Coaching And Mentoring In Talent Development Programs Essay.

Discussion

The organizations which are successful in talent development programs focus on three things-The process of selection of talent should support the overall strategic objective of the organization, the work culture should be supportive and the employees should feel emotionally engaged and should be willing to learn, grow and remain. Talents should be developed with the aid of coaching and mentoring so that a continuous process of development is followed and regular feedback is given to employees. Talent development program is essential for an organization and coaching and mentoring play a vital role in talent development programs. Coaching is usually a short term concept and is task based while mentoring is a long term concept and is relationship based (MacLennan 2017). 

2) The development of organizational talent can be supported effectively using different methods of coaching and mentoring. Though there are differences between coaching and mentoring, these differences complement each other. A balance of coaching and mentoring sessions is required to support talent development programs (Viney and Harris 2013).

There are different models of coaching and mentoring and they can be used widely in talent development programs.

The generic model of Coaching

Step 1- The awareness of need, desire and self is analyzed.

Step 2-Self Responsibility is planned.

Step 3-Implementation of action plans

Step 4-The level of success and learning is evaluated.

The generic model of mentoring-

Step 1- The Personal Learning Plan (PLP) is confirmed.

Step-2 –The self-management of learning is encouraged.

Step 3-Support is provide to mentee in the PLP process

Step 4-Assistance is provided in evaluation of success (Naudé 2016).

The different models of coaching and mentoring which are more specific in nature are discussed below- 

The GROW MODEL

The GROW model stands for Goal, Reality (Current), Options (Obstacles) and Will or Way forward.  Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore were business coaches who developed the model.  The goal is first established in this model.  The goal should always be SMART- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time bound. The goal should fit with the overall objectives of the coaching and mentoring session. Once the goal is fixed, the current situation is analyzed.  It is very important to contemplate on what is the situation at the present moment to attain the future goal.  The next step is t explore various options and methods to reach towards the goal. These options are explored together by the coach and the talent development team. The advantages and disadvantages of each option are analyzed and it is contemplated on how together the goal can be achieved. The final step is to commit towards undertaking several steps to reach the goals (Phillips and Phillips 2016). 

The OSCAR MODEL

1) Stage 1- The outcome of the coaching and mentoring session in the training development program is analyzed.

2) Stage 2-Situation- Starting Point- The current situation is analyzed

3) Stage 4 – Choices and Consequences – The mentee can explore many options and each option will have its consequences which are analyzed.

4) Stage 4-Action Plan is chalked out. The strategy of coaching and mentoring is analyzed

Evaluation of different models of coaching and mentoring

5) Stage 5 - Review is done and it is made sure that mentee is on track

The STEER MODEL – This model is about Spotting the opportunity, Tailoring the Intervention, Explaining the task, Encouraging the mentee and Reviewing his action.

Line managers, coaches and employees should work in close coordination for successful implementation of talent development programs. The organizational need for talent development program should be communicated to the employees by the coaches and line managers and individual aspirations and requirement of employees should be analyzed (Jayakumar and Sulthan 2014).

1) Empathizing skill-The coaches and employees should be able to empathize with each other, trust each other and keep secrets.

2) Listening skills should be demonstrated and a positive climate should be developed.

3) Ability to confront challenges-Coaches and mentors should encourage employees to take challenging tasks and feedbacks should be obtained from them.

5) Ability to solve problems together should be demonstrated by the employees and the coach.

6) Feedbacks should be given constructively by coaches.

7) The line managers and coaches should be able to empower the employees.

8) Mentoring skills should be demonstrated by coaches and they should be able to support the employees (Jehanzeb and Bashir 2013).

Methods for establishing need for Support 

The need for Support can be established by different methods. The needs for talent development in an organization is identified and the gap in talent development is bridged using different methods of coaching and mentoring

There should be a structured and formal approach by which coaching and mentoring should be delivered so that the entire process can play a significant role on the talent development program. The purpose measures what the client wants to achieve. The coach should ask himself questions like “Where are we going and why?  What does the client expect from the coach in his overall journey with him?” These questions will help the coach in determining the purpose of the coaching .After the purpose of the coaching is developed, perspective of the coaching is analyzed. The perspective of the coaching depends on the mutual perspective of both the coach and the client. The expertise and knowledge of the coach is aligned with what the client wants to achieve.  The process measures how the coach and the client will work together to achieve the final outcome (Garvey, Stokes and Megginson 2014). 

