Improving leadership capabilities seems to be at the top of the wish list for most corporations

Improving leadership capabilities always seems to be at the top of the wish list for most corporations, but if they really want to see improvement, companies should take a harder look at their coaching and mentoring programs. Despite the fact that most say such programs are very valuable, fewer than a fifth think their own programs are good or excellent, according to a just-released study conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity.

The study found that, of the more than 300 organizations polled, fully half donít have such programs at all. ìThere seems to be a tremendous missed opportunity here,î said Jay Jamrog, i4cp Senior Vice President of Research. ìOur study shows that the most common use for these programs is to develop executives and other managers. But, in an age when so many organizations are saying thereís a shortage of leadership, theyíre underutilizing one of the best tools available.î

The study found that only about half of respondents say their organizations have formal coaching and mentoring programs in place (49% coaching, 47% mentoring). When asked what percentage of their employees use coaches or mentors, 52% said coaches were used by 5% or less of workers, and 62% said the same thing about mentors.

ìThree out of five respondents said they considered coaching to be quite valuable or very valuable,î said Jamrog. ìYet, 82% reported their coaching programs were only ëaverageí or below. By boosting both the quality and usage of these programs, organizations might make a huge dent in todayís and tomorrowís leadership shortages.î

To find coaches and mentors, most organizations look internally, with 68% reporting they find their coaches in-house, compared with 93% locating mentors within the company. When selecting coaches externally, 55% rely on recommendations from colleagues or other organizations. The top coaching qualification listed (71%) was business experience, followed by recommendations and consulting experience.

As for training of mentors, 44% of respondents use some type of internal training function, while 39% said no special training is required. Thirty-two percent report using in-house mentors to train others.

The Coaching/Mentoring Practitioner Consensus Survey was conducted by i4cp, in conjunction with HR.com, in May 2007.

For more information about this study, please contact Greg Pernula at pernula@i4cp.com or via phone at (727) 345-2226.