Workplace coaching: Context and challenge

Coaching is an emerging profession and human resource development intervention that draws upon an array of theoretical foundations, approaches and contexts; consequently defining the practical application of coaching techniques is not a straightforward exercise. Attracting, developing and retaining quality employees is a major issue for organisations who are seeking to increase organisational performance and maintain competitiveness. Coaching is one strategy that can assist organisations to retain talented people who play critical roles. This chapter looks at the development and deployment of coaching in one industry sector where the need to facilitate performance, learning and improvement are ever-present in an environment of rapid and constant change. We discover how coaching can benefit individuals and organisations; how organisations can use coaching to develop leaders, stimulate change and align human resource development interventions to strategic organisational goals; how to increase the professionalisation of coaching to safeguard any risk to participants; and approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of coaching.