09.04.08

It’s no revelation that coaching has exploded in recent years and our recent White Paper - Coaching: Misunderstood highlights that almost 70% of surveyed organisations currently engage in coaching.

What’s more, there has been an influx of coaches into the market with Google returning over 2 million coaches in the UK alone.

What this has meant is that coaching has become a potential minefield. Our survey highlighted that there is much confusion surrounding the definition of coaching with 25% of HR professionals being challenged by understanding what coaching is and 28% being challenged by how coaching increases return on investment.

The good news - steps towards regulation

The good news is that the four industry bodies (Association for Coaching, European Mentoring & Coaching Council, International Coaching Federation, Association of Professional Executive Coaching & Supervision) who all have their own principles, standards, ethics, competencies and accreditation procedures are now working collaboratively to define industry standards. There is likely to be a shift from self-regulation to regulation in the next 3-5 years.

The major breakthrough recently occurred when these bodies in the UK signed an agreed ‘Statement of Shared Professional Values’. This has defined the common ground in the codes of ethics and practices currently used by such bodies in the UK.

The Statement of 'Shared Professional Values' gives all buyers of coaching services a clear frame of reference for the ethical requirements surrounding good quality coaching. Not only this, these values will offer guidance for both organisations and individuals providing coaching to follow.

Steve Benfield, Principal Consultant of The Beech Consultancy and Ambassador of the Association for Coaching comments “This is very encouraging and significant news. The industry is definitely reaching a critical stage - buyers are becoming more inquisitive and asking questions around what is coaching and how it will help their business. And ethical coaches are looking to be represented by accredited bodies to help demonstrate their skills, competence and expertise.”

Steve adds “it’s great to hear that these custodians are now working collaboratively towards the regulation of the industry. And having the shared values gives everyone in the industry something to work with – we are now making headway.”

Play your part in shaping the future of coaching

Steve shares some of his thoughts for all parties involved in coaching to consider:

"It will become important for consultancies and independent coaches to play their part to help shape the coaching industry as we seriously consider the future of coaching. We all have a responsibility. Educate and clearly communicate what coaching is, how it differs from mentoring and ultimately how it increases performance. Avoid the use of technical jargon."

Steve adds "for coaches consider your own personal development, supervision and accreditation options. And for the organisation, seek to understand! Challenge providers and check for credibility.”

To read the full article on the Statement of Shared Values, please click here.
To read the full White Paper (Coaching: Misunderstood), please click here.

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