Richard Pelzer
University of the Rockies
Abstract
In today’s context of the fast-paced and ever changing workplace, the most successful leaders are those who face new challenges with current and relevant solutions. The most successful approach to the current demands is to train and develop leaders into coaches. Leaders who coach can balance employee concerns with people performance and the goals of the company. This type of leadership can cultivate an organizational culture that is highly motivated and higher performers. A coaching culture blurs the hierarchical chain of command and replaces it with a stronger informal network of increased performers who communicate better between people. In the following is a proposal for developing a coaching culture that will teach senior leaders and managers to be leader/coaches.
Developing a Coaching Culture at Weatherford International This benchmark proposal for developing a coaching culture is a result of a need to build a credible business initiative at Weatherford International that will connect quintessential business outcomes and individual and group performance with essential organizational operations. Fundamentally, this proposal illustrates how training leaders to be internal coaches is a more scalable, sustainable and robust approach to driving change and improving performance. Seen across many wide base industries, there is a strong trend toward growth in coaching and a coaching culture (Boyatzis, 2002). In particular, the vast variety of ways in which coaching is used also appears to be expanding. In addition to individual coaching, which is focused more on high-potential leaders, workshops for coaching skills, team and group coaching and one-on-one mentoring are emerging as vital coaching activities that organizations use to expand the benefit of coaching to all employees (Baek-Kyoo, Sushko, & McLean, 2012). According to Ginka
References: Baek-Kyoo (Brian), J., Sushko, J. S., & McLean, G. N. (2012). Multiple faces of coaching: Manager-as-coach, executive coaching, and formal mentoring. Organization Development Journal, 30(1), 19-38. Blattner, J., & Bacigalupo, A. (2007). Using emotional intelligence to develop executive leadership and team and organizational development. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 59(3), 209-219. Boyatzis, R.E. (2002). Unleashing the power of self-directed learning. In R. Sims (ed.), Changing the Way We Manage Change: The Consultants Speak. NY: Quorum Books. Chao, G. T. (2009). Formal mentoring: Lessons learned from past practice. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(3), 314-320. Frankovelgia, C., & Martineau, J. (2006). Coaching teams, In S. Ting & P. Scisco (Eds.), The CCL handbook of coaching: A guide for the leader coach (pp. 379-403). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A Hernez-Broome, G. (2002). In it for the long haul: Coaching is key to continued development. Leadership in Action, 22(1), 14-16. Kram, K. E., & Ting, S. (2006). Coaching for emotional competence. In S. Ting & P. Scisco (Eds.), The CCL handbook of coaching: A guide for the leader coach (pp. 179-202). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Lees, I Livers, A., B., (2006). Coaching leaders of color. In S. Ting & P. Scisco (Eds.), The CCL handbook of coaching: A guide for the leader coach (pp. 92-121). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Megginson, D Smith, P. A. C. (2001). Action learning and reflective practice in project environments that are related to leadership development. Management Learning, 32(1), 31-38. Toegel, G., & Nicholson, N. (2005). Multisource feedback, coaching, and leadership development: Gender homophily in coaching dyads. Academy of Management Annual Meeting Proceedings. Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. C. (2010). Stages of Small-Group Development Revisited. Group Facilitation: A Research & Applications Journal, 1043-48. Vince, R., & Martin, L. (1993). Inside action learning: An exploration of the psychology and politics of the action learning model. Management Education and Development, 24(3), 205-205. Wakefield, M. (2006). Brief solution-focused coaching. In S. Ting & P. Scisco (Eds.), The CCL handbook of coaching: A guide for the leader coach (pp. 286-311). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.