Presentation:Results of study for Masters Degree

The perceived sustainability of coaching

outcomes over time in South Africa Jenny Hoggarth, 28 March 2006

Introduction

• As a business or executive coach one passes intimate intellectual time with clients; one spends hours of valuable business time in sessions; one acts as catalyst to clients’ internal growth; one guides and stands by them as they surmount the obstacles that have limited them, to achieve their full potential. One does this within a business context, so the results one seeks are both personal and for the benefit of the business.

• So, how do these results and outcomes stand the test of time?

For coaching to be able to move beyond the initial excitement and start-up phase and develop into

a fully recognised profession, a better understanding of its long-term effects is

required.

Terms of reference• To explore the client’s perceived outcomes of a past coaching intervention and the

sustainability thereof.

• Definitions :

– Perceived outcomes Outcomes the client believes have been achieved

– Sustained outcomes Active changes still noticeable by the client and others some time after the initial change was perceived to have taken place

• Boundaries:

– This study has been limited to

• 1) clients who have experienced coaching in South Africa and

• 2) business coaches who practice professionally in South Africa.

• Literature reviewed: Effective coaching (what makes coaching effective)

Factors in sustainability of training

ROI of coaching and training

Methodology

• Grounded theory

• Qualitative and quantitative methods

• Survey approach

• Triangulation – intention and reality

• Sampling

• Confidentiality and ethics

• Interpretation and analysis of the data

– Survey monkey

– Excel

– Epiinfo

• Study not generalisable, but relatability is possible

Gender of respondents

Male

Female

The respondents’ ages ranged from 22 to 54 years; the mean age was 35.4 years. The mode was 30 years

Since the coaching, 21.9% reported having been promoted to a higher level. 5% reported having moved into self-employment, or opening their own businesses subsequent to the coaching.

Age, Gender and titles of respondents

Directors = 19.5%

Executives = 11.1%

Senior manager = 27.7%

Middle manager = 19.5%

Junior manager = 11.1 %

Other = 11.1 %

5.6%

44.4%

8.3%

8.3%

2.8%

2.8%

8.3%

2.8%

2.8%

8.3%5.6% A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

The distribution of clients per coach

11 coaches supplied clients into the study

The time they had been coached ranged from two months to 87 months

Frequency of meetings

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Once perweek

Once perfortnight

Once permonth

Ad hocmeetings

Other

Frequency

Frequency of meetings

Time since coaching:The median time since intervention was seven months.

 

Payment arrangements:

63.9% (23) of the coaching interventions were paid for by the company by which the client was employed. The sample comprised mostly corporate clients, so this is not surprising.

22.2% (8) paid for the coaching themselves and a joint payment was the norm for 5.6% (2) of the sample.

8.3% (3) were pro bono clients.

Further coaching

33.4% (12) of the respondents have undergone further coaching since their First

intervention.

.

       Career-related: 35% Advancement, career transitioning and building of confidence within new postions or asprirant positions..

   Personal growth: 35%Personal development and growth, such as communication skills, better work/life balance and developing emotional intelligence.

  Management growth: 40%Learning to be a better manager; better management of teams; leadership development; managing group dynamics; maximising the business performance. Dealing with difficult people or situations and being a better people manager were also common themes.

        No outcomes: 2 people felt they had been coached without discussing outcomes

The outcomes or goals that were contracted for upfront:

Goal achievement around these outcomes:

At the time of completion, 67.6% (23) felt that they had met their goal, while 32.4% (11) felt they had somewhat met their goal.

Two people declined to answer this question, which suggests that, possibly, they either had not set a specific goal (as per comments in the previous question) or that that they did not feel that they had met their goal.

