Coaching Models

8 Coaching Models for HR Professional Needs To Know

In this article, we provide an in-depth overview of what a coaching model is and introduce some of the most effective models. This guide will help you decide which coaching model is best for your company.

Important facts

• Coaching models are often crucial for the professional development of a company’s employees.
• Most coaching models involve asking questions and guiding employees toward a development plan that is right for them.
• The best way to determine whether a coaching model is successful is to use analytics to measure an employee’s performance.

What are coaching models?

Coaching models are a framework that helps managers to comprehensively support their teams and offer them development opportunities. Each model has different methods of instruction as well as unique advantages and disadvantages that make each model suitable for specific situations. Choosing the right model for your team can mean the difference between growth and stagnation.

The importance of coaching models for organizations and teams

By introducing the right coaching models, managers gain a clearer path for their employees’ professional development. Although each model has a different teaching method and can even train different aspects of an employee’s professional life, they can be crucial to improving employee performance overall.

By providing your employees with valuable development opportunities, you give them new skills and knowledge that can make them more effective in their positions – a prospect that benefits the company as a whole.

8 coaching models you should know

While this is not an exhaustive list of all coaching models, each model listed below is very effective in the right situation and can help employees learn valuable skills. A basic understanding of each model can help you decide which model you want to make your preferred coaching method.

1.GROW coaching model

The GROW coaching model was developed in the late 1980s by business coaches Graham Alexander, Alan Fine and Sir John Whitmore. It aims to boost employees’ confidence and motivate them to pursue their professional goals and potentially increase their productivity in the workplace.

Each letter in GROW represents a stage on your team’s journey to self-improvement.

G stands for Goals

The “Goals” phase describes what employees want to achieve during their work at the company. Sometimes they have already figured out their goals, and sometimes the coach needs to guide them with forward-looking questions to help them find the path they want.

R stands for Reality

The goal phase is followed by the reality phase, in which the coach helps employees get a clear picture of their current capabilities and determine how far they are from achieving their goals. This is where you analyze employees’ strengths, skills, and available resources to help them overcome any obstacles that hinder their growth.

O stands for options

In the options phase, the coach helps employees find the best ways to bridge the gap between their goals and reality. It’s not enough to have an idea and be done with it. All possible options should be considered to find the most optimal path for growth.

W stands for will

After the option phase comes the will phase, in which employees determine the steps they will take to get closer to their goals. A series of smaller goals that lead to larger ones helps workers visualize their path and motivates them to keep pursuing it. In addition, the coach continues to support employees in their efforts and helps them find solutions if part of the development plan does not work.

2.OSKAR coaching model

The OSKAR coaching model, developed in 2002 by coaches Mark McKergow and Paul Z. Jackson, is similar to the GROW model, but gives your team time to reflect on their performance. You can implement this model by following the steps listed below.

O stands for Outcome

Here, the coach works with an employee to determine both the coach’s goals and the employee’s goals while working for your company. This is typically done through open-ended questions such as “What skills do you want to acquire?” or “What goals do you have for the future?”.

S stands for scale

In the scaling phase, the employee’s goals from the outcome phase are taken up and refined with more realistic expectations. The coach often uses a rating scale to determine how close they believe the employee is to achieving their goals. The coach then asks additional guiding questions that narrow the scope of the employee’s goals until the coach has a better idea of what is needed.

K stands for know-how

In this phase, the coach assesses the employee’s current strengths, weaknesses and abilities to determine how they need to develop further to achieve their goals. This results in a more solid action plan that shows a clearer path from the employee’s position to their goal.

A stands for affirmation and action

This phase of the OSKAR coaching model allows employees to reflect on the things they are already doing well while confirming the actions needed to improve performance and achieve their goals. This positive reinforcement of employees’ current state helps motivate them to continue their professional development.

R stands for review

The review phase is intended for the start of the following coaching session, in which the coach provides an overview of the employee’s progress. This praises the progress the employee has made towards their goal and highlights areas in which they can improve.

