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BuAd 410: Organization Change and Development

Team Assignment # 1: Reading Facilitation

prepare a summary of the key points in a selected reading, present it to the class using a Powerpoint presentation and facilitate an open class discussion. The instructor will monitor the discussion and award class participation marks.

The final assignment submission is to be word-processed, with a title page (to, topic/subject, from and date) and no cover. The readings used in your assignment are to include in-text sources and be documented in a references list at the end of your assignment. (Refer to Blackboard or the Library website for APA citation style help and adhere to the Guidelines for Writing Summaries below.)

“To summarize is to extract the main message or central point of a passage. A summary does not include supporting evidence or details” (Troyka, 1998, p.44).

Summarizing the key points

Guidelines for writing your summaries and designing a practical tool:

Identify the main points and condense them without losing the essence of the material.

Use your own words to condense the message.

Keep your summary short (1 or 2 pages) – be creative and present your work in a practical manner

Do not plagiarize. Document carefully. You are required to give the source of any summary, just as you do for quotations and paraphrases.

Conclude with a critical analysis and summary of the reading material.

The article summary and a copy of the PowerPoint or other visual aid used in class is to be submitted to your professor (Moodle) 12 hours before the scheduled class presentation.

Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 Review of International Comparative Management 378

Executive Coaching – Instrument for Implementing

Organizational Change

Camelia ENESCU

Delia Mioara POPESCU
1

Keywords: coaching, executive coaching, management, human resources,

organizational change.

JEL classification: M12, M14, M54, Z13.

Introduction

A real challenge of coaching is the organizational environment and the

executive. When the latter faces a challenge in the management process, depending

on the approach of the issue in question, it can spell opportunity or danger. In this

context, making the decision to delegate competencies as well as identifying then

people who should help in solving the problems is quite an art.
Over the past decades, it is become more and more obvious how hard

manual labor is being replaced by knowledge-based activities. Management is no
longer seen as responsible with maintaining the activity of the organization, but as
an engine that drives the labor force. In essence, the management itself is
undergoing a radical change process.

1
Delia Mioara POPESCU, Valahia University, Romania,

Email: depopescu@yahoo.com, Telephone: +4 0745 762 036

Camelia ENESCU, Valahia University, Romania,

Email: camelia.enescu@yahoo.com, Telephone: +4 0746 789 030

Abstract
Executive coaching has seen a real expansion worldwide due to a new

approach of management in the age of information. It is an efficiently used method
within organizations, with a view to inspiring top managers in implementing and
ascertaining changes in the behavior of those around them, in order to initiate and
uphold changes in the organization and improve results.

This article proposes two levels of analysis from the viewpoint of the
implementation of coaching, and executive coaching respectively, in organizations,
throughout the changing process: the analysis of individual perceptions and their
effects among employees as well as the institutional, structural, approach of change at
the level of the human resources in the organization, mentioning risks that can often
be noticed in Romanian organizations.

The last part describes the perspectives from which mindful change is seen at
the level of an organization, by describing the theory of mindful change meant to
facilitate the interpretation and understanding of the way in which both people and
organizations can approach change. This theory is instrumental in the coaching
process. The final part of the work lines up a series of conclusions in approaching
organizational change through the coaching process.

mailto:depopescu@yahoo.com

mailto:camelia.enescu@yahoo.com

Review of International Comparative Management Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 379

Changes in the nature of labor are not just radical but omniscient
worldwide, which encourages leaders to perpetuate the effects of this new approach
of their operations in an arena of competition-driven battle. Globally, holding the
secret of the competitive edge, which can be achieved by empowering the social
fabric of the company, can represent a path towards new opportunities. Therefore,
acknowledging the human potential of the organization as an engine of the very
existence and development of the activity is inevitable. In this setting, coaching
offers answers that help to overcome the professional obstructions specific to each
hierarchical level in the organization.

1. The coaching concept in the setting of organizational change

Throughout the transition process of the organization, coaching is a

method that has at its core respecting people and their individual feelings, as they
are perceived as “not merely cogs in the business machine” (Goldsmith&Lyons,
2005). Rooted in the art of conversation, coaching evolves as a natural carrier of
leadership.

In order to reach the proposed targets and implicitly, go through the vital
steps for the process of change with the help of coaching, it is necessary to
understand one’s interlocutor, with both limitations and strong points.
The key to establishing a successful relation with new clients and also maintaining
relations with existent clients is in the coach’s ability to enter the shoes of the
interlocutors, to see the world from their perspective and understand their real
problems. The present context of continuous change in the economic environment
and the complexity of the transformation of the labor force have seen professionals
in human resources faced with various situations regarding the competitiveness of
their companies in report with the labor force demands and the targets of the
organization. This fact led to a re-evaluation of the needs of the organization but
also of its demand in the human resources domain.

