The Debate Over Coaching And Mentoring In

Today's Workplace
by Moya K. Mason

Why Do We Need Coaching and Mentoring Programs?

Primarily because they build stronger organizations! New studies have

found that the quality of reference librarians' service to the public seems
unchanged since the mid-1980s when McClure and Hernon found that librarians
were unhelpful approximately 50% of the time (Dewdney 1994,218). This is of
course increasingly problematic considering the increase in the technological
facilities within libraries, such as numerous online indexes, databases, and the
Internet. Librarians will be expected to have knowledge of them, and become
specialists in electronic resources. With coaching and mentoring programs
resulting in increased work performance and enhancement of job skills in the
corporate and non-profit world, we believe these techniques can help staff
become better at their jobs, and therefore, provide higher quality service.

As managers in a library system, it is up to us to guide and direct employees,

and are ultimately responsible for the performance or lack of performance that
exists in the workplace. In the years before the catastrophic recession of the
1970s, jobs were secure and libraries were heavily entrenched under the umbrella
of the nation state, getting large grants and big book budgets. There was no
Internet, nor were cable companies offering two hundred channels to surf out
everything from how to make the perfect golf swing, to indepth analysis of health
and financial matters. Libraries had their fingertips on the information pulse, and
they were considered stable, necessary, albeit expensive centers of knowledge.

Libraries, as part of the welfare state are now in flux: shifting to a Post-
Fordist paradigm leading to a fundamental reconceptualization of the library in a
market society. As Harris and Marshall emphasize in Reorganizing Canadian
Libraries, "financial restraint and technological change are resulting in marked
changes in organizational structures and work patterns in libraries" (Harris
1997,1). Conceivably, libraries are currently global information sites, with
librarians funneling through and disseminating information for their clients, but
there is a lot more competition out there. We, as managers, must help employees
expand their individual skills and reach their full potential.
 What Is Coaching?

To begin, coaching is a form of consulting, and is a new and rapidly growing

profession, particularly, the area of personal development coaches. Coaches will
identify strengths, weaknesses, goals, and needs, typically through a series of
prearranged sessions over a month. As Troy A. Waugh stresses, it is better to only
coach a few people simultaneously, with consistent hourly sessions every week
(Waugh 1997,145). Importantly, the four core elements of the coaching process
are support, modeling, step-by-step development, and encouragement (Bentley
1996,121).

The key is it is a way to give employees instruction on how they can better
use the skills and expertise they already have more effectively (Bentley
1996,112). Coaching assists in "improving or developing performance" (Lewis
1996,109). An example would be a fine-tuning or a reminder of the reference
interviews' five microskills, which includes the all-important, follow-up
questions, which librarians often ignore. There is a focus on results, the
exploration of specific problems, and opportunities to develop better skills
(Megginson 1995,30). This differs greatly from training, which involves teaching
new skills (Bentley 1996,112).

The coaching process focuses more on eliciting information, asking

questions, and focusing on details, than about telling people what to do. For
example, the Odyssey Group uses basic guidelines in their coaching format,
including the overriding belief that a coach's fundamental job is to LISTEN,
PAY ATTENTION, PROBE RATHER THAN CONDUCT AN
INQUISITION, DON'T JUDGE, and "help people learn and grow through
experience rather than direction or advice giving" (Supervision 1997,4). Coaches
may be managers within the system, and the best coach, according to John Kotter,
professor at Harvard Business School, is most likely your own boss (Nakache
1997,208). However, many are freelance consultants who can attribute the recent
explosion in coaching to the downsizing of human resource departments and the
trend of working at home (Canadian Business 1997,205). It can be a lucrative
career helping to provide clients with advice on setting goals, working more
efficiently, and becoming more focused and motivated (Canadian Business
1997,205).

