL MEMBERS OF THE #0&.
BEHAVIOUR DEVIATING FROM THE ESTABLISHED )#&
%THICAL 'UIDELINES.

#ODE OF 4HE )#& HAS ITS OWN 3TANDARDS OF %THICAL #ONDUCT, 9ES. 4HE %-## HAS A CODE OF ETHICS, A DIVERSITY POLICY !S ALL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP ARE MEMBERS
ETHICS/CONDUCT WHICH MEMBERS MUST PLEDGE TO ADHERE TO AS PART AND GUIDELINES ON PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION. OF THE "03, ALL MEMBERS MUST ADHERE TO THE
OF THEIR MEMBERSHIP. "03 #ODE OF #ONDUCT. %THICAL PRINCIPLES AND
GUIDELINES FOR PSYCHOLOGISTS ACCOMPANY THE "03
#ODE OF #ONDUCT.
 )NTERNATIONAL #OACH &EDERATION ()#&) !SSOCIATION FOR #OACHING (!#) %UROPEAN -ENTORING AND #OACHING #OUNCIL #OACHING 0SYCHOLOGY &ORUM (#0&)
(%-##)

7HAT DOES -EMBERSHIP ENTAILS BEING PART OF A LARGE, &ULL MEMBERSHIP OF THE !# ALLOWS MEMBERS TO -EMBERSHIP OF THE %-## ALLOWS MEMBERS TO 4HE #0& IS A PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE.
MEMBERSHIP INTERNATIONAL, INDEPENDENT BODY WITH A STATE THAT THEY ARE A MEMBER OF A PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE CREATION OF A %UROPEAN
ENTAIL COMMITMENT TO HIGH, ETHICAL STANDARDS. COACHING BODY WITH A CODE OF ETHICS, COMPLAINTS COACHING AND MENTORING PROFESSION, GOVERNED BY
PROCEDURE AND AGREED STANDARDS. 4O BECOME A WIDELY AGREED CODE OF ETHICS AND STANDARDS OF
A MEMBER ALL APPLICANTS GO THROUGH A VETTING COMPETENCE AND PROFESSIONAL SUPERVISION.
PROCESS, INCLUDING REFERENCE CHECKING AND VERIlCA-
TION OF QUALIlCATIONS.

#OACHING 4HE )#& HAS COACHING STANDARDS AS PART OF ITS 9ES. 4HE %-## IS LEADING A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT #ONTRIBUTING TO THE %-## PROJECT ON COACHING
STANDARDS 3TANDARDS OF %THICAL #ONDUCT. 4HESE STANDARDS TO PRODUCE AGREED COACHING AND MENTORING STANDARDS.
COVER ISSUES AROUND CONlDENTIALITY, CONmICT OF STANDARDS OF COMPETENCIES FOR ALL TYPOLOGIES WITH
INTEREST, PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT WITH CLIENTS AND ASSOCIATED DElNITIONS.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AT LARGE.

-EMBERSHIP 4HERE ARE NO MEMBERSHIP RESTRICTIONS n ANYONE WHO 9ES. !FlLIATES ARE NOT ENTITLED TO USE THE !#’S MARK, #URRENTLY THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS ON MEMBER- -EMBERS MUST BE A MINIMUM OF A GRADUATE
RESTRICTIONS OPERATES IN THE COACHING INDUSTRY CAN JOIN. "Y LETTERS BY THEIR NAME OR ENTRY INTO THE !# ONLINE SHIP AS LONG AS THERE IS AGREEMENT TO SUPPORT THE MEMBER OF THE "03. !FlLIATE MEMBERS MUST BE
BECOMING A MEMBER YOU ARE AGREEING TO ADHERE TO DIRECTORY (SEE GRADES BELOW). VISION AND AIMS OF %-## AND ABIDE BY THE CODE AN AFlLIATE SUBSCRIBER OF THE "03.
THE )#&’S 3TANDARDS OF %THICAL #ONDUCT. OF ETHICS AND ASSOCIATED GUIDELINES ON DIVERSITY
AND SUPERVISION. .ON-MEMBERS CAN STILL ATTEND #0& EVENTS/
WORKSHOPS, BUT WILL PAY A SLIGHTLY HIGHER FEE.

