Current Coaching Approaches

The business environment is consistently experiencing changes as new innovation is introduced consistently, which emphasizes the need to practice coaching. The essay will analyze the current coaching approaches that organizations use to promote career growth and productivity of organizations. These approaches include humanistic, cognitive, goal-oriented, systematic, positive psychology, and adaptive coaching. Moreover, the essay will address strategies that organizational managers will utilize in enhancing effectiveness of coaching in promoting competence among employees and enhancing productivity.

Coaching Approaches 

Organization managements have a wide range of approaches to choose from when facilitating coaching among their employees. Some of the current approaches suitable for coaching within organizations include humanistic, goal-oriented, cognitive, systematic, positive psychology, and adaptive. The approaches are suitable because they help an organization to manage the potential of their employees and align with organizational goals and objectives. Furthermore, the six approaches are essential in enabling employees develop competencies required to complete a given task.

Humanistic Coaching 

Humanistic coaching approach is intended at enabling employees reach their full potential in the workplace, which enhances productivity and career development. According to Gregory and Levy (2013), the humanistic approach is person centered such that it focuses on individual needs and helps the employee achieve self-actualization and attain full potential. Thus, the approach aligns with principles of humanism theory which emphasizes on the need for individuals to focus on their own potential aimed at facilitating growth. Furthermore, the approach significantly relies on the existing relationship between the employees and the coaches because the depth of trust between the involved parties determines whether the approach will be successful. Gabriel et al. (2014) argues that humanist coaching influences the performance of an employee in an organization because it focuses on positive change in the employee such that he or she pursues growth and development. Therefore, the coach should help the employee to identify opportunities that will facilitate growth and maximize an individual’s potential. The role of the coach when utilizing this style is non-directive and instead the two parties consult to reach a consensus. A successful integration of this approach in coaching requires exploitation of principles of psychology in the process to make it more productive (Connolly, 2016). Hence, the coaches emphasize self-actualization and self-efficacy when interacting with an employee.

Cognitive Coaching 

Cognitive coaching is a therapeutic approach that aims at challenging the reasoning behind decisions and practices that employees or leaders within a business environment make. The approach follows the principles of cognitive learning theory to demonstrate the mental processes involved in influencing both internal and external factors engaged in a learning process (Erisen et al., 2016). According to Gonzalez et al. (2015), the approach helps to address negative thoughts where some employees might feel that their counterparts are being unproductive because they engage in certain activities. Consequently, the coach helps the employee to reconsider such maladaptive features and recommend a more open-minded way of thinking. For instance, when cognitive coaching is utilized in a school setting, the coaches recommend teachers to improve the nature of instructions that they give their learners to enhance their understanding (Parker, 2020). Hence, the model demonstrates that instead of the teacher perceiving learners to be less hardworking, he or she should improve the mode of delivering the content to ensure that the learners gain more understanding on what they are being taught. Subsequently, the model encourages employees to blame themselves first for failures and attempt to improve their behavior rather than accusing others. Even though cognitive coaching is not a holistic mode of coaching, it influences employees to alter their behaviors positively and facilitate career growth.

Goal-Oriented Coaching 

Goal-oriented coaching is the most popular approach utilized in multiple workplaces because it helps employees focus on how they will attain a specific goal outlined by the organization. Goal-oriented coaching aligns with goal setting theory, which acknowledges the importance of laying down a plan towards achieving set goals and objectives (van der Hoek et al., 2016). Hence, the plan allows individuals to identify possible solutions for challenges encountered making the plan more effective. Ives & Cox (2012) argue that goal-oriented coaching aims at enabling employees within organizations to develop attainable goals and also develop a suitable action plan that will facilitate acquisitions of such goals. Furthermore, the coaching strategies applied in this model targets at increasing the productivity of employees as opposed to being transformational. The employee plays an essential role in facilitating the effectiveness of this model because he or she must have the capability to self-regulate and utilize cognitive capabilities in achieving the desired changes (Megginson, 2014). Such skills are essential because after the coaching, it is expected that the employee will not lag back again. Instead, the goal is to ensure that employee continuously pursues success. Interestingly, the employee that benefit from goal oriented coaching demonstrates high levels of emotional intelligence. The skill enables them to accurately perceive their own emotions and that of others in their work environment, which significantly contributes to the nature of engagement that will ensue (Stillman et al., 2017). Moreover, emotional intelligence is essential at workplace because it enables employees regulate their emotions, which reduces the emergence of conflicts among the employees. Employers in today’s society have discovered the importance of teamwork in pursuing organizational growth and therefore such an attribute plays a key role in facilitating career development.

