Module 4

Coaching and Creative

Problem Solving
MGMT5100
Welcome to Module 4
Coaching and
Creative Problem Solving
MGMT 5100
3

Road Map for Module 4

3.0 Welcome to Coaching and Creative Problem
Solving

3.1 Coaching and Development

• What is coaching?
• Problem solving vs Appreciative Inquiry
• Feedback

3.2 Creative Problem Solving

• Supporting goals
• Problem solving
• Creative thinking
• Developing creative solutions
Module 4 Learning Objectives and MPO Challenge
At the end of this module students will be able
to: Managing People and Organizations
• Identify the fundamental theories related to Discussion of Challenges
coaching and development of employees
(C01, CO4) Who is the best coach or mentor you
• Describe a challenge related to coaching and have ever worked with?
creative problem solving in organizations that
is relevant to your career (CO1, CO2)
• Distinguish between problem solving and
appreciative inquiry approach to coaching
and development (C01, CO2, CO3)
• Identify strategies to support a creative
approach to solving real world managerial
challenges using theories related to
communication (CO2, CO3)
Module 4.1
Coaching and Development
Employee Development
• My view on the nature of people The happy worker
– Personality debate
– Values
– Motivation

• Skill: the ability to demonstrate a system and Productivity Job

Satisfaction
sequence of behaviour that is functionally
related to attaining a performance goal

• If you want to help people you need to support

them
– Personally
– Professionally*
 Empowerment
Competence

Granting employees the autonomy to assume

more responsibility within an organization and
strengthen the sense of effectiveness.
– Critical link to self-efficacy.
– Theory Y management
Sense of Self-
Empowerment
– Job characteristics model meaning determination

– What does empowerment look like?

 Commitment
 Less turnover
 Productivity
 Organizational change capacity Impact

 Job satisfaction
 Coach?
• Noun: someone who trains a person or team.
• Verb: to train a person or team intensively (as by
instruction and demonstration)
• Which definition guides your approach?
– If you are not developing anyone, are you
really a coach?
– Coaching is a skill you can bring regardless of
your position.
– Coaching culture focuses on the development
of others.
– Remember our fundamental learning theories
(adult learners!)

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What is BUSINESS coaching?
• The focus of coaching is to guide your peers in the direction needed to
achieve their goals and help them succeed.
• Aims at improving coachee performance
• Helping them learn
• Maximize their potential with the use of a creative process

• Distinguish the differences in other professional services that also aim

at creating positive outcomes for their patients and/or clients.
• Therapy
• Counselling
• Mentoring
• Training
• Sports Coaching
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Problem Solving Coaching
• Coaching: the process of equipping people with the tools, knowledge, and opportunities
they need to develop themselves and become more effective (Peterson & Hicks, 1995: 41)
• Deals with performance issues (skills and abilities)
1. Determine the source of the problem
2. Demonstrate a positive regard
3. Seek ways to improve performance
4. Create a supportive climate
5. Influence behaviour changes
 Breaking up large complex tasks
 Reward small wins
 Collaborative decision making
 Modeling
6. Be supportive and FOLLOW UP!
7. Provide meaningful feedback (exhibit 2)
Providing Feedback
 Focus on specific behaviours
 Keep the feedback impersonal
 Keep feedback goal-oriented
 Make your feedback well-timed
 Ensure understanding
 If negative, make sure the behaviour is controllable by the recipient
 Tailor the feedback to fit the person

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Positive vs. Negative Feedback
• Essential for motivating employees
• Positive feedback
– Readily accepted.
– complacency
• Negative feedback
– Objective vs. subjective
– Status and credibility

• Behavioral Checklist
 Support negative feedback with hard data
 Focusing on specific rather than general behaviours
 Keeping comments impersonal and job-related
 Ensuring that the recipient has a clear and full understanding of the feedback
 Directing negative feedback toward behaviour that is controllable by the recipient.
 Adjusting the frequency, amount, and content of feedback to meet the needs of the
recipient.
Attention & Observation
ATTENTION
● The foundation of listening
○ The speaker notices the quality of the listener’s attention thus affecting their willingness to speak
○ The listener’s attention enables them to notice the speaker’s words, non-verbal communication
(physical gestures), and the impact the speaker has on them
○ Can be challenging for listener as attention takes energy and conscious effort to be fully present
○ Need to be able to monitor attention and recognize when it wavers. The ability to refocus attention
depends on ability to silence internal conditions (as described in listening slide)