-EMBERSHIP 4HE ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION IS a105 0ER ANNUM: )NDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP IS a100 PER ANNUM. -EMBERSHIP: &REE
FEES ('"0). !DDITIONAL FEES ARE CHARGED FOR )NDIVIDUALS
CREDENTIALING. /RGANISATIONAL MEMBERSHIP IS a300 (INCLUDES 7ORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES ARE OFFERED TO #0&
!FlLIATE a25 + a5 (ONE-OFF REGISTRATION FEE) THREE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS). MEMBERS AT REDUCED RATES. -EMBERS ARE ALSO
!SSOCIATE a45 + a10 (ONE-OFF REGISTRATION FEE) OFFERED REDUCED RATES.
-EMBER a55 + a15 (ONE-OFF REGISTRATION FEE) -EMBERSHIP FOR TRAINING PROVIDERS IS a1,000
&ELLOW a75 (BY INVITATION ONLY BY THE COUNCIL) (INCLUDES lVE INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIPS).

/RGANISATIONS

a150 + a25 (ONE-OFF REGISTRATION FEE)

#OMBINED ORGANISATIONl MEMBER

a170 + a25 (ONE-OFF REGISTRATION FEE)

1UALIlCATIONS 4HERE ARE THREE LEVELS OF )#& CREDENTIALS: 9ES. -ANY %-## MEMBER ORGANISATIONS OFFER A RANGE &ULL -EMBERS OF #0& HAVE A MINIMUM OF A
OF ACCREDITED QUALIlCATION PROGRAMMES. RECOGNISED DEGREE THAT PROVIDES 'RADUATE "ASIS
1. !SSOCIATE CERTIlED COACH (!##) n THIS IS AN OF 2EGISTRATION ('"2) WITH THE "03.
INTRODUCTORY QUALIlCATION FOR COACHES. #OACHES
MUST HAVE RECEIVED ð0 HOURS COACH TRAINING AND &OR #0& MEMBERS TO DESCRIBE THEMSELVES AS
HAVE DELIVERED 250 HOURS’ PAID CLIENT COACHING. #OACHING 0SYCHOLOGISTS, THEY MUST HAVE '"2
PLUS RELEVANT TRAINING AND #0$.
2. 0ROFESSIONAL CERTIlED COACH (0##) n ACHIEVED WHEN
A COACH HAS RECEIVED 125 HOURS’ TRAINING AND HAS
DELIVERED 750 HOURS’ PAID CLIENT COACHING.

3. -ASTER CERTIlED COACH (-##) n ACHIEVED WHEN A

COACH HAS RECEIVED 200 HOURS’ TRAINING AND HAS
DELIVERED 2,500 HOURS’ PAID CLIENT COACHING.

!N )#& CREDENTIAL ONLY LASTS FOR THREE YEARS AND

THEN HAS TO BE RENEWED n AT THIS POINT #0$ MUST
BE DEMONSTRATED.

Coaching and buying coaching services 71

72 Coaching and buying coaching services

)NTERNATIONAL #OACH &EDERATION ()#&) !SSOCIATION FOR #OACHING (!#) %UROPEAN -ENTORING AND #OACHING #OUNCIL #OACHING 0SYCHOLOGY &ORUM (#0&)
(%-##)

2UNS 4HE )#& HOLDS AN ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 9ES. 4HE lRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IS BEING HELD 4HE %-## HAS RUN AN ANNUAL TWO-DAY CONFER- #ONFERENCE AND EVENTS ARE RUN THROUGHOUT
CONFERENCES AS WELL AS REGIONAL EVENTS IN DIFFERENT CONTINENTS. IN /CTOBER 2004. 4HE !# ALSO RUNS MONTHLY #0$/ ENCE EACH AUTUMN FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS AS WELL THE YEAR ON COACHING PSYCHOLOGY AND RELATED
AND EVENTS !T A LOCAL, COUNTRY LEVEL, THE )#& HOLDS MONTHLY TRAINING EVENTS, QUARTERLY DEVELOPMENT FORUMS, AS OTHER EVENTS DURING THE YEAR. COACHING TOPICS.
EVENTS ON KEY ISSUES/TOPICS. -EMBERS OF THE )#& ORGANISATIONAL BREAKFAST TALKS AND MEMBERS’
RECEIVE A REDUCED RATE FOR ALL EVENTS/CONFERENCES. CO-COACHING FORUMS.

