Insights

Building on the first three Parts of our mini-series on ‘What is organisational coaching?’, where we previously explored this question in the context of the power of the question itself, our assumptions about definitions and the power of not knowing, in this final Part 4 we’ll explore some of the many different facets of what we have learnt about organisational coaching, something that continues to be an emergent ‘work in progress’.

Organisational Coaching as a Practice

Something that is very important to us as Organisational Coaching is that we practise coaching as an inherent aspect of our organisational practice. What this means to us is we walk-the-talk, and my experience is this comes from the bottom up from our team of talented coaches and facilitators as well as from the top down, from our directors as well – something that is truly exceptional in its humility, commitment, and intent.

Organisational Coaching as a Method

At Organisational Coaching we do not see organisational coaching as a particular method, in the sense that we have Cognitive Behavioural Coaching, Gestalt Coaching, Solutions Focused Coaching or Psychodynamic Coaching. Rather than the potentially preconceived tunnel vision that often accompanies a particular method, at Organisational Coaching we take an eclectic approach where we embrace all methods, but none too much, allowing our team of wonderful coaches and facilitators to make their own choices about how they coach, creating an environment of creative difference, enabling everyone to shine, each in their different ways – yet, always with the shared thread of coaching with the wider organisational context in mind.

Organisational Coaching as a Perspective

Beyond any approach or method, one of the most important aspects of coaching mastery is the importance of context and perspective in any given coaching conversation. With this in mind, our idea of organisational coaching is about keeping an organisation-wide perspective as a steady constant throughout the coaching conversation, something that has a way of empowering value at both individual and organisational levels, optimising client return on investment. And like a pebble thrown into a pond, our approach of holding an organisational perspective has a way of rippling out throughout the wider organisation.

Organisational Coaching as a Way

While many organisations aspire to create a culture of coaching throughout their organisation, experience suggests this is easier said than done. At Organisational Coaching, we see coaching as a way of being, a way of shaping opportunities, ideas, relationships, outcomes, creativity, culture, change, communicating, influencing and the like, where ‘organisational coaching’ becomes a way of life, as a powerful enabler filtering throughout the fabric of the organisational culture.

Organisational Coaching as Discretion

While we mortals tend to fall into the trap of tunnel vision, not seeing the wood for the trees, the wise practice discretion, seeing the particular in the context of the whole. Taking an organisation-wide perspective, organisational coaching is about aspiring to follow the example of the wise and to speak and act with discretion, and to connect the particular with the wider context and organisation whole – and when we connect the dots in this way, sustainable, sensible change happens.

Organisational Coaching as Leadership

Stepping aside from stereotypical ideas about leadership, we see organisational coaching as an incredibly powerful style or approach to leadership, not only in its coaching philosophy, but also in its contextual outlook and the discretion that accompanies it. Alongside visionary, collaborative, directive and the many other styles of leadership, an organisational coaching style of leadership is the shift from a doer-leadership to an enabler-leadership approach, a much-needed outlook that makes a life-changing difference for so many of our clients.

Organisational Coaching as Culture

The challenge of creating a high-performance culture is a strategic necessity for any organisation, something that is easier said than done. Taking an organisational perspective, we believe that culture change is less about identifying a range of words to encapsulate the aspired values and behaviours and more about taking an organisation-wide coaching approach to reflect on what our speech and actions say about our actual culture. The difference is between potentially stagnant words of an aspired culture and the living engagement of an actual culture, and the ripple effect is a priceless emergent journey of continuous learning and evolution.

Organisational Coaching as Wonder

Drawing on the inspirational words of Albert Einstein, we embrace organisational coaching with a sense of wonder, intrigue, and curiosity, never closing it down with preconceived ideas and entry level definitions, instead opening it up with aspired mastery and emergent learning.