Library systems in general, are becoming decentralized, creating huge

networks of interconnected links, or the global 'virtual library'. The organizational
patterns of individual libraries have been broken down, developing large
departments within libraries, which are often merged with the computer services
branch (Harris 1997,14). What emerges from this restructuring process is the
creation of teams. Team work is considered the panacea for the workplace in
today's society. Coaching can increase the performance of individuals and teams
by maximizing potential. As the article Coaching: The New Way to Manage
Corporate Success points out, teams have in many ways replaced traditional
management systems and need good coaching to be successful (Supervision
1997,3). A good coach will "expand on principles of leadership and
empowerment . . . because it is practical and it works (Supervision 1997,3). As
Casey Stengel once said, "It is easy to get the players. Gettin' 'em to play together,
that's the hardest part." Overall, the aim of coaching is to offer suggestions for
improvement, and to empower people.

What Is Mentoring?

Mentoring is a process of aiding another with transitions; it is about one

person helping another (Megginson 1995,14). It involves one person, the mentor,
helping another person or mentee to reach his or her goals, through coaching,
counseling, guidance, sponsoring, and the parlaying of knowledge (Stueart
1993,144). Mentoring is usually "a three-way beneficial process," which helps the
mentor, the mentee, and the organization (Stueart 1993,144). The primary
function of a mentoring relationship is to further the career of the mentee, but the
person being mentored is not the only one who benefits from the relationship.

Mentors are benefitted by the prestige of having the ability to develop such a
relationship, as well as providing an ally and getting job assistance from the
mentee, in addition to learning more about the organization themselves (Stueart
1993,144). Of course, the workplace will always derive success from such
relationships by reaping "increased productivity, reduced turnover in staff,
properly socialized employees," and a solid management team (Stueart 1993,144-
145).

Specific goals that can be achieved through the mentoring process include
advancement of employees' careers, solidification of relationships between
managers and staff, a deepening of the commitment to the goals and values of an
organization, and the development of personal connections (Gilley 1996,40).
What mentoring also does, is help the mentee avoid the typical hazards that go
hand-in-hand with today's workplace, or as Gilley and Boughton put it, it
develops "employees' political awareness and savvy"(Gilley 1996,40). Mentors
provide their proteges with invaluable information on the mission and philosophy
of the organization and serve as confidantes (Gilley 1996,40). They show them
the ropes and offer encouragement, but do not perform tasks for their mentees.

If one follows Chip R. Bell's perception of mentoring, as laid out in

Managers as Mentors, it can be an uplifting experience, even a spiritual coming
together of mentor and mentee (Bell 1996,x). Mentoring must have a synergy
between the players, in a "power-free facilitation of learning . . . through
consultation and affection rather than constriction and assessment (Bell 1996,x1).
Finally, mentoring has become an effective method in helping employees become
orientated with the workplace setting, gives them support and coaching, and
shows them how to make informed decisions regarding their career advancements
(Murray 1995). Mentoring provides a greater knowledge of the workplace,
increased retention of the best and brightest people, and acts as an anchor of
stability. As Margo Murray writes in Mentoring the New Masters,

The key to mentoring is to closely link it to the mission, goals, and priority
strategies of the organization. Only an integrated, facilitated process which is
linked to current and future mission or business imperatives can be expected to
stand the buffeting of the winds of change. Of course, mentoring must be
monitored and tracked to measure its impact (Murray 1995).

Differences/Similarities Between Coaching and Mentoring

Both coaching and mentoring are great opportunities for learning, which use
"effective questioning that brings insight, which fuels curiosity, which cultivates
wisdom" (Bell 1996,68). Asking questions, rather than telling or ordering is the
fundamental component which brings the processes of mentoring and coaching
together. This implies, of course, that you must be an excellent listener and
communicator. However, they are very different concepts. Mentoring
encompasses coaching, but it also focuses on the individual, his or her
performance, within a context of objectives (Lewis 1996,33). Mentoring is unique
"in that it does not exclude other methods, but exists alongside them,
complementing them and adding value" (Lewis 1996,x). In an article entitled
Developing Employees, Steve Truelove makes the following distinctions,

1. "Coaching [is] taking someone through the experiential learning cycle in a

systematic way with the intention of improving the capability to apply specific
skills or deal with problematic situations.

2. Mentoring [is] assigning a respected and competent individual (other than

the direct boss) to provide guidance and advice in order to help someone cope
with and grow in the job" (Truelove 1992,279).

