Corporate Case Study

Business Context

A FTSE 100 PLC was looking to train a population of 150 managers in coaching skills and performance management as part of their management development programme. The sponsor wanted to address three concerns within the organisation:

- a culture of "tell" rather than collaborative working
- a culture where poor performance was tolerated
- a hierarchical structure which prevented personal ownership in solutions

Our Approach

We undertook an iterative process with the sponsor to help them clarify desired outcomes. We then designed a bespoke programme to deliver on three core objectives around alignment of objectives and values, creating a consistent everyday management style that was customer- and solution-focused, and developing a collaborative culture. The programme was then delivered to fifteen cross-functional groups of 10 to 12 delegates.

Our aim was to address these issues with a workshop that was real, relevant and transformational. We designed a two-day workshop comprising one day of training, six weeks of application in the workplace followed by a further one-day workshop to embed learning. Delegates were required to bring real and live issues to the event. There was no role play. A work book and log was given to each at the end of day 1 to record their results, challenges and hours of relevant experience during the six-week interval.

Business Value Obtained

All of the organisational objectives were achieved and the response to coaching, across the business, was overwhelmingly positive. Some scores for content and relevance of the programme were in excess of 5 out of 5!

2,300 hours of formal and informal coaching by participants had been logged which made a significant contribution to the business' outcomes. Knock on results documented by delegates at the end of Day 2 as a result of their coaching included:

100% measured increase in team productivity in the last 2 months
20% increase in sales since in the last 2 months
Sales conversion rate increased from 50% to 60% in last 2 months
Productivity up 20% in the last month
One team member’s productivity is up 60% since having a conversation about her having more autonomy
Three reports have been promoted in the last 2 months
Quit smoking – has been a long-standing integrity issue
One of my staff is Team Manager of the Year
Coaching on the phone has saved both travel and meeting time and been used to resolve a three-way issue
Used the coaching model extensively for pressured environments, assisting prioritisation
Now see coaching as an embedded and natural management style