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As organisations navigate the inevitable challenges of change, they must recognise that poorly managed transformations can have devastating consequences on employee wellbeing and performance, but investing in comprehensive coaching support can be a game-changer in mitigating these risks and unlocking success.
Psychological and physical injuries in the workplace are more likely to occur in organisations that experience poorly designed, poorly implemented, or both, organisational change. Safe Work Australia, an Australian Government statutory agency, clearly states that Poor organisational change management is a psychosocial hazard. During my Masters and Doctoral research, I collected data from Australian rail organisations, a sector that was undergoing significant changes at the time, including a major reform. At the same time, the institution where I was studying also implemented a major restructure, closed a campus, and provided me with the opportunity to experience change firsthand. This experience underscored how, when change isn’t managed properly, it can have a detrimental impact on people’s mental health, performance, and workplace culture—especially when the system fails to provide the right resources and support.
I’m not referring to basic employee assistance programs, but rather to comprehensive, forward-thinking support systems. This approach goes beyond simply offering the standard “if you need help, there’s EAP.” A more effective solution involves combining various programs that address not only mental wellbeing but also occupational health, performance, and job satisfaction.
While I had observed organisational change in other settings before my research, this experience gave me a deeper understanding of how coaching in the workplace—whether referred to as corporate, organisational, or workplace coaching—can help support workplaces through periods of change and uncertainty. This support is valuable, whether the change is part of a larger transformation, short-term adjustments, or a long-term vision.
One question I asked rail organisations was what they considered to be the main benefits of coaching for their organisation. I gave them the opportunity to select multiple options, and the responses were quite revealing.
- 29.2% identified reducing employee stress as a key benefit.
- 50.0% said coaching would help facilitate smoother organisational and transformational change.
- Another 50.0% highlighted coaching’s role in addressing behavioural issues.
But what I found even more interesting were the following results:
- 70.8% saw coaching as a way to improve productivity.
- 83% believed coaching played a crucial role in succession planning.
Up to this point, I’ve shared some key benefits that coaching can bring to your organisation. But don’t just take my word for it, or even the findings from my previous research. Let’s look at what we know about coaching in healthcare, particularly within the nursing workforce. A 2021 study by Spiva et al., titled “Nurse Leader Training and Strength-Based Coaching: Impact on Leadership Style and Resiliency“, found that a combination of leadership training and strength-based coaching improved nursing leaders’ resiliency, leadership effectiveness, and leadership satisfaction measures.
You might be wondering, what do those who receive coaching think about it? Specifically, what qualities make a good coach, and how do they perceive coaching interventions—not just in theory, but in practice? A 2019 study, “The Coaching Experience of Advanced Practice Nurses in a National Leadership Program” by Waldrop and Derouin, revealed that the most effective coaches are great listeners and demonstrate respect for the individuals they are coaching. According to Pennsylvania University’s supervisor training and coaching resource series, a coach is more effective when they are supportive, meaning they provide support to their clients in the form of resources, tools, and time and that the coach is able to build a trusting coaching environment suitable for learning and growth.
Being supportive means a lot more than providing an encouraging word and a pat on the back
It might seem straightforward, but the reality is that regardless of the coaching methodology or framework applied in organisational settings, certain foundational qualities are essential. Like psychologists, a coach must be an exceptional listener, non-judgmental, and demonstrate “unconditional positive regard” for their clients, as Carl Rogers put it. In my recent publication “The Pulse of Connection: Trust and Confidentiality in Internal Coaching Dynamics” I also highlight the importance of establishing protocols for trust and confidentiality, and then maintaining them for a successful coach-client relationship. These qualities are critical for ensuring that coaching interventions are both professional and effective. However, there’s much more to effective coaching than these core attributes, and exploring those deeper layers goes beyond the scope of this brief LinkedIn article.
Whether we like it or not, organisations across all industries go through change, and these changes can have varying impacts—positive or negative—on their people. The benefits of coaching, from reducing stress to enhancing productivity and supporting succession planning, are evident. However, to realise these benefits, organisations must ensure they have the right expertise—whether internal or external coaches—who can design and deliver tailored coaching programs that address both individual and organisational needs.
𝖣𝗂𝗌𝖼𝗅𝖺𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗋: 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗆𝖺𝗍𝖾𝗋𝗂𝖺𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖺𝗋𝗍𝗂𝖼𝗅𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝗂𝗇 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗇𝖺𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 𝗈𝖿 𝗀𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋𝖺𝗅 𝖼𝗈𝗆𝗆𝖾𝗇𝗍 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗂𝗇𝖿𝗈𝗋𝗆𝖺𝗍𝗂𝗈𝗇 𝗈𝗇𝗅𝗒, 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗇𝖾𝗂𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗉𝗎𝗋𝗉𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗌 𝗇𝗈𝗋 𝗂𝗇𝗍𝖾𝗇𝖽𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖻𝖾 𝖺𝖽𝗏𝗂𝖼𝖾.
𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾: 𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖺 𝖺𝖻𝗈𝗏𝖾 𝗂𝗌 𝖿𝗋𝗈𝗆 𝗆𝗒 𝗉𝗋𝖾𝗉𝗋𝗂𝗇𝗍. 𝖥𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝖿𝗋𝖾𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖾𝗑𝗉𝗅𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖿𝗎𝗋𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋: 𝖤𝖻𝗋𝖺𝗁𝗂𝗆𝗂, 𝖬. (𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟦). 𝖶𝗈𝗋𝗄-𝖱𝖾𝗅𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽 𝖲𝗍𝗋𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝖴𝗇𝖼𝖾𝗋𝗍𝖺𝗂𝗇𝗍𝗒 𝖠𝗆𝗂𝖽 𝖢𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾: 𝖢𝖺𝗇 𝖶𝗈𝗋𝗄𝗉𝗅𝖺𝖼𝖾 𝖢𝗈𝖺𝖼𝗁𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖬𝖺𝗄𝖾 𝖺 𝖣𝗂𝖿𝖿𝖾𝗋𝖾𝗇𝖼𝖾? . 𝖢𝖺𝗆𝖻𝗋𝗂𝖽𝗀𝖾 𝖮𝗉𝖾𝗇 𝖤𝗇𝗀𝖺𝗀𝖾. 𝖽𝗈𝗂:𝟣𝟢.𝟥𝟥𝟩𝟩𝟦/𝖼𝗈𝖾-𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟥-𝗓𝗑𝗇𝗄𝗍-𝗏𝟥
Sources and helpful links
- Ebrahimi, M. (2024). The pulse of connection: Trust and confidentiality in internal coaching dynamics. Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, 18(1), 332–363. https://doi.org/10.5590/JSBHS.2024.18.1.22
- Spiva, L., Hedenstrom, L., Ballard, N., Buitrago, P., Davis, S., Hogue, V., Box, M., Taasoobshirazi, G., & Case-Wirth, J. (2021). Nurse leader training and strength-based coaching: Impact on leadership style and resiliency. Nursing management, 52(10), 42–50. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000792024.36056.c0
- Waldrop, J., & Derouin, A. (2019). The Coaching Experience of Advanced Practice Nurses in a National Leadership Program. Journal of continuing education in nursing, 50(4), 170–175. https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20190319-07
- http://www.pacwrc.pitt.edu/curriculum/521%20SupervisorTrainingSeries-Module3-TheMiddleWorkPhase/Hndts/HO16_ChrEffCch.pdf