0ROVIDES A )#& HAVE AN ONLINE REGISTER OF MEMBER COACHES. 9ES. 4HIS CAN BE FOUND ON THE !# WEBSITE UNDER 4HIS IS CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW. 4HERE IS AN ONLINE REGISTER OF MEMBERS n THIS
REGISTER OR #OACHES WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF CREDENTIALS ARE ON @ONLINE DIRECTORY’ AND IS UPDATED MONTHLY. REGISTER IS LIMITED TO MEMBER COACHES WHO ARE
DIRECTORY OF THE REGISTER TO ALLOW SELECTION OF COACHES WITH "03 #HARTERED 0SYCHOLOGISTS.
COACHES APPROPRIATE EXPERIENCE FOR THE SPECIlC NEED.

!CCREDITS 4HE )#& ACCREDITS COACH TRAINING PROGRAMMES OF 9ES. !T THE MOMENT THE !# ONLY RECOGNISES 4HE %-## DOES NOT AIM TO BE AN ACCREDITING .O.
COURSE AND DIFFERENT LENGTH. #URRENTLY THERE ARE FOUR INDIVIDUAL TRAINERS BUT PLAN TO MOVE TO ACCREDITING BODY FOR INDIVIDUALS BUT TO ESTABLISH AGREED
QUALIlCATIONS ORGANISATIONS THAT OFFER ACCREDITED TRAINING COURSES AND ALSO INDIVIDUAL COACHES. !N INDIVIDUAL ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS OF COMPETENCE
PROGRAMMES IN THE 5+. 4HE )#& ALSO PROVIDES COACH ACCREDITATION SCHEME IS BEING LAUNCHED IN AS THE BASIS FOR ALL ACCREDITED ACADEMIC AND PRO-
CERTIlCATION FOR ONE-OFF EVENTS. 2004. FESSIONAL PRACTICE AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES
ACROSS %UROPE.

0ROVIDES )NFORMATION AND RESOURCES CAN BE FOUND ON THE 9ES. 6IA WEBSITE, ONLINE FORUM, REGULAR UPDATES TO 4HE %-## CURRENTLY PROVIDES MEMBERS WITH A ! SERIES OF ARTICLES ON COACHING PSYCHOLOGY
INFORMATION/ )#& WEBSITE, INCLUDING RESEARCH PAPERS, ARTICLES AND MEMBERS AND A NEW SERIES OF INFORMATION SHEETS NEWSLETTER AND AN E-JOURNAL (ACADEMIC/ TOPICS ARE OFFERED ON THE WEBSITE, AS WELL AS AN
RESOURCES INFORMATION ABOUT THE COACHING PROFESSION. ON GOOD PRACTICE. 4HE !# ALSO PROVIDES INFORMATION PRACTITIONER RESEARCH). !N ONLINE RESOURCE ONLINE JOURNAL. 4HERE IS ALSO AN ONLINE DISCUSSION
TO THE PUBLIC ON TOPICAL SUBJECTS AS WELL AS RESEARCH. CENTRE (ARTICLES/RESEARCH ETC) IS CURRENTLY BEING GROUP THAT MEMBERS CAN USE TO NETWORK/GAIN
DEVELOPED. INFORMATION FROM THEIR PEERS.

0ROVIDES .O, THIS WOULD BE IN CONmICT WITH THE TRAINING .O. 4HE !# DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT A PROFESSIONAL .O, BUT SOME %-## TRAINING PROVIDER MEMBERS .O. 4HE #0& ONLY PROVIDES #0$ WORKSHOPS,
TRAINING SCHOOLS THAT APPLY FOR )#& ACCREDITATION FOR BODY SHOULD ENGAGE IN TRAINING AS THIS MAY CAUSE A DO OFFER COACH TRAINING COURSES. SEMINARS AND CONFERENCES.
COURSES THEIR PROGRAMMES, AND WOULD COMPROMISE THE CONmICT OF INTERESTS OR AT LEAST A TENSION.
INDEPENDENCE OF )#& CREDENTIALING.

