The 2008 annual survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development shows how coaching within organisations has moved beyond being ‘the latest fad’ – to adding real benefits. Coaching is increasingly popular as a means of promoting learning and development. The findings show that almost three-quarters of UK employers currently use coaching in their organisations, compared to 63 per cent in 2007. Some 72 per cent of respondents find coaching to be an effective tool.

Within organisations that offer coaching to all their employees, general personal development 79 percent, and helping poor performance 74 per cent, are both cited as the most common purposes for which coaching is used. For those organisations that only offer coaching to managers, the emphasis shifts towards its positioning as part of a wider management and leadership development programme.

The survey finds more than two fifths of organisations now offer coaching to all employees, 39 percent offer it to directors and senior management and a third offer it to senior managers and line managers/supervisors.

The survey highlightsthat the bulk of the responsibility for delivering coaching lies with line managers coaching those who report to them. Over half of organisations believe that coaching by line managers is the most effective learning and development practice and nearly half anticipate that even greater responsibility will fall onto line managers in the next five years.

Only eight per cent of organizations evaluate the effectiveness of coaching via a formal regular evaluation process. Two in five respondents feel that the effectiveness of coaching is gauged by reviews of objectives conducted with line managers, coaches and coachees.

The Learning and Development Survey is available from the CIPD. http://www.cipd.co.uk/surveys