A new report from the US reveals that as well as providing tips to the worker, coaching provides a boost to the whole company.

Commissioned by the American Management Association, the global survey of 1,030 managers reveals that the days of applying coaching to a problem employee have long gone.

Today coaching is more likely to be a sign that the employee is being fast-tracked and the organisation is serious about raising performance levels and developing talent.

Key findings include:

• When asked about the groups their organisations coach, 60% of respondents said coaching involves high-potential employees to a high or very high extent, and 42% said the same about executives
• Respondents from organisations that use coaching more now than in the past are more likely to report two kinds of advantages: higher levels of success in the area of coaching and better performance in the market
• Raising individual levels of performance is the number one reason for using coaching, and using coaching for this purpose correlates to the success of coaching programmes
• Sending potential coaches to external development programmes is more strongly correlated with overall coaching success than more internally focused methods. Yet those external programmes are less commonly used, suggesting strong consideration needs to be given to using external coaching programmes to enhance internal results.
• The more a company has a clear reason for using a coach, the more likely its coaching process will be viewed as successful. Also, the more frequently respondents report using a measurement method to gauge coaching effectiveness, the more likely they are to report success in their coaching programmes. The measurement methods most strongly linked to success are individual increases in productivity, impact on engagement, satisfaction with the programme and bottom-line effects on the business
• Survey participants were asked to what extent their organisations used certain criteria to match coaches with coachees. By far, the most frequent basis for matching is the coach's expertise. Almost three-quarters of respondents (74%) say matching decisions are – either frequently or a great deal – based on finding a coach with the right expertise to address specific issues
• The study also shows it pays to interview coaches. When asked about the criteria they use to select coaches, only 54% said they interview potential coaches frequently or a great deal. Yet this basic step is more correlated with reported success of coaching than any other selection strategy. Both time and money are wasted when organisations fail to invest time up front in matching employees with coaches.