Mentoring has had a long history with its roots stretching back to the 8th
century B.C. where it got its name from the elderly friend and counselor of
Odysseus, named Mentor, who also offered guidance and acted as tutor to
Odysseus' son Telemachus. It continued to be the basis on which commerce,
craft, and art were carried on from ancient times until the inception of capitalism.
Coaching, on the other hand, has only been around for the last few decades, and
has only received great attention in the 1990s (North 1997,206). Mentors can
perform similar functions as a coach, but is usually someone who works within
the same facility, whereas coaches are more often from outside the organization,
but not always (Judge 1997,72). Both involve the transfer of some skill or piece
of knowledge, and primarily, the distinction between mentors and coaches may
be summarized as follows:

1. Coaches focus on a specific set of problems, or the "results of the job,"

exploring solutions and opportunities for the employee to use (Megginson
1995,30).

2. The mentor, on the other hand, zeros in on the individual, focusing not only
on the present, but with an eye always on the future. Mentors do provide some of
the same services as coaches, but they are built into a complex, ever-evolving
synergetic relationship that is based on mutual respect and a friendship of sorts
(Megginson 1995,30).

How to Prepare Yourself for the Role of Coach or Mentor

Considerable commitment is required of you to fulfill the role properly, with

the expectation that as managers, your communication skills are at a stage where
the art of listening has been mastered. And have patience!!! Chip R. Bell
contends that mentors are part wizard, comic, motivator, sergeant, and partner,
and believes that great mentors are "effective at surrendering, accepting, gifting,
and extending" (Bell 1996,11). Surrendering in the sense of not controlling;
accepting or including rather than judging; gifting, not using manipulatively; and
extending, pushing the relationship to grow beyond any preconceived boundaries
(Bell 1996,12).

From research on mentors compiled in the early 1990s, we know that there
are three integral qualities which are very highly valued by learners, and they are
a keen understanding of management practices, organizational know-how, and
credibility (Lewis 1996,40). Let your employees benefit from the experience,
knowledge, and success you have attained, and there will be a win-win situation.
Expect to become exhilarated.

What To Have in the Coaching/Mentoring Understanding

Without guidelines and expectations, no relationship can succeed, so before

anyone undertakes to become part of a coaching or mentoring process, there must
be an informed decision made by the managers and the learners. Since no one
wants to waste time, Gilley and Boughton recommend that you choose,

Employees who are willing to assume responsibility for their own growth and
development, who are receptive to positive and negative feedback, and who are
willing to accept suggestions and advice (Gilley 1996,177).
 These employees are usually very positive about their jobs, the workplace,
and their colleagues, and are people one could envision as organizational leaders
of the future (Gilley 1996,177). After choosing a good candidate, especially one
deemed for a mentoring relationship, you may want to develop a formalized plan
of action, which describes respective responsibilities, goals the employee would
like to achieve, some strategies that can help, and target dates for the completion
of specific activities (Gilley 1996,181). A mentoring plan can also be beneficial
because it is a visual identification of progress made, and can act as a motivator
(Gilley 1996,181). Of course, not all mentoring/coaching relationships are
formalized ones, and remain as spontaneous discussions and meetings, however,
regardless of the level of commitment, boundaries should be set out to avoid
problems that can arise (Bell 1996,60).

Gilley and Boughton have proposed a series of activities which employees

should be responsible for if they want to be involved in a successful mentoring
venture. They must take responsibility for their own development, trust their
mentors' suggestions and advice, expect both positive and negative feedback, not
be controlling, and be willing to accept challenging assignments (Gilley
1996,175). And finally, make sure you include an understanding that results are
expected, and an agreed method of evaluation will be in place before a coaching
or mentoring relationship can be cemented. With the number of employees who
want to be involved in such a program, and considering that there are only so
many of us who can become coaches or mentors, invest your time wisely, and if
an employee is not taking advantage of the opportunity given to them, choose
someone more worthy.

==================

Best Practice approach to Mentoring is where the business manager seeks

the expertise and guidance of someone who is an expert in a particular field
or is simply a more experienced manager. Someone who has done it, got the
tee shirt and has the battle scars to prove it!

Mentoring should deal with two needs at the same time.