OSKAR model coaching questions

Some of the key questions asked at each phase of the OSKAR model are:

• Result. “What do you want to achieve?” or “What do you hope to gain from this coaching session?” are frequently asked questions.
• Scale. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how close are you to your goal?” or “What does achieving your goal look like?” are common questions.
• Know-how. “What skills do you need to acquire to achieve your goal?” or “What resources do you know that can help you in your professional development?” are common questions.
• Acknowledge and act. “What are you doing now to achieve your goal?” or “What will you do in the future?” are frequently asked questions.
• Review. “What progress have you made since the last coaching session?” or “What new things are you trying or will you try to achieve your goal?” are common questions.

3.STEPPPA coaching model

The STEPPA coaching model was developed by Angus McLeod in 2003 and is designed to use the emotional context of a situation to define new goals. It’s especially helpful when complex or difficult emotions hinder an employee’s growth.

S stands for subject

In the initial topic phase, the coach determines what the employee needs to discuss and the context of the topic. Typically, the employee leads the conversation while the coach focuses on helping them identify and work through emotions that may be hindering their development.

T stands for goal

Here the employee decides on an achievable goal or result that he or she would like to achieve in the company. If he doesn’t have one, the coach guides the employee toward an outcome that fits his or her current abilities and is motivating enough to encourage continued progress.

E stands for emotions

In the emotions phase, the coach evaluates the feelings that employees associate with their goals and decides whether these feelings promote or hinder progress. If there are strong negative emotions associated with the desired outcome, the coach and employee must evaluate whether the goal is worth it.

P stands for Perception

In the perception phase, the coach encourages employees to see their professional goals in a larger context. Both parties note how pursuing this goal impacts the thoughts and emotions of the employee’s colleagues and how many doors it opens that lead to new growth opportunities.

P stands for plan

Once the planning phase has been reached, the coach helps the employee determine the first concrete steps to achieve their goal.

P stands for pace

After the employee creates a plan, they need to set reasonably strict deadlines and time frames for completing each task in order to maintain their commitment. Each appointment should be within a realistic time frame, not too far away so that the employee does not lose motivation, and not too close to cause stress.

A stands for action

In the final action phase, the coach and employee should review the development plan and iron out any overlooked details or revise decisions that do not fit the stated goal. Ideally, the coachee leaves the session with a clear understanding of their short- and long-term goals and how their feelings motivate them to make further progress.

4.Solution Coaching Model

This coaching model is less complex than the others because the focus is on finding solutions to problems rather than discussing the context in which they arise. The coach uses the present and past tenses to present the problem as solved and to help the employee more easily visualize the path to the end goal.

The solution coaching model therefore only has three essential components for effective coaching:

• Ask questions. Asking questions in the present or past tense helps the employee work backwards from the problem to find a solution.
• Scale. The employee is instructed on how to get to the desired goal from his current position.
• Imagination. This encourages employees to imagine how their work life would change if they achieved their goal; The aim of this is to motivate employees.

5.CLEAR coaching model

The CLEAR model was developed by Peter Hawkins in 1985. It focuses on promoting personal change in the employee to help them achieve their professional goals, over the course of several sessions.

C stands for contract

In the contract phase, the coach and employee define together what the employee wants to achieve with the program. They also determine what successful sessions between coach and coachee look like from the employee’s perspective in order to better assess the desired result.

L is for listening

After the contract phase, the coach must listen to his coachee in order to gain the clearest possible understanding of their goals. The coach should only stimulate the conversation if it deviates too far from the main topic.

E stands for Explore

After listening to the employee, the coach helps the employee explore the emotional connection to their current situation and how it would need to change to achieve a different situation.

A stands for action

In the action phase, the coach asks questions that help employees find the best actions to achieve their goals. These questions help get the coachee to embrace these changes by internalizing the new perspectives developed in the exploration phase.

R stands for review

As the name suggests, in the review phase the coach and the employee go through the most important points of the session and the solutions developed. If they do not meet the expectations set out in the contract phase, they can be further refined before the end of the session.

Additionally, the review phase continues at the beginning of the next session when the coach asks the employee whether his new perspective has helped him grow.

6.FUEL coaching model

The FUEL coaching model was developed by John Zenger and Kathleen Stinnett and featured in their book “The Extraordinary Coach: How the Best Leaders Help Others Grow.” It is designed to connect coaches who ask open-ended questions with employees who would benefit most from a deep analysis of their situation. It helps coaches formulate an ideal outcome for the coaching sessions and helps employees take ownership of their future growth.