2UNS #0$ 9ES, EVENTS ARE RUN AT A LOCAL, COUNTRY LEVEL. 9ES. 4HE !# REQUIRES MEMBERS TO UNDERTAKE 30 #0$ CERTIlCATES CAN BE REQUESTED BY MEMBERS !LL WORKSHOPS/EVENTS/CONFERENCES RUN BY THE
WORKSHOPS !TTENDING THESE EVENTS COULD BE CONSIDERED TO BE HOURS OF #0$ PER ANNUM. ATTENDING %-## EVENTS OR CONFERENCES. #0& ARE CONSIDERED TO FULlL #0$ REQUIREMENTS.
EVIDENCE OF #0$. #0$ CERTIlCATES ARE GIVEN OUT TO ALL ATTENDEES AT
THESE EVENTS.

-ONITORING OF #0$ IS MONITORED AS PART OF THE RE-ACCREDITATION 9ES. 6IA THEIR RENEWAL APPLICATIONS. 4HERE IS NOT A MANDATORY REQUIREMENT FOR 4HE MEMBERS WHO ARE "03 #HARTERED
#0$ PROCESS OF )#& CREDENTIALS. MEMBERS TO UNDERTAKE #0$, BUT THE CODE OF 0SYCHOLOGISTS ARE REQUIRED TO UNDERTAKE #0$.
ETHICS DOES STATE A NEED FOR MEMBERS TO KEEP
UP TO DATE WITH CURRENT THINKING AND PRACTICE.

3UPERVISION #OACHES HAVE TO RECEIVE SUPERVISION DURING 4HE !# RECOGNISES THE VALUE OF SUPERVISION AS ONE 4HE %-## CODE OF ETHICS REQUIRES MEMBER !LL MEMBERS OF THE "03 WHO ARE IN TRAINING
TRAINING FOR ANY OF THE )#& CREDENTIALS. 4HE )#& OF THE TOOLS USED TO ASSIST IN TERMS OF QUALITY COACHES TO BE UNDERTAKING SUPERVISION. &URTHER AS A PSYCHOLOGIST SHOULD BE IN SUPERVISION.
STRONGLY RECOMMENDS THAT ALL COACHES SHOULD BE CONTROL AND COACH SUPPORT. 4HE !# ENCOURAGES GUIDANCE AND A STATEMENT ABOUT SUPERVISION HAS !LL #HARTERED #OUNSELLING 0SYCHOLOGISTS MUST
SUPERVISED AS PART OF ONGOING GOOD PRACTICE. MEMBERS TO TAKE UP SUPERVISION ALTHOUGH THERE IS BEEN AGREED. CONTINUE TO BE SUPERVISED WHILE PRACTISING;
NO ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT. HOWEVER, OTHER GROUPS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS DO NOT
HAVE SUCH RIGOROUS REQUIREMENTS. 4HE #0& RECOM-
MENDS SUPERVISION TO ALL COACHING PSYCHOLOGISTS.
 73
Coaching and buying coaching services
References
ARNOTT, J. and SPARROW, J. (2004) The coaching study HAY, J. (1997) Action mentoring. London: Sherwood
2004. Birmingham: University of Central England. Publishing.
ASSAY, T.P. and LAMBERT, M.J. (1999) The empirical HAY, J. (2003) Coaching. Train the Trainer. Issue 7.
case for the common factors in therapy: quantitative
findings. In: SILLS, C. Towards the coaching relationship. HORNER, C. (2002) Executive coaching: the
Training Magazine, February 2003. pp32–34. leadership development tool of the future? MBA
dissertation, Imperial College of Science, Technology
BERGLAS, S. (2002) The very real dangers of executive and Medicine.
coaching. Harvard Business Review. June. pp86–92.
KILBURG, R. (1996) Towards a conceptual understanding
BRADDICK, C. (2003) Keeping a buyer’s eye on and definition of executive coaching.Consulting
coaching. Available at www.hrworldclass.com Psychology Journal. Vol. 48, No. 2. pp134–144.
[accessed May 2004].
KIRKPATRICK, D.L. (1967) Evaluation of training. In:
CAPLAN, J. (2003) Coaching for the future: How CRAIG, R. L. and BITTEL, L.R. (eds). Training and
smart companies use coaching and mentoring. evaluation handbook. New York: McGraw-Hill.
London: CIPD.
LANE, D. The emergent coaching models. European
CIPD. (2001) Who learns at work? London: CIPD. Mentoring and Coaching Council Conference
Available at www.cipd.co.uk/surveys EMCC9. Available at www.pdf.net
CIPD. (2003) Managing employee careers. London: LANE, D., PURI, A., CLEVERLY, P., WYLIE, R. and
CIPD. Available at www.cipd.co.uk/surveys RAJAN, A. (2000) Employability: bridging the gap
between rhetoric and reality. [Second report:
CIPD. (2004) Training and development 2004.
employees’ perspective]. London, Professional
London: CIPD. Available at www.cipd.co.uk/surveys
Development Foundation.
CLUTTERBUCK, D. (2001)Everyone needs a mentor.
MASCIARELLI, J. (1999) Less lonely at the top.
London: CIPD.
Management Review. April.
CLUTTERBUCK, D. (2003)Creating a coaching
McGOVERN, J., LINDEMANN, M. and VEGARA, M. (2001)
climate. London: Clutterbuck Associates.
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DOWNEY, M. (1999) Effective coaching. London: change, organisational outcomes and return on
Orion Business Books. investment. Manchester Review. Vol. 6, No. 1. pp3–11.