Firstly, the experience should be viewed as a learning opportunity. One of the Aid
Agencies has great saying which summarises the approach 'is it better to give people
fish or teach them how to fish?' From a leadership and Management development
perspective, a manager should emerge from this experience with the skills to deal
with particular business problems on an ongoing basis.

Secondly, the learning happens at the same time that real business issues are being
addressed. Having access to an experienced manager to provide the benefit of their
expertise can be invaluable when faced with problems such as, hiring new staff,
exporting for the first time, seeking government assistance, dealing with difficult
employees etc.

Mentoring your team

Parthasarathy Rangarajan, Assistant Vice-president, Operations & Systems, Birla

Sun Life Distribution, talks about the importance of team management in an
organisation and the CIO as a team leader.

Team management is one of the driving factors in an organisation and with the
expanding size of teams; it has become one of the major tasks of a CIO. Mentoring
one’s team in modern management is considered one of the most important
processes in team building.

A CIO should be a mentor who can empathise, create trust among his team
members, be a good listener and influence his team members. He has to be a role
model for them: only then will he be able to prove himself as a true team leader.

IN TIMES OF CRISIS A CIO should be a mentor who can

empathise, create trust among his
team members, be a good listener,
A CIO should play the role of a leader in times of
and influence his team members.
crisis, being able to set an example to his team He has to be a role model for them
members. —only then will he be able to prove
himself as a true team leader
He can use different methods for confidence building.
He should also lead by example, which will be a motivating factor in itself, as actions
speak louder than words and will boost the entire team spirit.

He should be a team player and model team behaviour himself, which plays a major
step in creating a healthy team atmosphere during crises.

OFFSITE INTERACTION

Conducting offsites is one of the most recommended techniques for team building as
it facilitates bonding between team members in an organisation. Offsites enable
team members to interact with each other in a much more relaxed environment, and
it is during such interactions that tacit knowledge sharing occurs.

Usually during such interactions, onsite problems and differences of opinion among
team members are automatically resolved. This helps to create a strong bond
between team members. There are companies who arrange such off-sites frequently.
STRATEGY AT BIRLA

At Birla Sun Life Distribution, strategic issues are discussed by the senior
management team and operational issues are handled by the operations team head
with his subordinates in conjunction with the HR head and team.

Business strategies are usually discussed among the business heads and CEO; the
details of the strategy are discussed with the operations head who in turn briefs his
team.

Any issues related to operations are directly escalated to the HR head, as it is his
function to resolve any operational issues which will cause a hurdle in the
implementation of a project.
Many managers in the Indian
VIEW ON INDIAN SYSTEMS industry are young, which adds to
their dynamism and decision-
making ability. The disadvantage
In the service and finance sectors, the compensation of the Indian system is that it is
for top management in India is on par with the US or yet to adopt a process-driven
any other countries. The concept of high risk, high pay environment. If organisations
implement their strategies in a
is entering these sectors. simulated environment, projects
will be implemented more
The Indian system has an advantage of age. Many professionally
managers in the Indian industry are young, which
adds to their dynamism and decision-making ability. The disadvantage of the Indian
system is that it is yet to adopt a process-driven environment. If organisations
implement their strategies in a simulated environment, the project will be
implemented more professionally.

Another major disadvantage in the Indian system, in my observation, is that often

users are not clear in their requirements, which affects project implementation.

MANAGING MANAGERS

Some management theorists believe that the gap between the top management and
middle management pay scales should not be too large. Large inequality in the
compensation package might lead to discontent in an organisation as the success of
top management is dependent on the performance of subordinates.

The top management devises strategies, but it is implemented by subordinates

(middle management) and further down the line. If there is unequal distribution of
pay scales, the motivation levels of subordinates tend to fall and it has a ripple effect
on the performance of the entire team.
Leader Vs Manager

Current management theories emphasise leadership

qualities rather than managerial qualities in team
management. In the present scenario, the CIO needs
to be a leader-manager, not just a manager.

The differences in the roles, approaches and theories

of a leader and a manager are:

 A manager uses his authority while a leader

uses his power.
 A manager does things right while a leader
does right things.
 A manager works well in peaceful conditions
while a leader gives his best during a crisis.
 A manager is an administrator while a leader
is an innovator.

 A manager accepts the status quo while a

leader challenges it.