How does a company keep its top performers? Formal development? Not according to two new employee surveys. Our 10-page special report looks at the vital role coaching and mentoring plays in talent management. Liz Hall reports
Savvy organisations are putting coaching and mentoring at the heart of their talent management strategies. And well they might.
Two sets of research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) have flagged up coaching’s effectiveness in this area. Some 39 per cent of respondents to the CIPD’s Learning and Talent Development 2010 survey1 rated coaching as the most effective intervention in talent management.
Meanwhile, senior leaders value coaching over more formal development, according to the second CIPD survey, The Talent Perspective: What Does It Feel Like To Be Talent Managed2. This survey for the first time examines talent management from an employee’s perspective, helping organisations understand how best to focus on talent investment and resources.
While formal training is recognised as beneficial, the most valued development opportunities were those focusing on personal reflection and awareness, including coaching and mentoring.
Claire McCartney, CIPD resourcing and talent planning adviser, says: “Senior participants value coaching over more formal development. This is a common theme in our annual learning and development survey as well. The tailored nature of coaching is the key – being able to work on specific strengths and weaknesses and particular business issues. Often on talent programmes coaches or mentors are internal and at a senior level so this also helps the coachees develop a senior network of support in their own organisation.”
McCartney urges organisations that are serious about talent management to integrate coaching and mentoring into this area, as Santander has done (see Santander feature).
“Coaching and mentoring are rated most highly by participants so clearly talent programmes that don’t currently use this should seriously think about doing so. Coaches and mentors could be used directly in relation to programmes, or used more in relation to developing capability for current role,” says McCartney.
The Talent Perspective study, undertaken by Capgemini Consulting, surveyed 300 respondents and interviewed senior leaders selected for a talent programme/pool within each organisation, as well as those who were not selected. Companies included Astellas Pharmaceutical, Barclays, Big lottery, BT, KPMG, NHS East of England, NHS West Midlands, Pizza Express, The Scottish Government and Vodafone.
The top reason for wanting to participate is the belief that the development activities offered help people in the future (84 per cent). More than half (52 per cent) also hoped the programme would help them progress through the company at a faster pace.
Respondents were split 50:50 about the main objectives: half believed the programme existed solely to help them perform better in their current job and the other half thought it was more about preparing them for a future role.
Most senior managers point to the benefits of the programme in increasing their networks (78 per cent), developing new skills (72 per cent) and learning from a challenging experience (62 per cent). There was little difference between participants and non-participants regarding level of pride and overall happiness in their role.
All respondents rated both the external and internal coaching they had received very highly. The opportunity to focus on self-development as opposed to formal qualifications seemed particularly attractive, says the report.
Respondents did not believe coaching replaced the value of more formal aspects of development, such as training, but that it could complement and aid learning.
‘This [coaching] was extremely powerful and allows you to reflect on the more formal aspects of learning and to embed the learning in your own style,” says one respondent.
Self-awareness is a commonly perceived benefit of coaching and mentoring. The value placed on these less structured, individually based development activities is consistent across organisations, sectors and grades of individuals.
“[Mentoring] helps realise the full potential of people as individuals: it stretches, motivates and creates self-awareness which ultimately increases the chance to be a successful leader,” says another.
Networking
The value of networking with and exposure to the most senior members of the organisation is another common theme and a highly valued intervention. In addition, participants on talent programmes gain from peer networking and the opportunity to network with other high performing individuals within the programme. Ninety-two per cent of respondents agreed that the development opportunities they experienced have enabled them to build productive relationships with their colleagues. The research revealed the keenness of peer groups to continue networking and working together beyond the programmes, says McCartney.
“Organisations seem to be missing a trick by not facilitating this. There could then be a role for coaches in facilitating some of these meetings and, although participants valued the tailored nature of coaching, some group sessions could help members of the group learn from one another and their different experiences. Coaches could also become involved in facilitating action learning meetings,” she says.
The importance of feedback
“The talent perspective research found that it was extremely important to provide successful and unsuccessful candidates with balanced and informative feedback. A common area where programmes can fall down is when people don’t have the skills to give quality feedback or just don’t provide any. Therefore training people in feedback skills through coaching would improve the effectiveness of a number of programmes,” says McCartney.
Get informed
Executive coaches will invariably work with clients at some point who are being discussed at talent management meetings. Sometimes the client won’t even know they’re being discussed or how the process works but it’s important to be clear what is really being considered, says executive coach Carol Braddick.
“It’s important to know how much these conversations count. With some they have lots of teeth, with others, not much, and people make decisions through other conversations.”
She says it’s important to “close the loop” when needs have been identified and then met through the coaching so that the client can be “considered ready in the next talent management discussion”.
In her experience, organisational policy varies widely on this, as does managerial compliance. However, it’s appropriate for people to ask their managers whether their name comes up and to ask for feedback.
“It’s useful too for them to know who’s in the room when they’re discussed, as well as how much it counts. What is ‘permissible evidence’? 360s are supposed to be developmental. But I’ve come across situations where companies or managers have aggregated data across reports,” says Braddick.
Engagement and motivation
The vast majority (81 per cent) of respondents to the CIPD’s Talent Perspective report said talent management programmes make them feel more engaged at work.
Current economic difficulties and gloomy press reports are taking their toll on staff. Coaching can help dispel some of the gloom, aiding companies with employee engagement and motivation – and thus retention. This is the message from Adrian Moorhouse, founder of coaching and leadership development consultancy, Lane4. He says that organisations are being forced to break part of their psychological contract with employees because of the downturn – financial reward, for example. However, the contract around how people are managed is still valid.
“There is more of a drive to help people understand the value they bring. It’s about how you coach people to still believe in themselves and manage pressure. The media has a lot of influence. The red tops say we’re all doomed. We’re not, actually, and coaches have to step up, challenging and supporting people. There’s a real catalyst for organisations making the connection we in the coaching wworld have been driving – between motivation and meaning.”
Research by Lane4 found the idea that people are staying put because they think there’s nothing else is a myth. Despite the majority of the workforce experiencing some adversity as a result of the recession (72 per cent), employees are making a positive choice (87 per cent) to stay in their job and will not jump ship when the market recovers3.
“We find lots of people are still very committed. Talent isn’t stagnant. It’s all still up for grabs.”
References
- CIPD, Learning and Talent Development 2010 survey, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development: www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/lrnanddev/general/_Learning_and_development_summary.htm
- CIPD, The Talent Perspective: What Does It Feel Like To Be Talent Managed survey. www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/recruitmen/general/_talent_perspective
- “What’s motivating you – a current look at motivation in the workplace”, Lane4
Coaching at Work, Volume 5, Issue 6