Introduction
In the contemporary world, organizations have prioritized the need to improve the capacity of their workers about achieving maximum output. Employers must develop programs aimed at increasing their willingness and motivation to give maximum output. One of the common tools used in performance management within workplaces is coaching. It emphasizes the need to continuously monitor and assess the output of individual workers against specific performance indicators. Coaching programs help individuals within the workplace in integrating new technologies and ideas into their work (Colquitt, 2017). Such strategies should be incorporated into organizational methodologies if the output of certain individuals keeps deteriorating. However, achieving greater output within the workforce is a sensitive issue that managers ought to address with constructive comments. It is important to ensure that everyone involved in the delivery system of an organization is motivated and willing to increase his or her capacity for improved performance. Coaching is an important tool because it helps individuals to handle periods of change within the workplace such as taking up new roles and career opportunities (Fisher, 2016). Organizations should prioritize it because the nature of work keeps evolving, as well as the need for talent development and adopting newer technologies keeps growing.
Discussion
The need to increase productivity should not precede the value of a happy workforce. This argument is necessitated by the value of crucial workplace elements such as cohesion, diversity, as well as employee motivation and job satisfaction on productivity levels (Colquitt, 2017). Therefore, employers must follow the right steps when introducing and implementing coaching programs within the workplace. Employee involvement in such kinds of changes often yields the desired results because they tend to offer their full support and commitment. In coaching programs, the most important step is defining the performance problem that needs improvements. The pattern of performance should be analyzed and summarized without stating the possible reasons behind it. The next step is inviting workers with the aim of learning their perspective of the identified problem in terms of the possible causes. The third step involves a coach and individual workers collaborating to create a workable plan for improving the identified areas.
An effective plan should focus on three major elements, namely the objective of coaching, the action plan, and checkpoints (Fisher, 2016). The plan must have a clear objective, which refers to the expected level of performance an individual is expected to reach. The action plan involves collaborating with workers to find a solution. In addition, the coach should explain the kind of support he or she will offer towards executing the action plan. Checkpoints refer to dates when the coach and workers involved in the program are supposed to evaluate the progress and give the necessary comments (Colquitt, 2017). One of the benefits of continuous follow-ups is the fact that they help an employee to remain positive throughout the plan, as well as laying the ground for accountability.
Benefits of Coaching in Boosting Employee Performance
Coaching has numerous positive effects on helping workers improve their performance. People involved in a workplace such as senior executives, middle managers, and derailing executives among others benefit much from the services of a coach. He or she helps them to identify various problem areas and find tangible solutions that serve their individual career needs and those of the organization (Fisher, 2016). Coaching enhances the performance of individuals within the workplace in various ways. It results in heightened individual and contextual awareness of workers. Since coaching involves various individuals within the workplace, the whole process results in the involved employee developing a better insight of their job description and ways of using various personality traits to achieve maximum output (Colquitt, 2017). Psychologists argue that self-awareness is one of the biggest strengths people can utilize to make the most out of the opportunities they have in life.
Another benefit of coaching is that it helps in developing a greater understanding between various people within the workplace. Employers can also use the program to identify and develop workers that exhibit high potential for various leadership positions within the workplace. Coaching helps a troubled individual to comprehend the behavior of his or her colleagues. For maximum output, it is important for workers to understand the factors that inform the thinking and actions around the workplace (Lok, 2019). That way, one is in a position to respond appropriately when facing certain challenges, as well as develop a more advanced viewpoint about effective strategies for career advancement. For example, some employees tend to perform poorly when given a promotion because they lack the adequate capacity to deal with increased and new responsibilities.
Enhanced communication among workers is another benefit of coaching. It helps an organization in identifying organizational strengths that can be utilized to achieve greater output from the workforce. In addition, coaching helps individuals to identify development opportunities within the workplace, which can go a long way in boosting their performance (Lok, 2019). Effective communication skills are a critical element of success for individuals in an organization. In order to achieve maximum output, a worker should be in a position to convey the things that matter the most to colleagues, the management team, and the organization as a whole. This is important in the contemporary world owing to the fact that the workplace has become highly competitive and diverse. Therefore, the inability to communicate effectively with those within the workplace can lead to a lack of motivation and low self-esteem, which can negatively influence the level of performance (Colquitt, 2017). An employee should report to the employer on the conditions and resources needed in order to attain the desired levels of performance.
