Coaching: as a management philosophy

Abstract: As the business environment becomes more competitive, companies are forced
to push themselves to the very edge of their capabilities. Ultimately the
success of the company relies on the people within. Coaching has become an
increasingly used method in order to enhance the individual and
organizational performance. The purpose of this study is to provide a
better understanding of how coaching is used as a management philosophy
within corporations. To reach this purpose we have conducted multiple case
studies of Nordea, Plastal Group, and Freys Hotel. We have investigated the
objectives with coaching, the strategies of coaching, and how the effects
of coaching can be measured. Our main findings show that the objectives
could be described on both an individual as well as an organizational
level. The main objectives are to enhance the individual’s performance
level: however, the overall aim is to create synergy effects that affect
the entire organization. Regarding the coaching strategy we found that
coaching is not considered a time-limiting event with an initial phase and
a final stage. It is considered to be an ongoing function, and the factors
affecting the process are continuously changing and the process must adapt
to this. We have further found that coaching is considered a hands-off
leadership style. Regarding the specific techniques used, our findings
indicate that a structured technique exclusively for coaching is not
commonly used. Fixed frames and criteria are only used to a limited extent,
due to the fact that it is the individual situation that is considered the
most important factor. Finally, measuring the effects of coaching was found
to be extremely difficult to conduct, since the impact of coaching is hard
to isolate and the fact that it is an on-going process. However, we did
find monitoring of the progress to be the most commonly used method in
order to evaluate the effects of coaching.