Survey establishes whether executive coaching is vanity or value?
At our client forum, held at the British Library in March, we asked delegates whether they thought Executive Coaching was Vanity or Value? The delegate list included representatives from major financial, not for profit, academic, technology and media organisations.
Topline findings were as follows:
< Almost half said they did not feel their organisation had a clear, shared and agreed purpose for coaching
< 80% said their organisation's approach to coaching was ad hoc and reactive
< none of the respondents thought their coaching programmes were strategically planned and implemented
< 40% do not believe there is a clear mechanism for measuring coaching effectiveness within their organisation
< respondents firmly agree that executive coaching is more about adding value than vanity
Colin Williams, Managing Director, Wescott Williams, said: "These are extremely interesting results. On the one hand, executive coaching is firmly valued and attracting bigger budgets than ever before. However, few of the large organisations we spoke to seem to have developed a strategic process for implementing coaching programmes or measuring the impact of any coaching activity they undertake.
"This is something they know they are going to have to work at changing if they are going to experience ultimate value from their coaching."
"Research and discussions have highlighted where coaching seems to be of best value is when it is undertaken as an integral part of an organisational development initiative within an organisation. This means that the outcomes of the coaching work are fully aligned with the objectives of the organisation and hence value, that can be clearly measured, can be achieved"
Wescott Williams' seminars take place four times a year and are designed to bring together thought leaders from across training, development, coaching and HR functions to discuss hot topics within these disciplines.
For further details of forthcoming events, please contact Phillipa Gapper on 01225 731406. E: phillipa.gapper@wescottwilliams.com.
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