Systematic Coaching 

Systematic coaching is a holistic approach that considers multiple attributes that influences the capability of employees to be productive at their workplaces. Like the systems theory suggests, the systematic approach deals with a comprehensive scenario within an organization that threatens the effectiveness of an organization (Dickens, 2012). According to Grover & Furnham (2016), the approach recommends that the coach analyzes the working patterns of a specific employee and identifies factors that could possibly lead them to drag their working habits. The coach responds to such habits by disrupting the existing work pattern and introducing new habits that the employee should abide with. Furthermore, the approach recommends that the coach identifies simple techniques that can help an employee improve one’s performance by adding them to the existing patterns. Consequently, the approach involves active participation on both the coach and the employee towards achieving the desirable change. For instance, the coach must frequently check on the employee to determine whether the introduced habits are effective and are causing the anticipated change from the employee (Lawrence, 2019). Hence, the coach helps the employees to regulate their own skills and integrate available resources towards achieving the desired changes. Moreover, employees are able to identify their top challenges as they execute their responsibilities at work and identify suitable solution so that they can achieve the desired changes. The employees will therefore become more confident about their performance and pursue the desired changes and goals in their career.

Positive Psychology model 

The positive psychology model has gained popularity over the last few years because it focuses on the existing strengths that an employee exhibits. The positive psychology theory argues that both positive emotional and mental factors influence satisfaction and happiness among individuals, which is the principle that the approach integrates. Van Zyl et al. (2020) argues that the model is scientifically proven to have a positive impact in improving employee performance and facilitates acquisition of the intended goals. The model argues that every individual has some talent within them and strengths that enables the individual showcase the existing skills. Consequently, the idea of the model is to help the employee emphasize on the existing strengths and utilize them to achieve the desired goals within their work environment (Biswas-Diener, 2020). Nevertheless, the model can only apply when an employee has an existing vision that he or she targets at achieving. Individuals that are content with their current status at their workplaces find it difficult to disrupt their comfort zone and thus this model cannot be applicable to them. Hence, the employee must possess the necessary values needed to have the task completed for one to be sufficiently motivated to get the work completed (Grant & Atad, 2021). It is essential to note that the model is popular because it can be easily integrated into the existing models used at workplaces in coaching them to achieve self-actualization.

Adaptive Coaching 

The adaptive coaching approach is popular in current workplaces because it challenges employees to go beyond their comfort zone and engage on issues they never thought they would achieve in their career growth. The approach uses concepts promoted by the organizational adaptation theory must implement structures that will change their work environment (Sarta et al., 2020). According to Orth et al. (2018), the strategy has performed exceedingly well in ensuring that it balances the practical and personal needs of the employee. The employees are taught on how to exploit the available resources diligently. Nevertheless, employees can only achieve these factors if the work environment is flexible and allows the workforce to try new practices (Duarte & Culver, 2014). Furthermore, leaders in such a workplace should engage all employees in decision-making, which will compel them to be more accountable on what they do and encourage them to achieve the best results. Moreover, the management in workplaces where the model is integrated play an essential role in determining whether it will be successful because they must have a high regard towards their workforce. The employees are perceived to be the competitive advantage of the organization against the competitors, and thus empowering them to acquire career growth contributes to the productivity of the organization (Park & Park, 2019). The approach assumes that human beings have a natural power that compels them to be cooperative for them to get things done. Thus eliminates the likelihood of employees being rebellious and failing to follow the guidance and instructions raised by their coaches.

Ways to Improve Coaching Effectiveness

In the above section, it is evident that employers have a wide range of approaches to choose from to facilitate employee coaching in the workplaces. Moreover, based on the analysis on these approaches, it is evident that coaching is beneficial to both employees and employers. Consequently, it is essential to ensure that managers and other organizational leaders identify strategies that they can exploit to enhance the effectiveness of coaching at their workplaces. Below is a discussion on some of these strategies and how they can help an organization to achieve best results.

Frequent Feedback 

It is essential for organizations to create a culture where the employees access feedback about their performance frequently. The same strategy should apply in coaching, where the coach should review the performance of the employee and determine whether the lessons learned during coaching are utilized effectively (Gasperini, 2013). Giving feedback is an essential strategy that will enable the coach to identify areas where the employees are failing and help them to improve. Furthermore, providing feedback helps to focus on their goals and work relentlessly because they expect to have a positive review from their coaches. Nevertheless, it is essential for the coach to engage in positive criticism such that he or she acknowledges what the employee has done right and what needs to improve (Steelman & Wolfeld, 2016). Focusing on the negatives only is not a wise strategy since it can make employees to develop a negative attitude towards themselves, which can significantly influence their performance. Alternatively, acknowledging what employees have done exceedingly well enables them to develop a positive mindset such that they will see the already achieved changes as the basis for improving what they need to disrupt (Núñez-Cacho Utrilla et al., 2015). It is also essential for the coach to have person-centered engagements with their employees such that they understand how they wish to have their feedback delivered. The measure is essential because it will ensure that the feedback given will be effective.

