When measuring the efficacy of coaching, there are multiple options and considerations for determining how and when to conduct the evaluations.
Measuring
What are the resources for measuring?
- Financial –available funds for employee time and materials to measure the efficacy of coaching will determine which options to consider
- Current systems or tools – often there are internal metrics that are currently tracked that are easily used for evaluating coaching including 360’s, sales numbers, productivity measures, turnover costs, and employee engagement rankings
- Adaptable systems or tools – some tools currently used may be easily adapted to evaluate coaching efficacy such as performance reviews, promotions, etc.
- New systems or tools – it may make sense to either create measurement tools designed to track specific objectives or to find available tools to purchase because of the value provided in tracking outcomes
- Staff – staff are a resource both for generating information or data and for reviewing it.
What does ‘Evaluating Measures’ mean?
- How will the sponsor evaluate the measures?
- The sponsor is the company or organization paying for the coaching and often there is a focus on dollar value outcomes
- How will the client evaluate the measures?
- The client is the individual who is coached and they are interested in personal growth and goals plus opportunities
- How will the coach evaluate the measures?
- A coach is focused first on their client and second on the sponsor in terms on considering the value provided
How is the baseline determined?
- If coaching is a new initiative it is easier to simply determine what evaluations you will use and complete the process before starting
- If coaching is currently happening, explore the options with some tools to acquire data based on what was happening before the coaching started
When to Measure
- When will you measure the outcomes?
- Options for when to conduct an evaluation include: During, Immediately After, 6 Months After, 12 Months After so determine what if feasible based on costs and staff availability, what provides value in terms of information, and then track as much as possible
Watch for an exploration of applying qualitative measures to the quantitative in the next blog post.
