A new survey intended as a barometer on coaching and mentoring in UK organisations has found that, whilst coaching and mentoring is becoming established in many organisations as a learning and development intervention, there is still a long way to go before it’s potential benefits are fully recognised and embraced by the majority.

Who should have coaching/mentoring? 

Interestingly, irrespective of whether respondents had personal experience of coaching or mentoring either in a previous or current role, most thought there should be a coaching/mentoring culture in their current organisation and that it should be offered to all employees.

Importance of ROI

That said, given the potential investment of both time and money needed to set up and embed coaching/mentoring as a core learning & development intervention, a focus on ROI is likely to be of paramount importance when making the business case – something which should be given due thought and attention.

There were some interesting views on who should be offered coaching/mentoring and also on who should deliver it – with some differences between the two disciplines.

How could the experience be improved?

When exploring the experiences of those who had received coaching or mentoring, over half had benefited from a mix of coaching and mentoring as opposed to solely one or other of the disciplines. When asked how their experience could have been improved frequency of sessions, setting goals and duration of the contract were all listed – together with better matching of coach/mentor. And when asked to rate the benefits of their coaching/mentoring experience on a scale of 1-10, 2/3rds rated it 8 or more with fewer than 10% rating it less than 5, supporting the view that coaching/mentoring has a beneficial impact – when carried out properly.

Introducing a coaching/mentoring culture

The survey specifically asked CEOs and HRDs whether there was a coaching/mentoring culture in their organisation just over a third said there was and a further 45% said they wanted to implement one as part of their L&D strategy.

In summary, encouraging news all round, pointing to a great opportunity for many UK organisations.

Click here to download the full report

 

About the Author

Nicki Holmes is a fully qualified and accredited executive mentor and coach, supporting individuals and their teams in becoming the best they can be. She is passionate in her belief of the value of mentoring and the very positive outcomes it can achieve, and is keen to support organisations in setting up and embedding a mentoring culture. She developed the survey ‘Coaching and Mentoring in UK Organisations 2022’ together with co-coach Helen Hughes.

During her executive career as a marketing director and member of the senior leadership team, she gained valuable experience, skills and knowledge in supporting the development of individuals and teams, which she now brings to her coaching and mentoring practice.

www.h-m-l.co.uk       www.linkedin.com/in/nickiholmesuk