To facilitate the understanding of the situations that arise in an
organization, management theoreticians Bolman and Deal proposed the model of
the 4 frameworks, evoking perspectives for organizational framework analysis
which seem complex, ambiguous or confusing (Moral&Abbott, 2009). These four
proposed analysis frameworks are:

 Structural- this framework refers to the architecture of the
organization, including forging departments and work groups from the
perspective of the roles and formal relations, the coordination, the
quality of the control together with the messages concerning the targets
of the organization and its mission. From this perspective, it is
necessary to understand the position of the employee, whether a person
or a group, within the organization both from the point of view of the
formal relations as well as of the reports regarding the targets.

 Psycho-social- this framework sees the organization as a large extended
family, whose members empathize with the human strengths,
limitations, emotions, fears and desires. The analysis focuses on the
needs and attitudes of individuals during the work process and the way
in which these needs are satisfied.

Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 Review of International Comparative Management 380

 Political- the political framework sees the work place as a jungle. The
organization represents a competition-driven environment with limited
resources, contrasting interests and opinions in the setting of constant
struggles for power, prestige and advantages.

 Cultural (or symbolic)- the analyzed symbolic framework includes
information on the language of communication within the organization,
the symbolic or legendary characters or events being promoted, the
existence of strong departmental sub-cultures, the distribution of the
management and employees according to sexes and their role in the
organization.

Coaching providers should find this model useful, seeking to understand
the perspective of the human resources departments, of the organization or the
managers. Perceiving the human resources domain only from the perspective of
just one of the above mentioned frameworks would lead to incomplete or erroneous
conclusions and would drive coaching providers to wrongly interpret the situation
or overlook certain factors that can be crucial. Therefore, a full picture, which takes
into consideration the importance of each perspective at individual and group level
but also the effects of obstructing one of the frameworks, is to be desired.
The desired and sustained changes in the behavior, thoughts, feelings or
perceptions of an individual are highly discontinuous. In time, and with continuous
effort, these changes appear intrinsically as emerging or catastrophic changes, but
it is experience which has relevance and reveals the core of the necessity for
change. Self- awareness or self-care and awareness of the social or natural context
are at the opposite pole from the degree of surprise or discovery (Woodman &
Pasmore & Shani, 2009). When people are much more attentive, they experiment
the change process as a set of smooth and natural transitions. The coach can help a
person to consciously perceive these intermediary steps. He or she can induce the
steps through questions, displaying a supporting attitude or offering understanding.
The bond between the emotional investment and intellectual knowledge
during the process of change represent individual, successful and accomplished
fuels. Change in itself does not represent a lasting, repeatable or replicable process
and will remain evasive in case the success ingredient has a momentary character
(Doyle, 1999, p.47). Former American secretary of state Colin Powell described
this state that is necessary for change or induces the achievement of targets in an
extremely real and unpredictable way: “the alliance of the heart and mind” (Oren,
2003, p.176). When all these ingredients can be found in a coach, we, who are
around, call them charisma, charm, leadership, presence or genuine care.

2. Change and executive coaching- sustainable processes
in the development of an organization

The process of executive coaching represents basically a relationship, a

dialogue which includes the insertion of coaching into the behavior of the
executive, into the change process. Peter Bluckert established a set of six principles

Review of International Comparative Management Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 381

with applicability to all types of coaching, being specific mainly in exercising the
executive coaching process (Bluckert, 2006, p. 4):

 The transition from “saying” to “asking”
 Performance and potential
 Raising awareness and empowerment
 Shaping one’s own convictions
 Focusing on the business
 Frameworks of perspective
 Coaching as a way of thinking
The author believes that raising awareness is an essential precursor of

change, nevertheless, it does not guarantee it, while inducing responsibility is the
central point in coaching and the change process.

In the absence of a clear direction and suitable leadership, mid-level
employees and managers can experience feelings of bitterness and frustration and
hope for a change in the executive or leadership of the team they belong to. All
these aspects can often trigger crisis. The lack of reaction to a crisis can be an
option, but it is not recommended. The decision to start change is made function of
the performances of the team or the organization. This organizational climate and
this type of behavior of middle managers is often found in Romanian
organizations, especially those with state capital, which would require the
implementation of medium and long-term strategies in a climate of management
continuity, vision and objectivity.