47.06%

32.35%

17.65%

2.94%0.00%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Strengthenedsince

Sustainedresults

Somewhatsustained

Somewhatdiminished

Reverted toformer

Sustainability of these outcomes to the present:

79.5% felt they had sustained or strengthened outcomes since their coaching

Areas of change/growth:

Technical / functional credibility

Organisation and time management

Enhanced business agility

Enhanced leadership competence

Enhanced management competence

Enhanced personal skills

Strategic thinking and planning

More senior level insight

Personal growth

Increased self awareness

Positive outlook

[1] The factors listed were drawn from a combination of sources, mostly previously documented changes from coaching as described in other studies (see Literature Review, Chapter Two). Others were added from the researcher’s own coaching experience. Personal growth” includes career issues, work/life balance and self-knowledge

The three most selected factors were:

        Positive outlook (91.43%);         Increased self-awareness (86%) and         Personal growth (80%)

Technical or functional credibility received only 34% “yes” responses.

This suggests that the effects of the coaching represented within the sample are experienced more at an emotional than a technical level. This is consistent with the goals of business and executive coaching as opposed to technical

mentoring or performance coaching.

Areas of change or growth

91.43%

85.71%

80.00%

77.14%

74.29%

74.29%

65.71%

62.86%

62.86%

48.57%

34.29%

Positive Outlook

Increased self aw areness

Personal grow th

More senior level insight

Strategic thinking and planning

Enhanced personal skills

Enhanced management

Enhanced leadership

Enhanced business agility

Organisation & time management

Technical or functional credibility

Percentage responding "Yes"

Most sustained over time:

Enhanced personal skills

Increased self awareness

Positive outlook

Results of coaching looked at :Increased revenues

Increased bottom line profitability

Increased staff satisfaction

Improved relationships at home

Improved satisfaction in your life

Improved satisfaction in your career

Increased productivity

Improved teamwork

Improved conflict handling

Improved relationships at work

Results of coaching

78%

78%

72%

66%

63%

59%

59%

56%

47%

34%

19%

3%

Improved relationships at w ork

Improved conflict handling

Improved teamw ork

Increased productivity

Improved satisfaction w ith your career

Improved job satisfaction

Improved satisfaction w ith your life

Improved relationships at home

Increased staff satisfaction

increased revenues

increased bottom line profitability

I achieved no results

Percentage of respondents

        improved relationships at work (78.1%) and         improved conflict handling (78.1%) showed the highest positive response.

        increased bottom line profitability at 18% and        increased revenues at 34.4% showed the lowest results

This is consistent with the growth areas, revealing that coaching has led to more personal results such as improved relationships as opposed to perceived, tangible business results such as increased revenues or profitability.

Results strengthened since completion of coaching

55%

48%

45%

42%

42%

42%

36%

36%

24%

24%

18%

Improved satisfaction with your life

Improved satisfaction with your career

Increased productivity

Improved relationships at work

Improved teamwork

reduced conflict handling

Improved relationships at home

Improved job satisfaction

increased revenues

Increased staff satisfaction

increased bottom line profitability

percentage of respondents

the results clients perceive to have strengthened most since the coaching are      improved satisfaction with life,    career and increased productivity

42% of respondents reported improved and strengthened relationships subsequent to the coaching.

When combining sustained and strengthened results, the order changes to show:

        76% of respondents achieved sustained improvement of relationships at work         76% experienced sustained improved conflict handling         70% achieved sustained improvement of teamwork        64% believe their increased productivity was sustained over time

These factors all led to direct benefits to the organisation. This is an important consideration in measuring the sustained ROI of coaching.

On the personal satisfaction front:         60% reported improved satisfaction with their careers        58% reported improved satisfaction with their lives and jobs 55% reported improved relationships at home; this is largely a positive unintended consequence of executive coaching as the insights and learnings for better teamwork (such as communication skills and conflict management) also translate to one’s personal life.

