Cathy Liska By guest blogger Bonnie Chernin, CPC
June 2014
- ROI abandoned as a key statistical measurement to determine the impact of coaching.
- Latest survey shows a trend away from ROI toward a feedback-based measurement in coaching practice.
Sherpa Coaching just released their 2014 Ninth Executive Coaching and Leadership Survey earlier this month. Surprising new findings present a major shift in the way coaching effectiveness will be measured and interpreted going forward.
The question asked in the survey is: In your experience, how are the benefits of coaching most often measured? Participants included executive and business coaches (66% and 11%); HR and training professionals (9%); business leaders (7%) and other coaches (7%). The 845 respondents included coaches, clients and HR professionals from 50 countries. The All Respondents Summary results are published in the survey:
- 360 assessments before and after (Goldsmith method) – 28%
- Well being and engagement framework – 21%
- Performance reviews – 20%
- IOB: Impact on Business (Sherpa method) – 13%
- ROI: Return on Investment – 11%
- Effectiveness of Learning (Kirkpatrick method) – 7%
The results clearly show the 360 measurement – using feedback taken before and after coaching – is the preferred method and is most often used by external coaches. With ‘Well-being and engagement framework’ at 21% and the measure frequently used by internal coaches, the focus is trending away from a quantitative measuring approach toward a methodology that reflects coaching’s benefits. This corresponds with a drop among the number of consultants who use ROI to determine the value of coaching, down from 33% to 22% this year. Significant also is the survey result that “only 11% of executive coaches attempt an ROI measurement.”