The cycle of attention

Starts when the individual sets an intention to listen
Flows from: focusing attention, preparing to listen, monitoring attention, combatting interference, re-
focusing attention and resourcing attention

OBSERVATION
● Can be referred to ‘listening with your eyes’ as it requires observing another’s non-verbal
communication
○ Similar to verbal communication as the speaker creates meaning by representing their
thinking and emotions
● Challenges of observation
○ Ignoring the obvious
○ Not finding signal in the noise
○ The fear of being wrong
○ The fear of losing connection
 Appreciative Inquiry Coaching
• Ap-pre’ci-ate, v., 1. Valuing; the act of recognising the best
in people or the world around us; affirming past and present
strengths, successes and potentials; to perceive those things
that give life (health, vitality, excellence) to living systems. 2.
To increase in value – for example, the economy has
appreciated in value. Synonyms: value, prize, esteem, and
honour.
• In-quire’, v., 1. The act of exploration and discovery. 2. To
ask questions; to be open to seeing new potentials and
possibilities. Synonyms: discover, search, systematically
explore, and study. (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2005, p.7)

Fundamentals
• AI 4-D Cycle
• Core & Emergent principles

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AI Core & Emergent Principles
• 5 Principles of Appreciative
Inquiry Approach

• Know the difference between traditional problem

solving approach and appreciative inquiring
approach.
Counseling
• Helping with an emotional problem to resolve it or help the person cope
with it (may be linked to performance issues).
1. Facilitate problem recognition and solutions
 Clarify thoughts and feelings
 Listening skills are critical
2. Demonstrate a positive regard
3. Create a supportive climate
 Maintain confidentiality
4. Be supportive, provide reassurance and FOLLOW UP!
 Work within Employee Assistance Programs
5. Provide meaningful feedback (exhibit 2)
Mentoring
• Long term focus – helping another employee achieve their career goals
– Formal vs. Informal Mentoring
– Potential Benefits
– A more connected workforce
– Tacit knowledge transfer (learning culture)
– Staff retention
– Supporting equity programs
– Increased productivity
– Supports leadership succession planning
• A good mentorship program should be flexible and adaptable to a
company’s culture
• A good mentor is a valuable asset…a bad mentor is dangerous for the
company and the individual.
Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching:
“A short to medium term relationship between an executive and a consultant
designed to facilitate learning and move the executive from excellent
performance to peak performance”
• one-on-one counseling about work related issues;
• 360-degree feedback on executives’ strengths and weaknesses as its
starting point; and
• purpose is to improve managers’ effectiveness in their current positions.

Steps http://coachfederation.org
1. Data gathering
2. Feedback
3. Periodic Coaching Sessions
4. Evaluations
 Potential Self-Assessments
Coaching project 1.
2.
Self-Awareness p. 11
Self-Management p.52
3. Sending Interpersonal Messages p. 65
• We need to decide what assessments we want 4. Listening Skills p. 79
to give our managers. 5. Developing Others p. 115
6. Providing Feedback p. 132
(Data Gathering) 7. Setting Goals for Others p. 97
8. How Creative are you? P.148
9. My attitude toward politicking. P. 181
• Include an open-ended question about how 10. How I persuade others p. 206

important the skill is to their role (ask for specific 11. What’s your EI? P. 224

examples of a time when they used this skill). 12. What kind of leader am I? p. 242
13. Are you a change leader? P. 300
14. Competitiveness
15. Conflict Handling
Supporting Goals
A goal is the object or aim of an action, for
example, to attain a specific level of Short term Long Term
learning goal Learning Goal
proficiency, usually within a specified time
limit.
• Set SMART GOALS Complimentary
Goal Strategy
• Normative vs Absolute benchmarks?
• Self-efficacy check.
• Complex goals need a learning focus Short Term Long Term
Performance Goal Performance Goal
• Build feedback into the coaching strategy
Ted Talk: John Wooden: The difference bet
ween winning and success
Contribution Goals
• Contribution Goals: Motivated by benevolence rather than by ambition. Focus is on
providing a benefit to others.

• How can I contribute? Fosters Growth

– Produce significantly more mental, emotional, and physiological benefits than achievement
focused goals (Brown, 2006).

• Wait, I should think about how I can help other people during my most difficult
times?.....
• ____________________________________________________________________
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End of Module 4.1
Thank you!