Coaching across the Globe: Benchmark results of the Bresser Consulting Global Coaching Survey with a supplementary update highlighting the latest coaching developments to 2013

About the author:

FRANK BRESSER

received for his work the Global HR Excellence Award 2011.

Together with his team, he is helping companies design, implement and optimise tailor-made coaching programmes suited to their organisation-specific needs and generating business success. He pioneered the development of systematic and strategic design, implementation and improvement of coaching programmes as a distinct discipline and is a regular keynote speaker on national and international conferences.

Frank is the author of ‘The global business guide for the successful use of coaching in organisations’ (2013, 2010) and has (co-)written over 30 books and articles on coaching. He holds an MBA with Distinction in International Management from the University of East London (dissertation topic: Implementation of coaching in business).

Bresser Consulting also initiated and conducted leading-edge coaching research projects which have gained worldwide acclaim like the European and Global Coaching Survey and the Coaching Research Project on the implementation of coaching in companies.

Frank is based in Cologne, Germany, and can be contacted at: info@bresser-consulting.com

www.bresser-consulting.com

About the editor:

AMANDA BOUCH

heads abc (Amanda Bouch Consulting) a management consulting and coaching business working with organisations of all sizes up to global and across a range of industries and government and works as a Senior Consultant at Bresser Consulting. Amanda has an MBA with Distinction from Manchester Business School (dissertation topic: Performance Management) and is an Accredited Coach with the Association for Coaching (AC).

She was created Honorary Fellow of the Association for Coaching for her services to the AC and the coaching industry in the UK. Amanda was active on the Board of the AC from 2003 and was Vice Chair of AC in UK from its launch in 2009 to end 2011.

She has authored a number of articles on leadership/management and coaching and speaks (and blogs) on these topics.

Amanda can be contacted at: amanda@amandabouchconsulting.co.uk

www.amandabouchconsulting.co.uk

TABLE OF CONTENTS

About the author and the editor

Introduction

A.   Setting new standards

B.   Influence and inspiration

C.   Up-to-date paperback publication

D.   Wide-reaching benefits

E.   Book structure

F.   Closing note

Part I: Latest Coaching Developments to 2013

A. Recent key developments in the global and local coaching markets

1.   COACHING IS A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

2.   COACHING IS GROWING

a.   Confirmed worldwide growth

b.   Flattening of growth in sight?

c.   Special growth of coaching in dynamic Asia

d.   Impact of global financial crisis on growth

Impact on coaching quality

3.   COACHING IS INCREASINGLY DIVERSIFIED

a.   Cultural diversity in defining and using coaching

b.   Growing diversity of coaching forms

c.   Larger technological variety in delivering coaching

4.   THE COACHING INDUSTRY CONTINUES TO EVOLVE

a.   Global landscape of coaching bodies

b.   Best practice instead of too formal regulation

c.   Walking the talk?

The litmus test of the global financial crisis

B. Current situation and challenges regarding the use of coaching in companies

1.   IMPLEMENTATION AND OPTIMISATION OF COACHING AS A DISTINCT DISCIPLINE

a.   The beginnings of this new discipline

b.   A developing market segment

2.   CURRENT PRACTICE AND RESULTING CHALLENGES

a.   Ambivalent situation: bright spots, but poor practice on average

b.   Encourage transparency

C. Conclusion and future perspective

D. References

Part II: Benchmark results of the Bresser Consulting Global Coaching Survey

1.   BEGINNING OF THE REPORT (XXVII)

2.   THE PROJECT

3.   THE RESULTS

a.   World overall

b.   Situation in each continent

4.   END OF REPORT

See the more detailed table of contents of Part II on the next page.

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF THE GLOBAL COACHING SURVEY REPORT (PART II)

Report Cover

How to best approach this report

Short Table of Contents

Executive Summary

Detailed Table of Contents

I. The Project

A. Purpose

B. Research design

C. The 162 covered countries

D. Further remarks

E. Report editions

F. Frank Bresser Consulting

II. The Results

A. World overall

B. Situation in each continent

1.  Africa

2.  Asia

3.  Australasia/Oceania

4.  Europe

5.  North America

6.  South America

III. List of participating organisations/people

IV. Closing note

V.  Report editions

VI. About Frank Bresser Consulting

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

Coaching is one of the fastest growing business phenomena in the world. It is increasingly used as a professional business tool and becoming more and more ingrained into organisational life in various ways. But what is the reach of coaching, what is global best practice and what are the existing commonalities and differences in the understanding, use and development of coaching in different parts of the world?

This book is a very useful resource to answer this kind of question. It documents the state of coaching across the globe by presenting the benchmark results of the Bresser Consulting Global Coaching Survey 2009 and bringing this up to date with a supplement highlighting the latest coaching developments to 2013.