The executive coaching process “can be easily seen as an adventure in
which the phenomenology of the coaching relation is examined” (Stober & Grant,
2006, p.278), in which subjects express internal turmoil of fear, anxiety and
insecurity, while the purpose of this adventure is to gain courage and self-respect.
In this way, the results of the change of the organizational climate, but also of the
society and community the subjects live in, are generated.

In an organizational setting that involves focusing simultaneously on
economic, social and environmental performances, reaching the sustainability of
the change process desired by the organization implies identifying the optimum
balance within a complex system which contains mutually dependent approaches.

Sustainable development represents a model of using resources meant to
fulfill human needs both in the structure of the organization and from a temporal
perspective.

In the upper part of Figure 1, natural resources are pictured from the point
of view of sustainable development, while the targets of this sustainable
development (economic prosperity, social equality and the quality of the
environment) being pointed out on the left. Placing focus on the preservation of the
natural resources, on the right, the elements of sustainability needed for
maintaining the balance of the ecosystem (Woodman & Pasmore& Shani, 2009,
pp. 158-162) are reflected, based on the three key elements: productivity, human
use and natural disturbances. Moderately unsteady values can lead to a growth in
productivity, but a rather high unbalance can have a negative effect of productivity.

Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 Review of International Comparative Management 382

Sustainable Development (Natural Resources)

Sustainable Development (Human Resources)

Figure 1. Example of sustainable development (Natural and Human Resources)

As illustrated in the lower part of Figure 1, sustainable development in the

setting of human resources can be seen as the simultaneous fulfillment of several

targets. As far as sustainable change is involved, there are other three domains that

require balance, passion, desires and values in reaching the perceived goal, more

than the economic, social and environment domains. These three domains are key

components of a person’s individual ideals and an important source of motivation

for individual change.

The needed elements for maintaining the balance in reaching the desired

change are elements that interact in supporting the human resources via a process

that is similar to the one of balancing the natural resources.

Development and renewal represent a process of reinforcing or repositioning the

personal individual capacities and sacrifice refers to using these capacities for

fulfilling the responsibilities and assuming accountability regarding crisis,

obstacles and other types of stress that can affect efficiency over time. Insistences

represent minor or major discontinuities in a person’s behavior and can have both

positive and negative effects.

Economic Environment

Social

Ecosystem Balance

Human
Use

Natural
Distrubance

Productivity

Passions Purpose

Values

Sustained Desired Change

Sacrifice
Wake Up
Calls

Development /
Renewal

Review of International Comparative Management Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 383

3. Intentional change through executive coaching

The theory of intentional change (Boyatzis, 2006, pp.607-623), describes

the essential components and processes that encourage the sustainability and desire

for change in the behavior, thoughts, feelings and perceptions of a person. The

theory of intentional change represents a window of vision, interpretation and

perception of the way in which people and organizations can approach change and

how it can become instrumental in the coaching process. The model comprises five

stages or discontinuities, called “discoveries” (Kolb & Boyatzis, 1970, Boyatzis,

1999, Boyatzis, 2001, Goleman et al., 2002), namely:

 The personal ideal (1) – represents the point of departure in the personal
development process (conceptually called the image of the personal

ideal) which is reflected in individual aspirations. The development of

this image has three major components: an image of the dreamed future,

hope regarding the tangibility of this target and the inclusion of the

identity of the target, which represents the foundation on which the

desired image is to be built. The personal ideal is generated by the ideal

of one’s own ego but also by dreams and aspirations.

 The current reality (2) – since the self’s evaluation degree is often
evasive, there must be a pertinent evaluation reflected by what the

others see and whom they suppose they interact with. This stage entails

the evaluation of the weak and strong points of an individual and

drafting a personal reckoning as a result.

 The creation of a development plan/survey (3) – it comprises the
personal vision, the targets that make the object of the study and the

actions carried out in support of these targets. They offer a setting so

that the person can gather information with a view to reaching the

desired future as well as measures that must be adopted in this respect,

by pointing out some clear intermediary targets.

 The metamorphosis (4) – experimenting and practicing some new
behaviors, ways of thought and feelings that support the survey plan. At

its core, this stage aims towards the implementation of the targets and

covering the actions pointed out in the previous stage while assuming

the risks related to the new behavior patterns.