Nested-level models

The nested level starts by working on the horizontal level of “doing” and then moves into deeper level of learning. The expert approach- This approach analyzes the three different levels –What-doing, How-Learning and Who-Way of being.  The level is used by the mentor or the coach to help the client identify his blind spots. The learning should be integrated with the goals that were set.  The vision of the client should be understood. The strategy is outlined –it is understood how the client is going to achieve his vision and the specifying outcomes of the coaching and mentoring session is measured. The level Who analyzes the present condition of the client and what the way he wishes to see himself after completion of the coaching and mentoring session (Passmore, Peterson and Freire 2013).

Potential of the use of different models in talent development programs

1) The needs of the company are identified. The strategic goals, objectives, vision and mission of an organization is understood. The talent development program is a future oriented process.

2) The previous succession plan is analyzed and it is found out the things that worked out well and the things that failed in the plan.

3) The process is designed keeping in mind the educational background and aspirations of the employees of the organization.

4) The coaching and mentoring sessions are provided in the talent development program utilizing the leaders that are already present in the organization (Serrat 2017).

5) Communication about future goals of the company and the net outcome of the talent development program is important. Open communication model will help in the implementation of talent development programs.

6) Test and Assess- The talent development program is tested with a small group of employees within the company. Feedback can be taken from the management and success of the program can be evaluated.

7) The follow-up is necessary for talent development programs and the needs of the organization should be addressed. Progress of the program and the challenges of the program should be evaluated (Bailey and Collins 2013).

 The support mechanism and talent development program can be implemented by communicating the needs of the organization and the necessary outcomes of the talent development program. The plan of the program can be tested within a small group of people and not the entire organization (Greif 2013). The progress of the support mechanisms of coaching and mentoring sessions in the talent development program should be checked at regular intervals, challenges faced during the process should be addressed and the feedbacks should be taken at the end of the talent development program (Csikszentmihalyi and Robinson 2014).

Conclusion

The coaching and mentoring sessions play a pivotal role in talent development programs of organization. The workplace is challenging and the skills of employees should be upgraded continuously and aligned with the current trends and technology of the marketplace. In order to achieve this, organizations should modify their strategic goals and should be able to identify the needs of talent development programs. These programs will empower the employees of the organization. Line managers and coaches should play a supportive role in talent development program and communication model adopted for such programs should be open in nature. Flexible organizational structure and less hierarchy will aid in talent development programs. The models of coaching and mentoring are generic as well as specific. Though there is basic difference between coaching and mentoring but these two processed should be balanced for effective management of talent development program. The talent development program should follow a structured plan which should be tested.

Reference Lists 

Bailey, R. and Collins, D., 2013. The standard model of talent development and its discontents. Kinesiology Review, 2(4), pp.248-259.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. and Robinson, R.E., 2014. Culture, time, and the development of talent. In The Systems Model of Creativity (pp. 27-46). Springer Netherlands.

Garvey, B., Stokes, P. and Megginson, D., 2014. Coaching and mentoring: Theory and practice. Sage.

Greif, S., 2013. Conducting Organizational?Based Evaluations of Coaching and Mentoring Programs. The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of the psychology of coaching and mentoring, pp.443-470.

Jayakumar, G.D.S. and Sulthan, A., 2014. Modelling: Employee perception on training and development. SCMS Journal of Indian Management, 11(2), p.57.

Jehanzeb, K. and Bashir, N.A., 2013. Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study. European Journal of business and management, 5(2).

MacLennan, N., 2017. Coaching and mentoring. Taylor & Francis.

Naudé, J., 2016. Coaching and Mentoring. In Management and Leadership Skills for Medical Faculty (pp.

Passmore, J., Peterson, D.B. and Freire, T., 2013. The psychology of coaching and mentoring. The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Coaching & Mentoring, pp.3-11.

Phillips, J.J. and Phillips, P.P., 2016. Handbook of training evaluation and measurement methods. Routledge.

Serrat, O., 2017. Coaching and mentoring. In Knowledge Solutions (pp. 897-902). Springer Singapore. 151-162). Springer International Publishing.

Viney, R. and Harris, D., 2013. Coaching and Mentoring. Leadership in Psychiatry, pp.126-136.