With a strong coaching culture, people and companies aim higher and achieve more. Managers at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) are getting more out of coaching and being coached thanks to a development module developed by Pearn Kandola.
The ‘Coaching and Performance Management’ module is a core element of PwC’s Business Diploma, a broad-based development programme run in association with The London Business School. Several hundred managers are taking the Business Diploma, and indications are that the Pearn Kandola module is already making a difference in practice.
An independent evaluation carried out for PwC shows that managers rate the module highly, with more of them now using coaching skills as a matter of course. They also report higher levels of engagement, greater commitment to job performance, and increased ability to hold more effective conversations with their team members.
As an organisation recognised for its strong people development, PwC attracts the top talent and offers outstanding opportunities for personal and professional growth. The inclusion of ‘Coaching and Performance Management’ in its Business Diploma underlines the high value the company places on coaching as a leadership development tool.
PwC explained: “We are enabling our managers to become more successful coaches in two ways. This particular module helps them to understand more about the theory of coaching, and also raises their self-awareness of their attitudes to coaching and their subsequent coaching behaviours. We are already seeing this translate on the ground: the coachees of managers are also reporting higher levels of trust, commitment and performance in the role, compared to the direct reports of managers who have yet to attend the module.”
The ‘Coaching and Performance Management’ module, which is co-delivered by Pearn Kandola and PwC, introduces key coaching skills and builds people’s capability and confidence. In particular, it explores a range of psychological principles used to manage individual and team performance. Managers learn about the theory behind cognitive-behavioural techniques and spend time practising their skills so that they can apply them in team coaching and their day-to-day roles.
