Organizational Coaching Benefits Both Individual and Corporate Productivity, Finds 2013 Organizational Coaching Study

LEXINGTON, Ky., July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --  The International Coach Federation has released the executive summary for its 2013 Organizational Coaching Study. The executive summary can be accessed at Coachfederation.org/orgstudy.

The Organizational Coaching Study was undertaken by the ICF, in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, to provide businesses, coaches, stakeholders and the general public with new information and insights about the status, value, effectiveness and impact of professional coaching within organizations.

"Prior ICF research has quantified the positive impacts of organizational coaching on individual performance and productivity, as well as overall corporate culture," said 2013 ICF President and Master Certified Coach Dr. Damian Goldvarg. "The Organizational Coaching Study took our research on coaching within organizations to the next level, painting a more-detailed picture of when and how coaching is used and reaffirming that, for organizations of all sizes and in all sectors, coaching gets results."

The executive summary synthesizes information gleaned from in-depth interviews with individuals responsible for making decisions about coaching within their organizations. It reveals that coaching decision-makers within organizations place a high value on ethical practice, with confidentiality a top priority.

"Within coaching conversations, client confidentiality has never been more important to the organization. Regardless of whether the firm was using internal or external coaches, ethical standards were a key driver in the selection of the coach," said ICF Director of Research and Education Mark Ruth. "This finding reinforces the importance of the ICF Code of Ethics and Ethical Conduct Review process as tools that promote professional, ethical practice and raise awareness of the integrity, commitment and ethical conduct of ICF Members and Credential-holders."

The executive summary includes a number of other key conclusions and implications for the coaching industry:

• Coaching is utilized effectively by a variety of organizations, but the extent to which it is used varies widely.
• Most organizations use a "hybrid" model, employing both internal and external coaches.
• Organizations look at coaches' reputations and recommendations when making purchasing decisions.
• Coaching yields a host of positive organizational impacts, including leadership development and performance, increased levels of employee engagement, reduced attrition and improved teamwork.
• Although organizations use tools such as 360-degree feedback assessments and employee surveys to measure coaching impacts, formally assessing and quantifying the return on investment and success of coaching remains a challenge.

The ICF is a leader in conducting and providing coaching industry research, investing each year into industry research to demonstrate the highly effective nature of coaching. The results of additional ICF industry research, including the ICF Global Coaching Study, ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study and ICF Global Coaching Client Study, can be found online at Coachfederation.org/research.

The ICF also hosts an online Research Portal at Coachfederation.org. The ICF Research Portal—available to all ICF Members and the general public at Coachfederation.org/portal—contains articles, case studies, journals and reports from around the world about coaching and related topics.

The International Coach Federation is the leading global organization for coaches, with more than 20,000 members and 10,000 credentialed coaches in more than 100 countries worldwide. ICF is dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high ethical standards, providing independent certification and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches. Coaching is a distinct service and differs greatly from therapy, consulting, mentoring or training. ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. For more information, please visit our website at www.coachfederation.org.

ICF HEADQUARTERS CONTACT:
Abby Tripp Heverin, +1.859.219.3529
Email

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SOURCE The International Coach Federation