Change management: Digital coaching as a success factor
A coaching approach can help employees in times of change. We have summarized in this article how this should be designed, what is important in the digital environment and how self-determined coaching is to be understood.
A contribution by Swetlana Haas, Conference Manager & Content Editor, Kongress Media
How can coaching help with digital transformation and in general change phases in the organization? Björn Negelmann talked about this with Christopher Kuhl and Johannes Darrmann from thankscoach as part of the weekly talk on the Shift/HR platform. The conversation provided new insights and practical recommendations on how change management can be successfully shaped through active support. As a company of HRpepper, thankscoach deals with supporting organizations with top coaches. They focus on a customized and strategic approach to provide holistic coaching for executives and employees and to meet the constant changes in the current times.
We have summarized the key points, recommendations and insights of the two experts here. Of course, you can also watch the entire conversation in full here.
Coaching as a solution for change management and constant change
Successfully driving change management within an organization requires the right empowerment and support of all stakeholders. The pace of change is ever increasing and this presents organizations and people with major challenges. The pandemic was a great transformation accelerator and yet there is now often a certain amount of change fatigue. Constantly new structures and influences ensure that reflection phases with firmness and certainty become less frequent, although they are necessary in between. In such a situation, it helps if companies already have help and support for the unplannable changes, e.g. in the form of coaching, in order to make the change possible without stress.
In this context, the entire change is always based on individual change at the human level. Up to now, however, large change processes have increasingly been initiated, a journey has been set out and change has been designed collectively, while there is a more direct path to success, namely individual coaching. This is currently used less and is not directly related to change in many companies. Coaching can provide impulses, enable sparring, create transfer and offer reflection spaces for employees.
An expanded understanding of the coaching approach
Thus, a new understanding of 1:1 accompaniment is needed. In addition to change management, this can also be used for employee retention, for example. In this way, employees have a trained expert at hand and the future in the company can be successfully shaped. Quick wins are another aspect and advantage of the coaching approach. In addition, effective talent development or support for learning in the flow of work as a learning guide is possible.
In the past, coaching was mainly used for individual, selected people such as managers, but now this is much broader. This is because a coach is always on hand to offer support, short-term advice and new impetus. It is important to make sure that it is not used indiscriminately, but at the most effective points in the company.
The self-determination of employees
Self-determination of the employees plays a major role. Of course, not everyone wants to or can do this, but here too the coach can provide guidance and introduce certain techniques and exercises for this. Of course, a certain amount of drive is also needed; if this is not present from the start, positive reports and role models can help. The ability and willingness to change must therefore be present to some extent. Here one should also pay attention to the fact that self-determination is of course necessary and brings success, but this must be embedded in a certain framework and structures to work properly and purposefully.
Special features of coaching in the digital environment
The digital approach naturally ensures that the same proximity cannot be created as in presence. Studies of coaching before, during, and after the pandemic have shown that the hurdle of distance could be quickly overcome. While social interactions have a deeper impact, the key to success is that coaching actually works outside of coaching. Meanwhile, impulses can be conveyed, but the experiencing and doing take place outside, e.g., in the interaction with colleagues. What can cause difficulties are technical tools (video tools or the like, therefore one should make sure that always the tool of the coachees is used so that peace is created.
In summary, then, there is a certain necessity for supporting the change process. Self-determined formats provide the necessary freedom for employees and thus also lead to success. In addition, it depends on mutual interaction and implementation.