18% felt that bottom line profitability had been sustained or strengthened. This suggests that the tangible results from coaching are less easy to measure or perceive, both at the time of coaching and after a period of time

100

84 8478 75

44 41 38

2516

0102030405060708090

100

Percent

Relationship w

ith the coach

Your ow

n level of comm

itment

Reflecting on your thoughts

Quality of listening

Quality of feedback received

You spouse or significant

Length of coaching

Hom

ework or activities given

Your m

anager's support

Other (please specify)

Factors

Factors contributing to sustainability

Factors that contributed to the sustainability of the coaching experience

100% of respondents rated the relationship with the coach as a factor that contributed to the sustainability of the coaching experience. Reflecting on thoughts and actions (84.4%) and their own level of commitment (84.5%) were the next highest rated.

The quality of the listening received during the coaching (78.1%) and the quality of feedback received (75%) also received high rankings.

Manager’s support (25%) and coaching homework (37.5%) received the lowest ratings regarding perceived sustainability of the coaching experience

Ideas or suggestions as to how to make coaching results more sustainable:

Most often suggested:

regular follow-up sessions after completion of the engagement or intervention, in which agreed checkpoints could be re-evaluated or goals simply revisited. No suggestion was made as to the timing of these intervals.

Other suggestions included:         the use of industry-specific coaches        a longer coaching intervention (six months was declared too short)        the creation of a website with techniques and reminders of the work covered for the coachee to refresh learning outcomes       more practical application of the learnings

It was mentioned that the coach must grow and develop; otherwise the client could conceivably outgrow the coach.

Regular updates to address any current issues and hurdles were suggested, as well as the concept of an annual life-review follow-up.

OTHER INTERESTING RESULTS:

Perceived return on investment to the company due to the coaching:

shows that an overwhelming 97.1% felt that there had been a return or somewhat of a return on investment to the company. Only one respondent said “no” and one person declined to answer the question.

Do you believe there was a return on investment for the company due to the coaching?

3%20%

77%

No

Somewhat

Yes

Paradigm shifts:

Paradigm shifts are an integral part of coaching and often regarded as significant factors in the moment of sustainable change (Ditzler, 2000).

To the question of whether the respondents felt they had undergone any paradigm shifts in coaching:         78.1 % said “yes”         29% said “no”

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

No. of respondents

100% 75% 50% 30% returned toold mindset

To what degree did the new thinking become part of your current mindset?

Unintended consequences of the coaching

The respondents were asked if there were any consequences not contracted for that they would ascribe to the coaching, positive or negative:

One respondent admitted to having “enjoyed all kinds of success, [I am] recognised internationally now.”There were decisions to study further.Some of the respondents spoke of how they had strengthened relationships with their spouses and ”came out of our rut”.That coaching had affected them holistically, not just in work-related areas, surprised some. Physical challenges had been taken up, such as health and fitness goals, which subsequently were achieved. One respondent started a business and was able to employ another person, so the coaching “also changed [their] life.”Learning that “I cannot always control other’s [sic] actions, and everyone needs to take responsibility for their actions” was unintended but immensely positive for one respondent.One negative consequence recorded was the effect of over-applying the techniques learnt. Whilst it is important in coaching to help people understand others and be more empathetic, “a determination to see things from their side led in one or two instances to keeping ‘bad apples’ too long.“One respondent mentioned “a realisation that the specific company was the wrong place for me to be working.” For the organisation, this might be considered negative, but unmotivated or ill-fitting employees tend not to be productive, so this realisation could also be seen as a positive consequence for both parties in the long term. One client “Reassessed my personal life and happiness and am currently addressing longstanding causes of personal unhappiness in my marriage.” This deep reflection on one’s life can be a very positive consequence of coaching, but unless respondents are encouraged to share their thinking and growth with their spouses, a negative consequence of the internal work they are doing could be isolation or intellectual separation from their spouse.A few people also felt that they had made a friend through having been coached, which again speaks to the relationship that builds between clients and coaches as they share such personal and important time.

Further stratified analysis revealed some interesting facts:

More men than women felt they had strengthened their goal achievement since the coaching.

When considering how the payment method influenced opinion on ROI, 91.3% of those who had undergone corporate-sponsored coaching saw ROI as having been achieved, vs. 57.1% of respondents who had paid for their own coaching. A further 42.9% of the self-paid said “somewhat” rather than a definite “yes”. This suggests that when paying for coaching, people were more cautious regarding reporting perceived ROI.

