Mentoring and Coaching as Means of Human Resource Development - Literature review Example

Mentoring and Coaching as Means of Human Resource Development Introduction Human Resource Development refers to a basis for the growth of human resource or personnel within an organization through the improvement of the workforces and organization in order to achieve an improvement in the performance of the entity (Delahaye, 2011). It focuses on learning, training and development having an explicit direction directed at organizational learning interpolations meant to advance skills, knowledge and attitudes, and considers the interplays between national, organizational and individual needs. It includes opportunities such as the training of employees, the development of their careers, management of performance, coaching and mentoring amongst other important areas of human resources management (DeSimone and Werner, 2011). In our study, we shall have a discussion on coaching and mentoring as an important area of improving the productivity of an individual in an organization to enhance its performance. In mentoring, there is an affiliation in which a counsellor and a mentee encounter on a continuous basis in order to guide and assist the mentee to develop his career which may be on exploration or mobility within the organization. It may also include setting of goals and gaining perspective in the organization in order to improve the performance of a person. Coaching on the other hand involved the daily interaction between a supervisor and an employee or his subordinate and often provides a positive feedback about the positive contribution of an employee. Regular coaching also has the effect of bringing to the attention of an employee’s performance and corrects them whenever there is a problem. It improves the performance of the employee’s work and solves any problem that may have been experienced in the term of the employment. This paper will argue that coaching and mentoring is important for any individual or organization that aspires to improve its performance in terms of both the human resources, efficiency and profitability. Coaching and Mentoring The strategies for developing the capabilities of employees are important in human resource development of any organization and they should always strive to inspire, support and retain them (Rigg, Stewart and Trehan, 2007). The practitioners of human resource may contribute to the success of organizations by furthering these goals and increasingly, Australian organizations use coaching and mentoring for effective development of these human resources (Holland and De Cieri, 2006). Coaching and mentoring if carried out effectively has the effect of creating the opportunity to transform positively the values and behaviour of an organization, through the promotion of learning, respect and enhanced performance for an entity. The business environment for most organizations is usually influenced by the global trends that include advances in technology, globalization as well as the social and demographic changes. These impact on organizations through numerous ways, especially how they are managed and run. This coupled with uncertain work environment puts pressure on the employees and the managers with regard to performance and use of resources (Macneil, 2001). This means that the workers and the managers will be required to have a wider range of skills and knowledge to motivate themselves towards attaining the aims of the business. Due to the above challenges, the current business environment of organizations has put in emphasis on working as a team between both supervisors and the subordinates. Further, the intensification of the job market through inadequacy of human resources has made the employers and organizations strive to retain the available human resource and improve their capabilities. Clutterbuck (2001) observes that in the United States alone, mentoring makes the employee to like the job more as it improves the capabilities of the human resources and making the task easier to perform. There has also been an increase by the management of organizations to shift back to the strategic issues making the business successful at a corporate level. In a joint study between Melbourne University, CHH Australia and Australian Human Resources Institute, it was found that about seventy per cent of respondents stated that the responsibilities of management of people had increased over the previous five years indicating that the management had focused more on the development of careers within the organization (Kulik and Bainbridge, 2005). Coaching and mentoring have therefore emerged as the most significant activities for the transfer of knowledge and skills in any organization from one generation of employees to another. They also play a learning and development function as the gains from coaching and mentoring are much higher than training and must be imparted into an employee in order for him to perform to the optimum (Laabs, 2000; Smith, 1998). Therefore, it is generally accepted among practitioners in the learning and development that skills must be supplemented by practice through mentoring and coaching at the work place in order to achieve competence as well as give feedback on performance. Coaching Coaching on the other hand involves daily interaction between an individual and his supervisor in the business for positive benefits and involves some steps in order to have a positive effect on the business. It is an ongoing relationship that helps the individuals within the organization produce extraordinary results for the benefit of the organization as it deepens the learning of the human resources within the organization, which is translated to performance. Through coaching, the individual or the organization will be able to develop more rapidly and produce results that are satisfactory as they take more actions and make better decisions through the natural strengths learnt. Coaching also has the advantage of imparting new ideas and point of views on an individual on how to handle challenges and opportunities which may be helpful in enhancing their decision-making skills and thinking for the benefit of the organization. This comes with increased interpersonal efficiency and self-confidence in performing of the tasks that are allocated for the individual in the business, as they are able to appreciate and have the drive to achieve the set goals. An individual within the organization may need coaching when there is something at stake such as an opportunity or a challenge and it is compelling or