How has coaching benefited organisations during the recession?
25/11/09

A recent CIPD survey indicates that despite the recession, coaching is in good health! 

The CIPD Learning and Development annual survey report of 593 respondents, indicated that coaching is used by over two-thirds of respondents within their organisations. Over half of respondents suggest coaching is still a key part of their learning and talent development strategy. 

It’s also clear that coaching is no longer restricted to senior executives as was once the case with only 5% of respondents reporting restriction. Expenditure on coaching has, in most cases, either increased or remained the same, which suggests that whilst cuts may have been made in other areas, coaching is being seen as an essential investment.

We asked Julie Pelych, Managing Director of GAP People what she sees as the main benefits of coaching over more traditional training and development methods.

Julie said ‘Firstly, large training courses can be expensive and take up lots of resource which, in recessionary times when headcounts are being cut and work loads increased, just adds more pressure. The big benefit of coaching is that it’s very targeted either with specific individuals or teams. At GAP People, we are typically developing leaders’ coaching skills so that they can then undertake coaching within their teams (where required, supported by us). This is a much more cost effective way of utilizing internal resource and ensuring that the development process is embedded and ongoing.’

Others told us that the outcome focused nature of coaching typically made the return on investment both more immediate and greater over time.

So overall coaching has proved resistant, even vibrant, during the recession. Expenditure has held up and is becoming more embedded. Evaluation of delivery is also demonstrating that coaching is a highly effective method of achieving performance optimization, particularly during challenging times. 

To talk to us about your coaching needs contact Julie Pelych at juliepelych@gappeople.com

Source: CIPD Taking the Temperature of Coaching Survey Summer 2009