Coaching also improves work performance because it increases the capacity of workers with regard to identifying solutions to various work-related challenges, as well as developing a greater sense of ownership and responsibility. The ability and willingness of an individual to own his or her job and be responsible for any decision relating to it play a major role in achieving maximum output (Lok, 2019). The reason for this is the fact that they are in control of individual targets, which is a major source of motivation.
Positive Implications of Coaching to Improve Work Performance in Giving Feedback
One of the most important elements in coaching is the comments made about improvements made by individuals. Responses given by a coach are mainly applied as a reinforcement tool in such programs. One of the notable positive implications of coaching when making comments on the progress of individual workers is that it helps one to learn new skills. Coaching helps an individual to develop a more open-minded approach to criticism and the thoughts of others on his or her own performance (Colquitt, 2017). This makes it easy for managers and supervisors to criticize the output of individuals because comments will be embraced with a positive mindset. Eventually, such a worker becomes more productive because such an attitude creates room for learning new skills and developing the existing ones. Additionally, the level of motivation and job satisfaction improves because of the enhanced capacity.
Another positive implication is better interpersonal communication within the workplace. Through coaching, workers learn to concentrate on facts when responding to issues rather than personalizing situations or behaviors of their colleagues. One of the challenges that organizational leaders face when dealing with a crisis within the workplace is when individuals fail to collaborate, but instead, focus on blame games and giving defensive reactions (Fisher, 2016). Coaching helps in improving work performance because heightened cohesion within the workplace allows workers to be considerate and respectful of each other, thus creating an environment for developing productive alliances.
Negative Implications of Coaching to Improve Work Performance in Giving Feedback
Coaching has negative implications on the manner in which individuals handle the response to a query or outcome within the workplace. When commenting about someone’s performance, it is important to note that the style used in passing information plays a pivotal role in determining the way it will be received. One of the potential negative implications of coaching is difficulty in giving orders (Colquitt, 2017). In order to achieve maximum output from the workforce, organizational leaders must be more cautious by making requests instead of giving orders. Voice tone and non-verbal modes of communication such as gestures should be used conservatively, as they can easily be misinterpreted for orders. According to psychologists, people tend to react when given a direct or indirect order with either reluctance, resentment, or resistance (Lok, 2019). Therefore, organizational leaders should ensure that feedback is given in form of requests or recommendations. This plays a pivotal role in ensuring that the main objectives of coaching are actualized.
Another potential negative implication is increased pressure on individuals to succeed. Psychologists argue that the things that someone does are more important than that one says (Fisher, 2016). Unethical and unprofessional actions of organizational leaders can easily lead workers into developing a compromised mindset about accepting change, inclusion in the making of decisions, as well as the value of committing to meeting both individual and organizational goals. An inclusive corporate culture and workplace environment play a decisive role in building trust within the workforce.
Conclusion
Coaching is designed to help workers raise their level of performance within the workplace. It focuses on assessing the behavior of an individual to identify existing or potential obstacles hindering one from reaching the expected levels of success. Before commenting on one’s performance, it is important to ensure that an individual understands the expectations that others have of him or her, as well as the obstacles that could be hindering good performance. Organizational leaders should adopt coaching programs for their workers because they help in increasing the level of cohesion within the workplace, as well as improving their capacity to learn new skills, take up more roles, and adopt newer technologies.
References
- Colquitt, A. L. (2017). Next generation performance management: The triumph of science over myth and superstition. IAP.
- Fisher, J. G. (2016). Strategic reward and recognition: Improving employee performance through non-monetary incentives. Kogan Page.
- Lok, J. C. (2019). Human resources assist organizational development. Amazon Digital Services LLC.