GARVEY, B. (2004) The mentoring/counselling/ PARLSOE, E. (1999) The manager as coach and mentor.
coaching debate. Development and Learning in London: Institute of Personnel and Development.
Organizations. Vol. 18, No. 2. pp6–8.
PURCELL, J., KINNIE, N. and HUTCHINSON, S. (2003)
GRANT, A.M. (2001) Towards a psychology of Understanding the people and performance link:
coaching. Sydney: Coaching Psychology Institute, unlocking the black box. London: CIPD.
School of Psychology, University of Sydney.
RAJAN, A., VAN EUPEN, P., CHAPPLE, K. and LANE,
GRECO, J. (2001) Hey coach! Journal of Business D. (2000) Employability: bridging the gap between
Strategy, March/April. rhetoric and reality. [First report: employers’
perspective]. Tonbridge, Centre for Research in
HALL, D.T., OTAZO, K.L. and HOLLENBECK, G.P.
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Sherwood Publishing. 2nd ed. London: Nicholas Brearley.
 Useful sources of information
Professional coaching bodies (non-profit, independent)

Association for Coaching European Mentoring and Coaching Council

66 Church Road, London W7 1LB Sherwood House, 7 Oxhey Road, Watford WD19 4QF
Tel: +44 (0)20 7389 0746 Tel: +44 (0)70 0023 4683
Email: enquiries@associationforcoaching.com Email: info@emccouncil.org
Website: www.associationforcoaching.com Website: www.emccouncil.org

Coaching Psychology Forum (CPF) International Coach Federation

156 Westcombe Hill, London SE3 7DH PO Box 2872, Tipton, DY4 0YW
Tel: +44 (0)20 8293 4114 Tel: +44 (0)87 0751 8823
Email: info@coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk Email: info@coachfederation.org.uk
Website: www.coachingpsychologyforum.org.uk Website: www.coachfederation.org

Coaching-related organisations

Association of Business Psychologists British Psychological Society

211/212 Piccadilly, London W1J 9HG St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester
Tel: +44 (0)20 7917 1733 LE17DR
Email: admin@theABP.org Tel: +44 (0)11 6254 9568
Website: www.theabp.org Email: enquiry@bps.org.uk
Website: www.bps.org.uk
Association of Career Professionals International
World Headquarters, 204 E Street NE, Washington Chartered Institute of Personnel and
DC 20002, United States of America Development (CIPD)
Tel: 1-202-547-6377 CIPD House, Camp Road, London SW19 4UX
Email: info@acpinternational.org Tel:+44 (0)20 8971 9000
Coaching and buying coaching services