 The trusting relationship that encourages experimental development (5)
– the entourage represents an essential part of our environment. Then

relationships that bear the most influence on us often exist in groups

that have a certain importance for us. These relationships and groups

give a certain meaning, specific to our own identity, leading us to

desired behaviors which also generate reactions and evaluations

concerning our newly adopted behavior patterns. These interactions

create contexts in which we interpret our own progress in relation to the

desired changes, having a significant contribution in formulating the

ideal.

Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 Review of International Comparative Management 384

Figure 2. Awareness in intended change

The major impact of applying coaching in the process of intended change,

often found in the managerial process, can be thus explained. Similarly, it is

necessary to investigate and analyze the coaching relation in qualitative terms as

well as the competencies that can be found at the level of the expectations of the

parties that enter into relation.

One can easily notice that at individual level, to fulfill the dreams

envisioned in one’s own ideals, extremely deep emotional commitments and

psychological resources previously unimagined can come into play, and attention

has a determining role in this stage of starting the change process.

A diagram of the change process (Woodman & Pasmore & Shani, 2009,

p.152), with the five stages enumerated above, is pictured in Figure 2, from the

perspective of perception behaviors, by evoking the contribution of conscious

awareness in front of change of the individual who takes part in this process, and

respectively, the lack of awareness of the individual in front of change.

(5) Trusting
Relationships

(1)
Ideal Self

(4)
Experiment &

Practice

(2)
Real Self

(3)

Learning

Agenda

(A)
Sustaining High

Level of
Attention

(B)
Novel Action
/ Flexibility

(C)
Reinforcement

Learning

(D)
Routine-Driven

Behavior

= Mindful behavior

= Fluid mix of less-mindful
and mindful behavior

Review of International Comparative Management Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 385

Conclusions

Coaching can be seen as a way to facilitate efficient individual

management in order to achieve the desired change, thus maintaining the balance

between the usage and the development of human capital. Applied at executive

level, coaching adopts its specific form, namely executive coaching, and includes

in its process a series of organizational domains that need change.

As shown in this work, to reach a high span organizational development,

an entire range of change processes are necessary, both at individual and

organizational level, with a view to supporting and perpetuating the desire for

change on the hierarchy but also time scale, and in this way the organizational

culture is reshaped.

The sustainability of organizational change, irrespective of the factor that

initiated the change, cannot be achieved without the individual support of the

majority of the staff that makes the human resources of the organization and this is

achieved through their empowerment to support change, understanding the

necessity of this change in relation to the universe of every individual and their

empowerment in relation to each necessary stage. This entire mechanism can

become functional through the implementation of a type of management combined

with coaching and by applying executive coaching at top management and

executive level.

In a fiercely competitive climate, to be able to maintain at a healthy level

and develop the organization against the increasingly sensitive balance between the

demand and offer which involves consumers, suppliers, human resources etc., the

process of changing the organization gains the connotations of a cybernetic system

in which its own results represent the resources of a cyclical change process.

References

1. Bluckert, P., (2006). Psychological dimensions of executive coaching,
McGraw-Hill International

2. Boyatzis, R.E., (1999) “Self-directed change and learning as a necessary meta-
competency for success and effectiveness in the 21st century”, Keys to

employee success in the coming decades, Westport, CN: Grrenwood

Publishing, pp.15-32

3. Boyatzis, R.E., (2001). “How and why individuals are able to develop
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select for, measure, and improve emotional intelligence in individuals, groups,

and organizations, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 234-253

4. Boyatzis, R.E., (2006). “Intentional Change Theory from a Complexity
Perspective”, Journal of Management Development, 25(7), pp. 607-623.

5. Doyle, J.S., (1999), The Business Coach: A Game Plan for the New Work
Environment, John Wiley and Sons

Volume 13, Issue 3, July 2012 Review of International Comparative Management 386

6. Goldsmith, M., & Lyons L., (2005). Coaching for leadership:the practice of
leadership coaching from the world’s greatest coaches, John Wiley and Sons

7. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R.E., & McKee, A., (2002). Primal leadership:
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School Press

8. Kolb, D.A., & Boyatzis, R.E., (1970). “Goal setting and self-directed behavior
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9. Moral M., & Abbott G., (2009). The Routledge Companion to International
Business Coaching, Taylor & Francis

10. Oren, H., (2003). The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell, McGraw-Hill
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11. Stober D.R., & Grant A.M., (2006). Evidence based coaching handbook:
putting best practices to work for your clients, John Wiley and Sons

12. Woodman, R.W., Pasmore, W.A., & Shani, A.B., (2009). Research in
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