A. Setting new standards

The Global Coaching Survey covered 162 countries and systematically examined the situation and development of coaching in the world overall, in each continent, region and country. It set new standards in the field and is a benchmark since. In 2010, the renowned international magazine ‘Coaching at Work’ included the Bresser Consulting Global Coaching Survey in the list of main achievements of the coaching industry.

Several thousand companies and individuals have downloaded the survey results from Bresser Consulting and the high interest in the findings is unchanging. Media across the globe have reported in detail and regularly about them. Besides the results’ high practical relevance and applicability - we know that they are used to great effect in business worldwide - the research project has also triggered many further local and regional research initiatives and has served as a role model and template for others’ global research since.

It is worth highlighting that coaching associations around the world have made significant contributions to the field of research on coaching. The Bresser Consulting research projects, in particular the Global Coaching Survey, have also been supported by the coaching bodies. In fact, it would have been very difficult to deliver a valid Global Survey without this, much appreciated, support. At the same time, we are also very happy to see that our Global Coaching Survey has clearly set a benchmark that is not only greatly influencing, but also being copied by others.

B. Influence and inspiration

A very recent, illustrative example of this positive influence may be seen in the ICF Global Study 2012 conducted by the ICF (largest coaching body of the world) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) (www.coachfederation.org/coachingstudy2012/). In particular when comparing the ICF 2012 Executive Summary with their previous run of the ICF Study in 2007 (the same is also true for the detailed report), key elements and ideas of the Bresser Consulting Global Coaching Survey can now be found in the latest ICF Study:

1.  The similar visual design and use of the world map

2.  The strong focus on the differentiation between continents/regions as well as their presentation in tables on various pages

3.  The explicit indication of two special parameters:

a) The percentage of coaches of a region in relation to the global number

b) The ratio between number of coaches and number of inhabitants in a region

(By the way, in general we have found that, since our survey, the criterion of the density of coaches in a region or country has come more and more into focus and gained great significance. It is a regular parameter referred to e.g. in the leading German monthly coaching newsletter archived at www.coaching-newsletter.de.)

Another example and illustration of the survey’s role model influence is the Comensa National Coaching Survey in South Africa (www.comensa.org.za) conducted in 2011. We were explicitly asked to help with the preparation of the survey, reviewed and gave specific feedback on the questionnaire before its official launch.

Worldwide, coaching bodies, academics and coaching providers doing research projects in the field of coaching have used the Global Coaching Survey results as an important base and reference point.

C. Up-to-date paperback publication

Interestingly, the basic findings of the Global Coaching Survey, while conducted in 2009, are still valid today, when compared with all subsequent research into this topic. It is only marginal things that have changed within recent years despite the great turbulence in the economy (as will be explained later).

For all these reasons, the publication of the benchmark results of the Global Coaching Survey in paperback and e-book form was overdue.

At this point we want to take the opportunity to acknowledge our colleague Lutz Stradmann (Senior Consultant at Bresser Consulting) for his role in the key team for the Global Coaching Survey; he acted as co-manager, -coordinator and co-editor.

D. Wide-reaching benefits

Everyone interested in coaching in the business context, in particular directors and managers responsible for coaching in their firms (L&D, HR, OD), CEOs and board members, coaching providers, coaches and consultancies, researchers from universities and elsewhere will benefit from this book.

The book can for example help you identify region-, country- and culture-specific aspects that are important to consider when using coaching in your own organisational context (e.g. preferred coaching styles and forms, possible pitfalls, development stage and/or resources in the local coaching markets). The knowledge of this book will widen your coaching perspective, understanding and choice.

Likewise, it can enable you to better understand what is international and national best practice – and what is not. For example, there is an overall balance of directive and non-directive coaching approaches in the world, as will be set out later in this book. This actually suggests that, if there is a global best practice in this regard, it is rather to consider the value of both styles than to focus on only one.

The knowledge and findings of this book may also help you better realize and formulate the business case for raising and discussing the coaching issue in your firm. Coaching has undoubtedly become a global phenomenon – ignoring or dismissing it can mean the loss of an important competitive advantage and opportunity for your company.

Generally speaking, this book is meant to enable more informed decision-making by all coaching stakeholders in the business context. (This applies to the global as well as local use of coaching in enterprises.)

E. Book structure

For the ease of reading, we will first give you an overview of the recent developments to 2013 (Part I) and then set out the benchmark results of the Bresser Consulting Global Coaching Survey (Part II).

This way you get up-to-date information right from the beginning and then, when reading the more detailed second part, you will be aware of what you need to see differently and update from today’s lens.

