The only thing certain in today’s business world is change, meaning organizations must be flexible and adaptable. Leveraging managers as coaches is one way to ensure people at all levels are on board to drive and manage organizational change.

- By Ingrid Johnson

Bruce Lee, the American martial arts expert and movie star, once said, “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” He also said, “All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.”

He could have been talking about driving organizational change as much as he was talking about sports coaching and people in general. His fluid, adaptable moves seemed natural as his body responded to rapidly changing situations and unpredictable people.

The words and movements of Bruce Lee come to mind because he understood that managing change requires a willingness to learn and focus on personal development, to collaborate with partners, to respond to evolving circumstances with action, to be open to gaining knowledge from the experiences of others, and to practice.

As organizations face constant change due to globalization and technology, being willing to change is not enough and fixed patterns must end. Everyone in the organization needs to learn how to respond to and manage change so that the organization moves in the right direction as a whole.

One way to accomplish that goal is to leverage managers as coaches because they can serve as the links between the corporate mission, goals and processes and the organizational change experiences.

Connecting the Dots of Change

Most corporations today have numerous change initiatives in the works, ranging from increasing staff diversity to restructuring supply chains to implementing scorecards to initiating global expansion of operations. As technology opened new gateways for competitors to enter and initiatives grew broader and deeper, it quickly became apparent that effective responses require all staff members to develop the capabilities to be full partners in managing change. Resistance at any level can derail initiatives.

It is clearly impractical to hire hundreds of coaches to teach people how to focus and develop appropriate behaviors, but it is very possible to leverage managers as internal coaches.

One of the many advantages of this approach is the fact the managers are located across the enterprise and so offer a high degree of staff coverage. There are many other advantages. Initiatives are overseen by functional and division managers who have regular access to senior leadership. They are able to connect the broader business strategies to specific responses and actions at lower levels, giving staff the information or connections they need to facilitate change.

A rapid pace of change puts a lot of pressure on staff “to do” and “to apply.” But, what do they do, and what do they apply? As Bruce Lee reminded us, being willing to change is not enough. Internal coaches can help staff develop the self-awareness, critical thinking skills and new perspectives needed for success.

Another main benefit of using coaching is that the approach is applicable to any desired change. An individual, team, department or division can be coached to achieve results ranging from successful implementation of strategic initiatives to increased productivity. Coaching can focus on performance, cultural integration, development, or total enterprise transformation resulting from mergers and acquisitions or going global.

Ultimately, the goal is to develop staff who understand and can respond to continuous change, whatever that change may involve, and embrace the notion that the modern organization is no longer defined by a “fixed set pattern,” to borrow Bruce Lee’s words once again.

The Demanding Business of Change

There are other advantages to developing internal coaches, and one is the fact that the coaching effort can be applied more consistently as opposed to hiring various external coaches. Also, internal coaches can develop relationships that last as long as necessary, giving the organization much more flexibility. Yet another advantage is a better ability to measure business performance improvement related to coaching efforts, a key need for ensuring successful initiatives rollout.

There is also the advantage of the organic growth that accompanies internal coaching as an intervention strategy for driving change. When a group of leaders are taught coaching skills and then go out and coach hundreds of individuals, deep connections are developed. This can improve retention of quality talent which also is critical to successful initiative development, implantation and ongoing management. Those coached then apply their new skills and knowledge on the job, meaning their staff also gets some degree of coaching.

Change initiatives make significant demands on businesses. New talent must be recruited and onboarded. Employees must develop the necessary new skills. Job responsibilities are expanded and shifted as performance expectations are raised at the same time. When the enterprise is going global, there is the added pressure of blending cultures.

Coaching can help people develop the cognitive skills needed to develop new relationships, think creatively, and adapt to new or changing performance requirements. This is especially important for new employees and those who have worked in the enterprise for a long period of time when businesses had established modes of operation that were punctuated by brief, rather than continuous, change events. Staff members are now expected to learn at a much faster pace, and coaching also helps develop those skills.

Developing Thinking Skills

Last but not least by any means, internal coaches can help with the transition of staff into new positions which are often at a higher level. Change initiatives frequently lead to reorganizations and significant job changes. People are dealing with change on several fronts. Since coaching develops “thinking skills,” staff develops the right mindset for dealing with change on multiple levels.

Leveraging managers as coaches makes sense because change is a constant today. Many companies are working toward making coaching a core competency because they realize that change will continue in the future.

An important element of the coaching effort is ensuring that the vision for the coaching end results blends with the corporate vision for success. When the connection is made, the organization is well on the way to developing a culture of change. Bruce Lee said, “I am not teaching you anything. I just help you to explore yourself.” It is good coaching advice.

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