Engage employees in decision-making 

Engaging employees in decision-making in the workplace is another factor that seems to significantly contribute towards ensuring that coaching is more effective. It is essential that coaches and managers within an organization listen to the plight of their employees when making decisions concerning coaching (Peláez Zuberbuhler et al., 2020). Such a strategy will expose the management to approaches that they might have probably not considered and that have potential to create value in their business. Alternatively, engaging employees is essential because it makes employees feel heard and they tend to develop a positive attitude towards their employers and focus on achieving the organizational goals (Osborne & Hammoud, 2017). Moreover, research shows that when employees feel that their opinions are heard and implemented, they work hard to ensure that they have not disappointed their employers. Furthermore, the coach is likely to choose a strategy that will best fit the needs of a specific employee because the engagement will help in determining possible weaknesses (Jones et al., 2015). Consequently, the coach will focus with the specific needs that the employee shows, which will make the process more effective because it will focus on addressing the existing needs. The strategy is therefore essential because it saves resources on using more holistic approaches in employee coaching.

Listen and empower 

It is essential that coach listens employees to understand the challenges they face towards achieving their goals. The measure is essential because it enables the coach to acquire feedback from the employees on what they feel about the efforts made towards making them better beings (Dahou & Hacini, 2018). Additionally, listening makes the process of coaching more democratic compared to an authoritative perspective when the employees voice is unheard. However, it is essential that the coach acts on the feedback and information acquired during such engagements and empower employees to be better versions of themselves (Al-Asoufi & Akhorshaideh, 2017). For example, if the coach realizes that a specific employee lacks confidence to pursue his or her goals at work, a solution should be offered. The coach can instill confidence by acknowledging the successes of the employees by recognizing them (Hanaysha, 2016). The measure helps the employee to change one’s attitude and focus on the positives. Subsequently, the employee will focus on his or her strength and this will play an essential role towards achieving self-actualization.

Commit to continuous coaching 

Coaching is an activity that incurs some expenses to the organization that integrates such a program for its employee. It is normal that the management might consider reducing the frequency through which employees’ access coaching services or stop providing them at all aimed at increasing the profit margin for the organization (Losch et al., 2016). Nevertheless, such a move is misinformed and highly discouraged because it contributes towards deterring the effectiveness of coaching among the employees. Continuous coaching is essential because it helps employees’ access consistent guidance as they work towards achieving their career goals and organizational goals. Consequently, it becomes possible to point that an employee requires a specific skill to complete certain tasks. Moreover, when coaching is available consistently, it becomes possible for the employees to facilitate employee development, which will have a positive impact on the organization on a long-term (Weer et al., 2015). However, the coaches should consider changing the nature of engagements between them and the employees to avoid making the programs monotonous. For instance, they can organize workshops, seminars, and personalized engagements to facilitate diversity and make the engagements enjoyable.

Incentives 

It is essential for organizations to ensure that they keep their employees motivated for the efforts they make towards achieving exemplary performance. Providing employees with incentives is a way of demonstrating to employees that their efforts are acknowledged and motivate them to maintain the same attitude and level of productivity (Silverman et al., 2016). Incentives can play an essential role in ensuring that coaching is more efficient among employees at the workplace. The process might require the employees to change their behaviors by acquiring new habits and behavior, which is not an easy process for them. Consequently, it is essential that organizational leaders consider introducing incentives in appreciation of the efforts that employees make (Alfandi & Alkahsawneh, 2014). The incentives will help the employees to stick with the guidance acquired from the coaching sessions because they will acquire some realization that actually pays.

Encourage employees to stretch their limits 

Creating a work culture that provokes employees to pursue what is beyond their own set limits is an essential strategy that will help them pursue career development. Nevertheless, creating such an environment requires that the management should create a flexible work environment where employees are not restricted to try something new (Long, 2017). Coaching creates an opportunity for employers to motivate their employees and encourage them to perform to their full potential. It is essential to note that overwhelming employees is risky because it might compel them to become disengaged with responsibilities, which will cause a challenge for the employer because the organization will not achieve its highest level of productivity (Gallo, 2011). Organizational leaders can stretch the limits of their respective employees by analyzing their skills and experience at the workplace and require them to engage in activities that they have not conducted in the past. Consequently, stretching employees’ limits facilitates career growth and enhances the effectiveness of coaching within organizations.

Conclusion

In conclusion, coaching is important even in the modern day organizations because it facilitates career growth and productivity among the employees. The coaching approaches used in the modern organizations include humanist, cognitive, systematic, adaptive, positive psychology, and goal oriented coaching. For instance, the humanist approach enables employees reach their full potential while the goal oriented model enables the employees to attain specific personal or organizational objectives. Moreover, it is essential for managers within an organization to ensure that they have created an environment that will facilitate effectiveness of coaching. Such an environment can be achieved by providing employees with consistent feedback, involvement in decision-making, incentives, empowerment, and encouraging them to stretch beyond their limits. Based on the benefits of coaching in a workplace, it is essential that leaders should integrate the activity within the corporate culture.

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