Website: www.acpinternational.org Email: training.hotline@cipd.co.uk

Website: www.cipd.co.uk
Association for Professional Executive Coaching
and Supervision (APECS) Coaching and Mentoring Network
Tel: +44 (0)20 8746 2157 or +44 (0)14 9163 8941 PO Box 5551, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 7WB
Email: info@apecs.uk.com Tel: +44 (0)87 0733 3313
Email: annabg@coachingnetwork.org.uk
Website: www.coachingnetwork.org.uk
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Coaching and buying coaching services
International Centre of the Study of Coaching National Mentoring Network
(ICSC), Middlesex University First Floor, Charles House, Albert Street, Eccles M30 0PW
Tel: +44 (0)20 7794 7142 Tel: +44 (0)16 1787 8600
Email: masterypractice@aol.com Email: enquiries@nmn.org.uk
Website: www.icscoaching.org Website: www.nmn.org.uk

International Stress Management Association Worldwide Association of Business Coaches

PO Box 348, Waltham Cross EN8 8ZL c/o WABC Coaches Inc, 8578 Echo Place West,
Tel: +44 (0)70 0078 0430 Sidney BC V8L 5E2, Canada
Email: stress@isma.org.uk Email: membersupport@wabccoaches.com
Website: www.isma.org.uk Website: www.wabccoaches.com

Organisations offering coaching qualifications/training courses

AAA coaching partners City University

Tel: +44 (0)61 75591 2403 Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB
E-mail: michelle@aaa-coaching-partners.com Tel: +44 (0)20 7040 8268
Website: www.aaa-coaching-partners.com Email: conted@city.ac.uk
Website: www.city.ac.uk/conted
Academy of Executive Coaching
62 Paul St, London EC2A 4NA Clutterbuck Associates
Tel: +44 (0)17 2786 4806 Burnham House, High Street, Burnham,
Email: info@academyofexecutivecoaching.com Buckinghamshire SL1 7JZ
Website: www.academyofexecutivecoaching.com Tel: +44 (0)16 2866 1667
Email: info@clutterbuckassociates.co.uk
Centre for Coaching
Website: www.clutterbuckassociates.co.uk
156 Westcombe Hill, London SE3 7DH
Tel: +44 (0)20 8293 4334
Coach Training Alliance
Email: admin@centreforcoaching.com
2245 Eagles Nest Drive, Lafayette, CO 80026, United
Website: www.centreforcoaching.com
States of America
Tel: 303-464-0110
Chartered Institute of Personnel and
Email: ideas@CoachTrainingAlliance.com
Development (CIPD)
Website: www.coachtrainingalliance.com
CIPD House, Camp Road, London SW19 4UX
Tel: +44 (0)20 8263 3434
Email: training.hotline@cipd.co.uk
Website: www.cipd.co.uk/train
 Coaching at Work – CIPD coaching courses and qualifications
The CIPD leads the development and promotion of good practice in the field of personnel,
training and development and this is reflected in the new portfolio Coaching at Work.

The Coaching at Work portfolio offers practical certificate programmes, short courses and
publications that enable individuals to achieve their full potential in the coaching arena.

Advanced Certificate of Coaching and Mentoring Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring

The Certificate and the Advanced Certificate have been developed by the CIPD in association with
the Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring. Both programmes provide understanding of theory
and practice using a blended style of face-to-face, distance and online learning methods.

Shorter courses
A selection of two-day training courses offer more in-depth practical skills training. These include:

Coaching for Organisational Success Team Coaching

Takes a strategic view of coaching and mentoring Identifies how team coaching differs from
and is an opportunity for HR, training and individual coaching, enabling participants to
development practitioners to work as strategic develop the knowledge, skills and qualities to be
business partners with their line colleagues. an effective team oach.

The Manager as Coach Coaching using NLP

Focuses primarily on helping participants develop NLP enables coaches to appreciate situations from
their skills as coaches. In the process, participants different perspectives, releasing the true potential
will be developing their skills and confidence to of the individual.
adopt a more ‘hands off’ approach to their work.

