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Successful coaching by supervisors is best
supported by the organization when it has
clear expectations of employees based on shared
mission, vision and goals and when the values
of coaching are aligned with accountability
and reward structures. In such a case, the
task of the coach is to help the employee
examine his activity in the light of how it
is supporting organizational and personal
objectives. If, however, the real message
is "Do what the boss tells you to do."
then people learn very quickly, and coaching
becomes an empty ritual. As an example,
I worked for a number of years in one organization
where coaching was part of the management
process and appraisal was part of the coaching
process. The appraisal was a joint discussion
between supervisor and worker in which the
two reviewed the work of the past year and
set goals and performance measures for the
next year. Once goals were set, then training
needs were identified, and the organization
provided either internal or external training
to meet those needs. The appraisal was recorded
in a document that included evaluation of
both the subordinate and the supervisor and
was signed by both. The appraisal form also
provided opportunity to document areas of
disagreement if they occurred. This
system was a good one, but it worked with
greater or lesser effectiveness depending
on where you were located in the organization.
The operations departments of the organization
was organized into teams, and people took
the process seriously. Appraisal was an generally
an open and fair process, and the necessary
training that went with it was consistently
provided. Further up the hierarchy of
the organization, political jostling was the
prevalent modis operandi , and with the exception
of one key person, neither coaching nor appraisal
were given much berth. It is often the case
that different cultures prevail at different
levels in an organization. A consequence for
this may be that while the organization espouses
support for coaching, the structure may undermine
it by not providing necessary support for
coaches. Support for coaching is needed
because the supervisor will be caught up in
the same interpersonal and organizational
processes that she is working to help subordinates
deal with. She will also have concerns about
her level of skills and questions of accountability.
If coaching is done in a pyramid fashion that
reflects the hierarchy of the organization,
the process may ‘top out’ at the
level where the culture changes. So for instance,
a middle manager who is coaching supervisors,
who coach workers, may find that there is
no one above her to coach and support her.
She will need this help to maintain her effectiveness
and energy in the role. Organizations have
typically provided this either with external
coaches or with designated coaches in the
human resources staff.
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