A Research Paper By Irene Contreras, Life and Healthy Leadership Across Cultures Coach, SWITZERLAND
Leveraging Internal Coaching for Cultural Transformation, Employee Well-Being, and Healthy Leadership.
The organization I work for has undergone two massive restructurings in the past two years – one currently taking place. These two transformations have taken, both times, employees by surprise. The first one had a big impact on the organization, to the point that around 20% of the company’s workforce left.
Having been affected by both restructurings and having witnessed both times the enormous toll it has taken on the company and the employees’ overall well-being – the focus of this research paper is to explore the strategic utilization of internal coaching within an organization as a catalyst for cultural transformation.
For this purpose, I have conducted several interviews with members of the executive committee to find out how familiar they are with coaching, what their core values are as leaders, how they perceive their leadership within the company, and how they believe they are perceived; whether there is a lack of internal communication and how coaching could improve the culture of the organization.
As part of this research, I was given the opportunity to take the role of internal coach with volunteer employees to explore and understand the impact and the importance of integrating coaching into the organizational culture as a long-term approach to sustainable change.
As a result, I analyze and expose the benefits of internal coaching as a transformation tool to ensure the well-being of employees, of leaders, and create a healthy leadership framework.
Components of the Organizational Culture
Organizational culture encompasses a series of shared values beliefs, norms, and practices that shape the behavior of the individuals within an organization. These factors influence how employees interact, make decisions, and perceive their work environment.
Organizational culture plays a crucial role in shaping employee well-being and leadership effectiveness. A positive and supportive culture fosters an environment where employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated. This, in turn, contributes to their overall well-being.
A healthy organizational culture also cultivates effective leadership practices, as leaders who align with the culture and exhibit positive behaviors can inspire and empower their teams.
Internal Coaching as a Transformation Tool
Internal coaching involves utilizing trained coaches, who are individuals who possess coaching skills and expertise, to provide coaching services to employees, to target their professional development, performance improvement, personal growth, and well-being.
Internal coaching will include and combine: accessibility, organizational context, and relationship building.
Accessibility
Internal coaching is readily available to employees, enabling frequent and ongoing coaching interactions.
Organizational context
An internal coach possesses a deep understanding of the organization’s culture, processes, and dynamics, allowing him/her to tailor their coaching approach to align with the specific needs and goals of the organization.
Relationship building
Strong relationships can be developed with coaches, as the coach and coachee have a shared context and understanding of the organization’s challenges and opportunities.
Internal coaching offers as well several benefits for cultural transformation within the organization:
Enhanced accountability: internal coaching holds individuals accountable for their actions and behaviors, encouraging them to align with desired cultural values and norms.
Increased self-awareness: internal coaching promotes self-reflection and self-discovery, enabling employees to identify their strengths, weaknesses, or areas for improvement and their impact on the organizational culture.
Skill development: through coaching, employees can acquire new skills and competencies that align with the desired cultural transformation, such as communication, collaboration, and adaptability.
Impact of Coaching on Employee Well-Being
Internal coaching can positively impact employee well-being by providing individualized support and personalized attention to the employees, understanding their unique needs and challenges.
It will increase job satisfaction by helping individuals align their personal and professional goals, enhancing their sense of purpose and engagement, and promoting holistic well-being.
Moreover, coaching conversations can uncover development areas and will provide employees with opportunities for skill enhancement and career growth, helping them identify and capitalize on their strengths, explore new opportunities, and achieve their full potential.
Ultimately, internal coaching contributes to work-life balance and stress management by promoting self-care, stress-coping strategies, and resilience building. Coaching can support employees in setting boundaries, managing workload and prioritizing self-care practices, reducing stress and burnout. It can assist employees in developing effective coping strategies to navigate workplace challenges and cultivate resilience.
Healthy Leadership Core Values
Healthy leadership encompasses values such as authenticity, accountability, communication, and transparency, which contribute to a positive and empowering work environment. Here’s a further exploration of these values in the context of healthy leadership:
- Authenticity: authentic leadership involves leaders being true to themselves, embracing their values, and displaying genuine behavior. In a healthy leadership framework, authenticity is emphasized through:
- Self-awareness: healthy leaders possess self-awareness, understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and values. They lead with integrity and align their actions with their beliefs, fostering trust and respect among employees.
- Genuine relationships: authentic leaders build genuine relationships based on trust, empathy, and open communication. They encourage open dialogue, actively listen to others’ perspectives, and value diverse viewpoints, creating an inclusive and collaborative environment.
- Emotional intelligence: healthy leaders exhibit emotional intelligence, understanding and managing their own emotions while empathetically responding to others. This fosters positive relationships, enhances team dynamics, and promotes employee well-being
- Accountability: accountable leadership involves taking responsibility for one’s actions, decisions, and their impact on the organization and its members. In a healthy leadership framework, accountability is promoted through:
- Clear expectations: healthy leaders establish clear expectations and goals, ensuring that employees understand their roles, responsibilities, and performance standards. They provide the necessary resources and support for employees to succeed.