Career Coaching Psychology of Coaching

Defines the career-coaching process. It combines Provides managers and coaches with a range of
knowledge and understanding of key strategies psychological tools that will help to identify how they
for dealing with a range of issues in career habitually think, feel and behave can act as barriers
management. to achieving their own and organisational goals.

Executive Coaching The Supervision of Coaches

Coaching and buying coaching services

Designed for senior executives who wish to learn Develops the skills of supervising coaches,
more about executive coaching and the business enabling them to supervise other practising
benefits of implementing a coaching programme coaches.
for their organisation.

NB Attendance at a two-day programme with reflection notes gives exemption to one of the knowledge modules on the
Advanced Certificate.
All of these programmes may be held on an in-company basis and tailored to meet your organisation's requirements. For
further information, please see the CIPD website (www.cipd.co.uk/train) or call +44 (0)20 8263 3434.
76
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Coaching and buying coaching services
Coach Training Institute Duncan MacQuarrie Limited
Headquarters: 1879 Second Street, San Rafael, 84 Brook Street, Mayfair, London W1K 5EH
CA 94901 Tel: +44 (0)87 0751 8822
Tel: +44 (0)23 8029 3212 Email: Elizabeth@DuncanMacQuarrie.com
Email: info@co-activecoaching.co.uk Website www.DuncanMacQuarrie.com
Website: www.thecoaches.com
European Coaching Foundation
Coach U Europe 23 Blackwell Business Park, Blackwell, Shipston-on-
Paraid House, Unit 4, Bond St, West Bromwich, West Stour, Warwickshire CV36 4PE
Midlands B70 7DQ Tel: +44 (0)87 0010 6270
Tel: +44 (0)80 0085 4317 Email: info@europeancoachingfoundation.co.uk
Email: info@coacheurope.com Website: www.europeancoachingfoundation.co.uk
Website: www.coachueurope.com
i-coach academy
Coaching Futures Tel: +44 (0)20 8788 0216
37 Grays Inn Road, London SW1X 9PQ Email: caroline@i-coachacademy.com
Tel: +44 (0)20 7242 4030 Website: www.i-coachacademy.com
Email: info@managmentfutures.co.uk
Website: www.coachingfutures.co.uk Newcastle College
FREEPOST NT920, Scotswood Road,
College of Executive Coaching Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE4 5BR
Wolverhampton Science Park, Wolverhampton, West Tel: +44 (0)19 1200 4000
Midlands WV10 9RU Email: enquiries@ncl-coll.ac.uk
Tel: +44 (0)87 0756 7555 Website: www.ncl-coll.ac.uk
Email: info@coec.co.uk
Website: www.coec.co.uk Newfield Network Inc
Tel: 301 570 6680
Corporate Coach U Email: coachinfo@newfieldnetwork.com
PO Box 881595, Steamboat Springs, CO, 80488- Website: www.newfieldnetwork.com
1595, USA
Tel: 1-719-227-1333 Oxford Executive Coaching
Email: admissions@coaching.com 19 Norham Road, Oxford OX2 6SF
Website: www.ccui.com Tel: +44 (0)18 6531 0320
Email: bebrilliant@oxec.co.uk
Website: www.oxec.co.uk
 Oxford Brookes University
Headington Campus, Gipsy Lane, Oxford OX3 0BP School of Coaching
Tel: +44 (0)18 6548 8350 3 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DG
Email: ecox@brookes.ac.uk Tel: +44 (0)20 7004 7151
Website: www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/education/ Email: jackiewrout@theschoolofcoaching.com
macoachment.html Website: www.theschoolofcoaching.com

The Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring Sheffield Hallam University

