The Role of Coaching in Building a Fearless Organisation

At the centre of a psychologically safe workplace is the ability for employees at all levels to speak up, raise concerns or ideas and offer constructive input without fear of repercussion. When staff can be open with each other, organisations benefit from greater productivity, innovation, morale and much more. 

One way that leaders can cultivate an environment of belonging is through the integration of coaching. In essence, coaching is a process designed to stimulate positive change that maximises the personal and professional potential of individuals, teams and companies at large. Providing constructive feedback, being open to growth and staying curious about alternative approaches are all foundational to this practice and to psychological safety.  

When personnel can engage in authentic and honest conversations with one another, it opens the door for positive transformation. 

What can coaching do for organisations? 

Employees who participate report a number of benefits: 

• 80% increase their self-confidence 

• 73% improve working relationships 

• 72% gain better communication skills 

• 70% strengthen performance 

The Journal of Positive Psychology also found that coaching has a positive effect on personal performance, well-being, coping, work attitude and goal orientation, and these impacts extend beyond the individuals engaging in the programming. 

A recent study demonstrated that when managers received coaching, 9 in 10 direct reports noted that they developed new skills from continuous learning to better coordination and communication capabilities.  

Additionally, 72% of respondents said they feel safer to offer their opinion, even when it’s different from their manager or team, and 61% reported that they were more likely to see mistakes or failures as an opportunity for learning. Both of these findings reflect essential components of psychological safety and are vital to cultivating a high-performing, innovative culture. 

How can coaching be integrated into the business? 

To begin realising the benefits of these initiatives, it’s important to consider the current workplace environment and adapt programming accordingly. The following statements can help make a high-level assessment of psychological safety, which may be further validated with other data points, such as employee surveys, retention metrics and morale assessments.  

• Managers and leaders listen to and understand staff concerns or hesitations without judgement. 

• Employees across the organisation regularly share new ideas. 

• Personnel are open about mistakes and readily take accountability. 

• Managers and leaders promote a growth mindset, viewing missteps as part of the learning process. 

• Differing ideas are welcomed with curiosity and openness. 

• Innovation comes easily in the company. 

If you find yourself answering “No” or “Rarely” to the sentiments above, it may be a sign of low psychological safety. Those who largely respond with “Yes” or “Almost always” are likely to be in a business with high psychological safety. For those in between, consider the suggestions for workplaces with moderate psychological safety. 

In Companies with Low Psychological Safety 

It may be best to focus first on leadership and supervisors because it will be difficult to ask direct reports to share honest input if they do not first believe that their managers are willing to receive their points of view with open minds. 

Prioritise programmes directed towards the executive suite and line managers so that they may learn to take in constructive critiques with a positive mindset. Be sure to get feedback from the training participants as well as the people they work with to measure the effectiveness of the effort and assess their impact on staff’s willingness to state differing opinions and present their authentic thoughts. 

As confidence starts to take root, Human Resources (HR) and Learning & Development (L&D) professionals may wish to expand initiatives through peer coaching within departments. Pairing team members to work towards professional development goals can help staff adopt a growth mindset and welcome alternative perspectives in a secure setting. 

Emergenetics Associate Pro Tip: Try using like-dyads or groupings. By bringing employees together who share similar preferences, individuals can become more comfortable receiving constructive feedback as it is more likely to be presented in a way that feels natural and relatable.  

In Workplaces with Moderate Psychological Safety 

Leaders may wish to explore peer or team coaching as well as mentorship programmes. The offerings can build on the existing trust and confidence shared amongst personnel while also helping staff stretch beyond their comfort zones. 

Expand peer-based initiatives so colleagues in different functions are paired together. In doing so, they are more likely to gain exposure to diverse viewpoints and considerations. Team coaching can be an effective supplement as well.  With this approach, coaches work within a department to raise their psychological safety by empowering each person to understand the power that comes from their collective cognitive diversity and distinct experiences. 

Through traditional mentorship, senior personnel are connected with junior staff members to share insights and support their professional growth. Introducing structured mentorship can create stronger relationships across the organisation. 

Emergenetics Associate Pro Tip: Utilise mid-dyads or groupings at this stage in your work. Participants will be able to connect through their shared Attribute(s), while also gaining more insights into varied perspectives through their distinct preferences.  

In Businesses with High Psychological Safety 

In addition to the tactics introduced in the sections above, consider applying collegial or skip-level models as well as reverse mentorship to provide a holistic coaching programme. 

In collegial coaching, employees may be partnered with anyone in the organisation and collaborate to support one another’s development. Skip-level coaching is more specific in that a staff member is paired with someone at the level of their manager’s manager. These partnerships can be very effective in introducing personnel at all levels to distinct points of view, and it’s essential to have a strong foundation of trust to avoid potential conflicts between employees and leadership. 

Reverse mentorship connects junior and senior personnel; however, the intent is for the younger participants to offer guidance to the more experienced coworkers. Often, these relationships result in both employees supporting the growth of one another. 

Emergenetics Associate Pro Tip: In high-trust cultures, try using unlike-dyads or groupings. Individuals will benefit from getting constructive criticism and alternative viewpoints from staff members who think and behave differently from them, leading to greater perspective-taking and learning. 

When HR and L&D professionals integrate coaching models in the workplace, every person can benefit from new ideas, considerations and possibilities. It all begins by understanding if and how psychological safety is currently experienced in the organisation. Then, with thoughtful implementation, HR and L&D can use coaching to create a scaffold that takes the company to new heights of candour and performance. 

Interested in learning how Emergenetics can strengthen your learning and development initiatives? Find out how we collaborate with businesses around the globe or fill out the form below to speak with one of our team members today!

 

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