F. Closing note

Enjoy the reading! If you want to share your thoughts, research results or expertise on the situation of coaching in your continent, region or country, comment on this book, give constructive feedback and/or tell us your experience and anecdotes on how you have positively used the book knowledge for your daily practice, please feel welcome and send an email to: info@bresser-consulting.com

PART I:

LATEST COACHING DEVELOPMENTS TO 2013

PART I

LATEST COACHING DEVELOPMENTS TO 2013

The purpose of this chapter is to provide you with an aggregation of key developments in the coaching field since 2009. It doesn’t go into detail for each country and region, but gives you an overall idea of what has been going on in the global coaching industry.

Preliminary thoughts

The evolution of coaching in the business world is most remarkable. Although coaching has been making waves as a business performance tool for two decades and is now more accepted than ever, it is still unclear where the journey of coaching will actually go.

The nature of coaching is too dynamic, complex and developmental to be put into a box and seen as a fixed thing. Everything is in flux, and coaching is still evolving. Consequently this chapter can only show developments in the situation of coaching to date. Coaching was, is and most likely will always remain work in progress.

The history of coaching to date proves that coaching was not just a fad - it was and is something to stay. But what significance and impact does and will it actually have in business?

There are still lots of question-marks in this regard. When having a closer look at the current practice of coaching in companies later on in this chapter, it will quickly become clear that at the moment coaching in organisations, in particular those which have used coaching for some years, is at the crossroads. It is currently on the verge of moving from simple coaching applications - we call these ‘first generation coaching programmes’ (‘coaching initiatives 1.0’) - to more professional, higher-impact ‘coaching programmes of the second generation’, which much better leverage the full potential of coaching (‘coaching initiatives 2.0’).

Chapter structure

In order to give you a comprehensive overview of the latest coaching developments to 2013, we will first set out the recent key developments in the global and local coaching markets. Secondly, we will highlight the current situation and challenges regarding the actual use of coaching in companies. The chapter will be closed by a final conclusion and future perspective (and the list of references).

A. Recent key developments in the global and local coaching markets

In recent years coaching has continued to develop along the path already identified in 2009. A classic consolidation and a shake-out in the mature markets and rapid growth in the emerging markets are noticeable. What we see is that progress has been made, particularly with the penetration of coaching, rather than revolutionary change surprising the industry.

This explains why the basic findings of the Global Coaching Survey, while conducted in 2009, are still valid today. Overall coaching has become more widespread and diversified in the world. In order to illustrate this point, we highlight the following key findings of 2009 and of recent years:

1. Coaching is a global phenomenon

You can rarely find any major city in the world today where coaching doesn’t exist at least in some form or other. In every continent across the globe, you also find highly-developed, growing, dynamic ‘centres’ of coaching. While there are still major differences in the development and size of coaching markets worldwide and within each continent and region, these gaps are becoming smaller. Comprehensive area-wide coverage of coaching across the globe, while still not a reality, is making constant progress.

2. Coaching is growing

a) Confirmed worldwide growth

Coaching today is, as it also was in 2009, on the rise across the globe. The basis for this statement is as follows:

Our research tells us that a number of countries have made substantial progress in moving towards the next life cycle stage (i.e. towards introduction or growth) since 2009, like for example Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Thailand, India, China or countries in the Caribbean region. The same is true for whole regions and continents. At the same time, in our research, we haven’t come across any source that indicates mature coaching markets are entering the decline phase. So all information available to us suggests continued growth.

The recent ICF Global Study 2012 with a large scale of over 12,000 valid responses (www.coachfederation.org/coachingstudy2012) also clearly confirms this continued worldwide growth of coaching.

Various other findings and estimates of the ICF study, like the number of coaches in the world and the ratio of coaches per number of inhabitants, are also compatible and generally in line with the benchmark results of the Bresser Consulting Global Coaching Survey from 2009. Only the estimated number of coaches in Oceania in the ICF Study is striking, as it is estimated much lower there (2400 coaches) than it was in our Survey (4300). But the ICF study doesn’t suggest any decline of coaches there and therefore is in line with our above overall observations.

Also the Sherpa Executive Coaching Surveys 2012 and 2013 confirm worldwide growth of coaching (www.sherpacoaching.com/survey.html).

b) Flattening of growth in sight?

According to our Survey findings in 2009, only in Norway and in part in the Netherlands, had coaching already entered the maturity phase, i.e. the growth curve of coaching had already flattened out.

The question that interested us then was: Will these two countries remain exceptions, or are these the first indicators of a broader European and developed world maturity phase of coaching (i.e. with lower growth rates)? We will explore more on this aspect in the next paragraphs. A second, equally interesting question was: Would or could the maturity phase in these two countries be overcome by a coaching re-launch in some way? A possible answer to this aspect will be given below in Part I B.

The ICF Global Study 2012 results suggest that the growth of coaching is slower in the already highly developed coaching markets (Western Europe,