Centrepoint, Chapel Square, Deddington, Postgraduate Office Room 7301, School of Business
Oxfordshire OX15 0SG and Finance, Stoddart Building, City Campus,
Tel: +44 (0)18 6933 8989 Howard St, Sheffield S1 1WB
Email: kay@oscm.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)11 4225 2820
Website: www.oscm.co.uk Email: sbf@shu.ac.uk
Website: www.shu.ac.uk
Penna Consulting
55 Gracechurch St, London EC3V 0EF The Coaching Academy
Tel: +44 (0)20 7933 8333 20 Landport Terrace, Southsea, Hampshire PO1 2RG
Email: corporate@e-penna.com Tel: 0800 783 4823
Website: www.e-penna.com Fax: +44 (0)23 9286 1584
Email: info@the-coaching-academy.com
Performance Consultants (in conjunction with Website: www.lifecoachingacademy.com
University of Portsmouth Business School)
Southfield, Leigh, Kent, TN11 8PJ UK College of Life Coaching
Telephone: +44 (0)1732 457700 Science Park, Stafford Rd, Wolverhampton, West
Fax: +44 (0)1732 741700 Midlands WV10 9RU
E-mail: enquire@performanceconsultants.co.uk Tel: +44 (0)87 0756 7444
Website: www.performanceconsultants.co.uk Email: enquiries@ukclc.net
Website: www.ukclc.net
Peter Bluckert Coaching (in conjunction with Leeds
Metropolitan University or Dublin Institute of Wolverhampton University
Coaching and buying coaching services

Technology, Ireland) The Postgraduate and Professional Office, University

Old Gate House, 9 Wingfield Court, Bingley, West of Wolverhampton, Compton Park Campus,
Yorkshire BD16 4TE Compton Road West, Wolverhampton WV3 9DX
Tel: +44 (0)12 7456 6060 Tel: +44 (0)19 0232 1081
Email: mail@pbcoaching.com Email: uwbs-graduate@wlv.ac.uk
Website: www.pbcoaching.com Website: www.uwbs.wlv.ac.uk
78
 79
Coaching and buying coaching services
Acknowledgements
The CIPD would like to thank all those who gave their time to take part in the advisory panel for this guide:

John Bailey Director of Coaching, KPMG

Peter Bluckert PB Coaching; EMCC

Amanda Bouch Head of Organisational Development, Association for Coaching

Carol Braddick Graham Braddick Partnership

Paul Brankin Oxford Executive Coaching

Janice Caplan Scala Associates; CIPD Vice-President’s Panel for Learning, Training
and Development

Margaret Chapman-Clarke Loughborough University/EI-Consulting; Chair-Elect, CPF

David Clutterbuck Clutterbuck Associates; EMCC

Elizabeth Ferguson International Coach Federation; Duncan MacQuarrie Associates Ltd

Julie Hay Psychological Intelligence Ltd; A D International; EMCC

Caroline Horner i-coach Academy

Professor David Lane Middlesex University; EMCC; CPF; The Professional Development Foundation

Gladeana McMahon Penna Consulting; Association for Coaching

Professor David Megginson Sheffield Hallam University; EMCC

John O’Brien John O’Brien Associates

Jayne Owen Proteus Change Management; CIPD Executive Board Member

Professor Stephen Palmer Coaching Psychology Forum; Association for Coaching; Centre for Coaching

Eric Parsloe Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring; EMCC

 Professor Mike van International Centre for the Study of Coaching, Middlesex University
Oudtshoorn

Katherine Tulpa Chair, Association for Coaching; Urban Coaching

Pauline Willis Coaching and Mentoring Network; EMCC; Chair, CPF

Robert Wylie Royal Bank of Scotland

I would also like to thank the committee members of the CIPD Counselling and Career Management Forum
for their advice and guidance on the project, particularly:

Barry Hine People Management Studio

Anji Marychurch Career Coaching Ltd

Hayley Merron Aspiro Consulting

John Mockler Health Resources; Chair of the Counselling and Career Management Forum

Derek Osborn Whatnext 4U

Noreen Tehrani Chartered Psychologist

Coaching and buying coaching services
80
 The CIPD explores leading-edge people

management and development issues at a

strategic level. Our aim is to share knowledge

to increase learning and understanding to

improve practice. We produce surveys,

think-piece Change Agendas and introductory

Factsheets and Topics for Trainers that all are

available to download from our website.

Issued: June 2004 Reference: 2995

Chartered Institute CIPD House Camp Road London SW19 4UX

of Personnel and Tel: 020 8971 9000 Fax: 020 8263 3333
Development Email: cipd@cipd.co.uk Website: www.cipd.co.uk
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© Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2004