Coaching and Mentoring

Citation

Shewbridge, D. (2002), "Coaching and Mentoring", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 34 No. 3, pp. 123-123. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.2002.34.3.123.1

Parsloe and Wray subtitle their book “practical methods to improve learning” and that is indeed what this book offers – clear and systematic models for the design, delivery and evaluation of coaching and mentoring programmes. They write:

The aim is to help and support people to manage their own learning in order that they may maximise their potential, develop their skills, improve their performance and enable them to become the person they want to be.

Becoming the person we want to be might be out of reach for some of us, but in other respects, Parsloe and Wray offer practical tools that assist this style of learning.

Purpose established, the authors deal with the sticky area of semantics, often tricky because of the historical applications of the terms coaching and mentoring. Some writers see them as interchangeable, and others make distinction; either choice creates problems, depending on an individual’s previous experiences. Parsloe and Wray are not emphatic, and provide their readers with a summarised table of definitions. The general impression is that while coaching focuses on the achievement of specific, measurable objectives, mentoring has a broader, holistic approach to development of the individual (or, occasionally, group).

Parsloe and Wray suggest we are in the middle of an intellectual revolution and that the confusion over definitions will be “how we do things round here”. “Round here”, though, will vary enormously from one organisation to another but, nonetheless, somehow one cannot help but warm towards the idea – for practitioners, it is an attractive prospect.

Readers are offered explanations for the roles of coaching and mentoring in learning organisations and their emphasis on a survival strategy of ever‐higher standards. References are made to the work of established authorities in the field, including Clutterbuck and Megginson. It is also linked, here, to the personal development plan process, which may not be the remit of the reader; but the guidelines presented are uncomplicated and can be adapted to various schemes. The real strength of this book lies in its clarity of presentation; models are offered that can be either implanted into a coaching/mentoring project, or form its entire structure. Chapter 3 “Theory and practice” is particularly useful. The full process, from design, execution, and assessment, through to evaluation, is included. The models do not have to be adhered to rigorously (the authors ask the reader not to view them as a set of instructions) but they can certainly be useful in reducing the time involved when creating or modifying programmes.

Evaluation is presented as an integral element of a programme, and guidance given on its implementation. There is a good case for linking it to coaching, but in practice it is rarely used in conjunction with mentoring because of ethical issues relating to confidentiality.

This book provides an optimistic, proactive view of coaching/mentoring, but does not avoid some of the thornier issues, such as those around the role of the manager. Emphasis is made of the need for managers to be supportive by agreeing to allow time both for coaching/mentoring sessions and the achievement of goals. However, the sensibilities of managers concerned that they may not be included in the relationship is not essentially addressed as a discussion topic.

This book offers good value for any development/HR practitioner who is designing a coaching or mentoring programme. It will streamline the process and help to assess and evaluate its impact. Experienced professionals may feel they are already very familiar with some of the content, particularly Chapter 2, on learning, and that the more complex and sophisticated issues facing senior management are not explored in depth. However the text does succeed as a useful “toolbox” of systems and models.