100% of women reported a positive outlook since coaching as opposed to 77% of men

Gender vs personal growth and self-awareness:The greatest variance was in this category, with 100% of women reporting growth against only 33% of men

– this may indicate that women are more aware of their personal growth due to coaching.

33% more women reported having experienced a paradigm shift through coaching than men.

When examining this by age, the results show that in the age group under 36, 90% of women and 75% of men reported a paradigm shift, but the most revealing was that in the older group (>35); only 15% of men reported a shift as opposed to 90% of women.This suggests that older men have experienced less attitude change or mindset shift due to the coaching than the other groups.

When drawing up the research proposal, the researcher’s belief was that coaching led to positive results. The respondents represented in this study confirmed this: they believe they have “received excellent results” and outcomes from coaching and have found it to be “a valuable and an enriching experience”.

Thank you.

A drop in sustainability over time was noted; but it was encouraging to see that respondents coached over two years ago were still recording outcomes as subsequently sustained and strengthened. 88% of respondents confirmed that they had found coaching to be an enriching experience and agreed they would seek coaching again should the appropriate circumstances arise. 20% felt that coaching should be an ongoing part of their career development.

Other factors that might have led to the sustainability of changesRespondents were invited to mention other factors that may have led to the sustainability of the changes they had experienced.

The responses uncovered factors such as:        other personal growth courses        company management and development programmes        personal assessment and feedback exercises run at work        a new career opportunity to put coaching into practice        therapy after the coaching (two respondents)         a mentor in the business        reading books         additional coaching engagements after the first which helped sustain results (two respondents)

Findings continued

• Excellent and creative ideas to improve sustainability were put forward by the respondents. The most commonly repeated recommendations were regular follow-up and yearly life reviews

• Another element highlighted by the qualitative data with regard to achievement and sustainability of results was that of self-responsibility, as expressed in the following statement by one respondent: “One has to decide to take on the results and make the coaching successful, only you yourself can do that, no matter what the coach does.”

• Another popular idea was for coaches to make available their models, articles and tools on a website to enable past clients to refresh their thinking on those relevant to them.

• On duration, qualitative data did suggest that six months or less was too short unless regular follow-ups could be implemented.

• The length of time since the coaching had been terminated was highlighted as an important factor in the sustaining or strengthening of results.

• Significant results:

100% of respondents agreed that the coach is the most important factor affecting the sustainability of coaching

– 100% of women reported that coaching led to a more positive outlook.

Interesting findings• 55% reported improved relationships at home; this,is largely a positive unintended consequence of

executive coaching as the insights and learnings for better teamwork (such as communication skills and conflict management) also translate into one’s personal life.

•  • 18% felt that the bottom line profitability had been sustained or strengthened. This suggests that the

tangible results from coaching are less easy to measure or perceive, both at the time of coaching and after a period of time.

•  • 100% of the respondents rated the relationship with the coach as a factor that attributed to the

sustainability of the coaching experience. Reflecting on thoughts and actions (84.4%) and own level of commitment (84.5%) were the next highest rated.

•  • The quality of the listening received during the coaching (78.1%) and the quality of feedback received

(75%) also received high rankings.•  • Manager’s support (25%) and coaching homework (37.5%) received the lowest ratings regarding

perceived sustainability of the coaching experience.•  • Excellent and creative ideas to improve sustainability were put forward by the respondents. The most

commonly repeated recommendations were to ensure regular follow-up and yearly life reviews.

The most common theme was self-awareness and the realisation why others behave the way they do in given circumstances; this led to better communication.Some respondents had worked on legacy issues that taught them things about themselves; others learnt from watching their coaches’ interactions with themselves and others. Widening the relevance of people issues throughout the company was a revelation for one respondent. Other learnings referenced physical things, such as exercise, drinking water more regularly and taking time for oneself.