- Ownership of mistakes: healthy leaders acknowledge their mistakes and take ownership of them. They use failures as learning opportunities and promote a culture of psychological safety where employees feel comfortable admitting their own mistakes and learning from them.
- Transparency in decision-making: accountable leaders communicate their decision-making process transparently, ensuring that decisions are made with fairness, objectivity, and consideration for all stakeholders. They provide explanations for decisions and invite input from employees when appropriate.
- Communication: effective communication is vital in healthy leadership, enabling clarity, collaboration, and mutual understanding. In a healthy leadership framework, communication is fostered through:
- Open and honest communication: healthy leaders prioritize open and honest communication, creating an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their ideas, concerns, and feedback. They actively seek input from their team and value diverse perspectives.
- Active listening: healthy leaders practice active listening, paying attention to others’ viewpoints, emotions, and needs. They show empathy, ask thoughtful questions, and provide space for others to express themselves fully.
- Clear and transparent communication: healthy leaders ensure that communication is clear, timely, and transparent. They provide regular updates, share relevant information, and communicate organizational changes in a transparent manner, fostering trust and reducing uncertainty.
- Transparency: transparent leadership involves being open, honest, and forthcoming with information, creating a culture of trust and integrity. In a healthy leadership framework, transparency is promoted through
- Sharing information: healthy leaders proactively share relevant information with their teams, keeping employees informed about organizational goals, strategies, and progress. They encourage open dialogue and address any concerns or questions transparently.
- Decision transparency: healthy leaders provide transparency in decision-making processes, explaining the rationale behind decisions and how they align with organizational goals. They involve employees in decisions when appropriate and consider their input.
- Feedback and recognition: transparent leaders provide regular feedback to employees, recognizing their achievements and addressing areas for improvement. They establish a feedback-rich culture, ensuring that employees understand their performance expectations and have opportunities for growth.
Embodying these core values enables leaders to inspire and empower their teams, driving positive organizational culture and sustainable success.
Establishing Healthy Leadership Practices Through Coaching
Internal coaching can play a vital role in developing effective leaders by offering individualized development, identifying their strengths, areas for improvement, and opportunities to support growth as effective leaders.
Coaching can also provide leaders with constructive feedback, facilitating self-reflection and helping them gain insights into their leadership style and its impact on the organization. It will also help leaders develop essential leadership competencies, such as emotional intelligence, communication, decision-making, and conflict resolution, contributing to a healthy leadership practice.
A healthy leadership framework will foster trust, collaboration, and empowerment. Coaches will assist leaders in building trust with their teams being truthful and consistent with the values explained before. Moreover, internal coaching will promote collaborative leadership by helping leaders develop inclusive practices, team-building skills, and the ability to leverage the diverse strengths of their team members, fostering their autonomy and creating a psychologically safe environment that encourages innovation and growth.
Another way internal coaching can be useful is by helping leaders develop resilience and help them navigate change, uncertainty, and challenges with composure and agility. It will also support in managing organizational change effectively, facilitating the transition, and helping them be a source of inspiration to their teams through change initiatives, embracing a growth mindset.
Creating a Coaching Culture and Implementation Strategies for Successful Internal Coaching
Creating a coaching culture entails integrating coaching principles into everyday practices within the organization. Raising awareness about coaching, its benefits, and the availability of internal coaches through various communication and aligning coaching conversations with performance management processes to ensure a holistic approach to employee development and growth are key.
Leadership support and alignment are crucial for successful internal coaching programs. Leaders need to understand the benefits of internal coaching for cultural transformation, employee well-being, and healthy leadership, ensuring their commitment to the program. They should lead by example, participating in coaching themselves, demonstrating their belief in coaching as a valuable development tool, and setting the tone for its adoption within the organization.
In conclusion, by integrating the core values of healthy leadership culture and coaching principles and practices into the organizational culture, internal coaching promotes self-awareness, accountability, and skill development among employees. It contributes to increased job satisfaction and enhances stress management.
Moreover, internal coaching develops effective leaders by fostering trust, collaboration, and resilience. By embracing internal coaching, organizations can create an environment that nurtures employee well-being, fosters healthy leadership, and drives long-term cultural transformation.
References/Bibliography
Interviews with AO Foundation executive committee members:
Christoph Lindenmeyer, CEO
Carried out in Davos, 18th April, 2023.
Tobias Hüttl, Executive Director of Global Networks
Carried out online, 8th May, 2023
Irene Eigenmann-Timmings, COO/CFO
Carried out in Zizers, 16th May 2023
Interview/conversation with Corinna Schmalz, AO Foundation Head of HR Carried out online, 30th May 2023
Coaching sessions with different employees in the months of April, May, June, and July 2023.
Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G. J., &Minkov, M. (2010). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind, third edition (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill Professional.
Coco, V (2022). What power do I have? A career guide on redefining leadership with intersectional talents. Self-published under Amazon fulfillment.
Boyatzis, R., Smith, ML., & Van Oosten, E. (2019). Helping people change. Coaching with compassion for lifelong learning and growth. Harvard Business Review Press.