The Government Office for London (GOL) internal coaching should be built into the organisation’s learning and development (L&D) and people strategies, says a new study.
Coaching has the potential to embed GOL’s new culture change programme 4Ps (Pride, Passion, Professionalism and Pace), finds the evaluation study by crime reduction adviser and GOL coach Alison Dale in autumn and December. GOL, which represents central government across the capital, needs to become more strategic and high-level in local and regional government. The 4Ps scheme is designed to help staff undertake this.
The evaluation recommends that GOL develops a formal coaching strategy outlining its role in 4Ps and the L&D strategy, offering coaching as part of L&D opportunities. It recommends line managers are trained in coaching, that it is promoted by senior managers across GOL and that coaching continues to be offered to all staff in transition.
The GOL scheme began in autumn 2006. All GOL staff can use it along with staff from other local public-sector organisations, including the London Development Centre and the National Treatment Centre, who share premises with GOL.
The study highlights how coaching is expected to play a role in developing soft skills such as emotional intelligence and confidence. As GOL becomes more strategic, staff will be expected to negotiate, influence and persuade at a high level.
Identifying ROI for the scheme, however, would prove tough, said Dale. “Measuring ROI is very difficult as people come to coaching because they want it. Also, I think for more mature organisations, the fact the management offer coaching to their staff means the organisation must be built on the values of trust in the staff. This almost begs the question – should the board still request hard data?”
Since spring 2007, the scheme has been affiliated with the Coaches in Government Network, a pool of internal coaches working in 40 departments across Whitehall providing reciprocal coaching to the departments in the network.
Themes such as job performance and work-life balance are discussed in sessions. The scheme has been equally useful to staff who are seeking promotion, whose role has changed and who have returned after an enforced absence.