F stands for Frame the Conversation

The coach and the employee agree in advance on the context of the conversation by defining the purpose, the process and the result. Establishing the goal for the conversation and some general talking points helps keep the conversation flowing while the coach works to keep the conversation on track.

U stands for Understand the Current State

Next, the coach asks questions to get a clearer picture of the employee’s situation with the goal of challenging their assumptions as the conversation progresses. This part of the process helps the coach identify issues that may be preventing the coachee from progressing within the company.

E is for Explore the Desired Goal

The coach then asks questions about the employee’s ultimate career goals and uses their understanding of the current situation to collaboratively develop methods to get them to their desired state. Each option is considered by the employee and the coach advises them if necessary while agreeing on their professional development plan.

L stands for Lay Out the Plan

Once the employee has decided on multiple development options, he breaks them down into actionable steps that move him closer to his goals. In addition, the plan should include reasonable deadlines for implementing each step and regular meetings with the coach.

7.AOR coaching model

The AOR coaching model focuses more on the relationship between coach and employee than similar models. It considers a strong relationship between both parties as the key to an effective session, especially with the AOR “trial and error” problem-solving method. This model is not aimed at helping people achieve predetermined goals, but rather teaches them to solve problems in the shortest time and with as few errors as possible.

A stands for activities

In the activities phase, the coach inquires about the employee’s daily actions or factors affecting his work that are under his control. For example, the time he spends checking his email is an activity. Examination of each activity should produce quantifiable results against which progress can be tracked.

O stands for Objectives

Here the coach sets work-related goals for the employee’s activities, which are often slightly higher than what he or she can normally achieve. For example, the coachee has to complete all of their work in a shorter time frame than they are used to.

R stands for results

The results phase often takes place at the beginning of the next meeting because this is where the impact of the goals on the employee’s productivity is discussed. If no significant changes have occurred, the coach can help the coachee modify and refine the goals until they are achievable.

8.WOOP coaching model

The WOOP model was developed by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen as a simple but effective method to help employees identify and achieve their goals. It is based on the principle that a better understanding of what they want to achieve can help motivate them to work towards that goal.

W stands for wish

The coach asks the employee questions to find out what they want to achieve at work.

O stands for Outcome

After identifying the employee’s ultimate goals, the coach helps them imagine how their work life will change if they achieve their goal. The idea of all the benefits that come from achieving a big goal motivates the employee to continue on the chosen path.

O stands for obstacles

After the coach has the goal in mind, he asks the employee questions that are intended to help him more specifically identify the obstacles that stand in his way. These are often personal or self-inflicted problems, as these are directly in the employee’s hands.

P stands for plan

After completing the previous steps, the coach helps the employee create a plan with all the growth opportunities they need to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. This plan also includes reasonable deadlines for each actionable step and dates for further sessions with the coach.

How to measure the success of a coaching style

It is important to check the effectiveness of each coaching model after its introduction. While any model can have a positive impact on an employee’s performance, there is no guarantee that it will. Various metrics can be used to determine whether a coaching method is successful or needs to be refined. For example:

• Performance metrics. Probably the easiest way to track performance metrics shows how well an employee is doing their job. Jumps in win rate, conversion, quota completion, and other measures of success are good indicators of the effectiveness of a coaching model.
• Activity metrics. This records what employees spend the most energy on during their working hours, be it answering calls, attending meetings, writing emails or selling products to new customers. It’s harder to determine coaching success using these metrics. However, the coaching model is likely to be effective if more meaningful use of time is part of an employee’s development plan.
• Cultural metrics. These metrics are more personal factors in an employee’s life. They measure perceived employee stress, employee satisfaction and employee retention. These factors can often be influenced by how supported employees feel, so good coaching often has a direct impact on them.

Frequently asked questions about coaching models

What are coaching models?

Coaching models guide employees to determine or review their goals and develop detailed plans for how to achieve them.

How important are coaching models?

Coaching models help employees increase their performance and productivity as they achieve their goals. Additionally, coaching makes employees feel supported, making them less likely to leave your company.

Which are the best coaching models?

The best coaching model is the one that suits the employee’s situation and helps them overcome any obstacles that arise in their professional development.