RCN Case Study

RCN Invests in Coaching Culture with i-coach academy

When Julie Carrington joined the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) as Organisational Development Manager in 2006, she discovered that, despite investing in a management development programme, the RCN did not have a mechanism in place to empower employees to make changes to their professional development. Looking to develop these competencies and create an experiential learning culture within the organisation, Julie turned to coaching and i-coach academy to help achieve the results.

Why coaching?

From her previous experience as Management Development Executive and Training and Organisational Development Manager (and Internal Lead Coach) at the BBC, Julie had seen first-hand the benefits that coaching could produce. Julie commented that “Coaching is a powerful tool and a powerful way of learning. Its biggest impact is in the confidence people gain from the process of coaching and recognising their own abilities. Coaching also provides that validated space to think, which is an important element of leadership and management.”

In addition to simply investing in management capabilities, the RCN was in the process of embarking upon a major period of change.

“We needed our managers to develop a more agile way of thinking that would allow them to adapt to this change,” Julie said.

The coaching style of management to be introduced was to align with management competencies and become an expectation for RCN management moving forward.

Who was the target?

With the support of executive management, Julie sought to introduce a coaching style into the management development programme. The first step was to develop an internal coaching programme to train a number of internal management coaches who would then coach participants that attended the next Management Development Programme. The coaching programme was specifically pitched at senior management (not executive management) who were perceived to be key influences within the organisation and had the capacity to influence culture.

Why i-coach academy?

One of the key benefits that Julie sought from engaging i-coach academy was its positioning among the coaching community.

“I felt that the coaching had to be received over a period of time, to allow RCN managers to reflect and practice the new skills that they were acquiring.

“While I looked into a number of other providers, i-coach academy offered the most flexible approach in running an eight day programme over a number of months,” Julie said.

The EMCC and Middlesex University connections, along with an international presence and a philosophy that didn’t focus on a ‘one model fits all’ approach made i-coach academy the most appealing coaching provider.

The programme developed by i-coach academy

In January 2007, the RCN Internal Coach Programme commenced with 15 senior managers choosing to participate. The programme involved three modules:
Module 1 – learning theory, coaching skills, performance theory and ethics
Module 2 – learning review, appreciative inquiry, solutions focus, CBC and limiting beliefs
Module 3 – learning review, assessment and ethics and contracting.

To reinforce the learning, in between modules, managers were required to complete coaching fieldwork such as self and session evaluation. The programme was structured around the learning cycle, so a crucial component was the ability to apply learning. Each manager was therefore required to find two clients within the organisation with whom they could coach over five sessions. The subsequent modules would draw on the learning managers gained from coaching sessions and applied theory.

As industry research suggested that coaching is a strong re-enforcement of learning, each manager was also assigned a coach and required to receive four coaching sessions. Finally, to ensure a continuous learning cycle, facilitated CPD days were held to allow managers to share their experiences and reflect on their learning.

How has the RCN found the programme?

The first of the RCN managers have completed the module component of the programme and will graduate in November. Already Julie and her team have received anecdotal feedback that a shift in conversations is happening at the senior management level. Preliminary reviews are also showing that people are working at their own professional development.

Yet the true test of the programme is still to come. Recently the RCN has engaged a staff survey. The results should shed some light on how management is perceived and how this changes over the next few years, in addition to providing information for the overall evaluation of the Management Development Programme and the RCN’s coaching approach. The first Management Development Programme to involve a coaching component will begin in April 2008. This will also reinforce the coaching culture as part of the management style.

How have the first graduates found the programme?

Graduate responses have been positive particularly in terms of the learning outcomes from the modules. A major issue for some managers was the fulltime commitment and this was a key reason for four managers choosing to opt out of the programme (these managers have suggested that they would be interested in completing the programme at a later date).
Those who are completing the programme have reported a significant difference in the way their clients moved forward and have attributed this to being able to implement what they have learnt through the programme.

Below are some comments that graduates have provided as feedback:

“The programme has been very helpful in day to day management.”

“It was the most enjoyable and professional course I have been to at RCN in 5 ½ years.”

“It was clear and challenging. The challenge for delegates was to be different in our responses and thinking.”

Evaluation of i-coach academy

Julie is very satisfied with the way i-coach academy and their Programme Leader, Eunice Aquilina have approached the RCN programme.

“What was excellent was i-coach academy’s flexibility with how people were responding, as well as their attention to how RCN wished to see coaching sit within the organisation’s culture.

“The programme delivered was very responsive to the RCN goals and needs,” Julie said.

Looking to the future?

The RCN is committed to developing coaching within their organisation. Julie and her team hope to run a similar Internal Coach Programme in 2008, with the intention of continuing to build the RCN Management Development Programme.

What about other organisations?

Having experienced the success of coaching in two organisations, Julie is confident in the benefits that coaching can offer. The key to success, according to Julie, is the organisation’s objectives, where they are and whether they are ready to commit to coaching.
An essential success factor is top management support.

“Depending on the nature of the organsiation, one may choose to position a coaching programme slightly differently or adopt a particular approach more than others.

“I have no doubt in the value that can be gained through coaching,” Julie said.