urgent, or when there exist a considerable inadequacy of knowledge, talents, assurance or resources and how they should be applied for the betterment of the organization. It may also be relevant when there is an aspiration to fast-track results, need to correct a course that may have occurred owing to an obstacle or when an individual has an ineffective in achieving his goals. At times, it is important when the individual within the organization has had difficulties on work and natural life sense of balance and this could be affecting his performance in the business. However, coaching is usually very important in the identification of the strengths of the individual within the organization and how best to leverage them in order to improve on performance and attain the goals of the organization. During the coaching process, the coach will listen and observe as well as customize their approach in line with the needs of the individual within the organization and elicit strategies and solutions for the organization for the organization. This is because the coach and the individual learning from him can be creative and resourceful by the coach providing objective perspective while the individual being coached takes steps to come up with the desired results. The interaction between the coach and the individual enables the organization to have clarity of roles and moves the individual into action for the achievement of its main goals and objectives. The coaching factor as a means of human resource development recognizes the fact that results are a matter of intentions, choices and actions of the clients served by the organization and the efforts of the coach are key to realizing these. For a supportive and effective coaching, the organization must show confidence in the ability and willingness of the employee to solve the problem s well as asking him of his views on the situation. It is important that the organization determine that there are issues that exist that limit the ability of the employee to perform or accomplish the objectives of the business and the common barriers are usually tools, training, time and temperament. Successful businesses usually discuss the potential solutions to a particular problem and how to improve them or prevent them from recurring through action plans and follow-ups which are important factors in coaching. Mentoring Generally, mentoring provides a mechanism of change for individual employees, which in turn translate to better performance in the business or the organization. Several studies have indicated that mentoring and coaching have got important positive effects on the employee as well as the organization (Thurston, DAbate and Eddy, 2012). Organizations can therefore improve the qualities of their human resources through actions that foster mentoring and coaching to flourish which will lead to greater job, career and worker satisfaction as well as competency. Mentoring has been proven to have a statistically reliable relationship with employee contribution within an organization that shows a stronger strategic human resource development system. At the work place, individuals may define and relate to each other in different and unique ways through the sharing of experiences, transferring of knowledge, and networking across the place of work and progressing in one’s career. In terms of the career of the individuals, the engagement is done in an individual manner to create long-term development in career and guidance in one-on-one interactions. It can also be aimed at providing immediate help on specific issues, problems or opportunity or may bring many individuals with an opportunity to share and discuss the problems in the organization. Mentoring is usually carried out through having a formal or informal relationship between the inexperienced or new employee and an experienced and knowledgeable employee to help the new employee fit into the norms and the culture of the organization. It also assists an employee who is new to a specific job or responsibility to quickly learn or comprehend on how to improve on the position. Usually, it involves a formal exchange of the evaluative knowledge and information in order to assess whether the employee has been assimilated into the ideals of the organization. It is important to note that the best relationship for mentoring involves exchanging knowledge that helps individuals in the organization to fit into the main aim of being a contributor to the business objectives of the organization. Mentoring may develop spontaneously or may be assigned to an employee over time in most instances between an employee and an immediate supervisor and is an art that can be developed over time. Conclusion The main goal of any mentoring or coaching program is usually to change the existing culture of a particular organization in order to develop the capacity of the human resources in order to perform a specified task in a better manner. The organizations therefore ensure that the human resources within them are continuously improving in terms of knowledge and skills so that the organization may have competitive advantage over its rivals. Coaching within the organization focuses on collaborative focus for learning by the employees and coupled with other initiatives by the management, high performances are yielded. It also has the effect of establishing a commitment to ongoing development and strong relationships that are constructive between the human resources within the organization. Changing the culture of a business may only be achieved if the organization adopts coaching or mentoring in order to address such problems such as poor retention, absenteeism as well as poor or under-utilization of the available human resources within the organization. The outcomes of mentoring and coaching can be translated into success, which may be measured in terms of financial, time, and quality or quantity related. It may also change the behaviour of the employees within the organization in order to improve future capability of the human resources within the organization under scrutiny for the general welfare of all its stakeholders. Therefore, in order to change the culture of an organization, there is need to integrate coaching and mentoring with other human resource development initiatives meant to improve performance and profitability and thus a competitive advantage for a particular organization. To sum up, we can reaffirm the importance of coaching and mentoring as apt ways of human resource development and Australian firms and organizations must strive and adopt them for efficiency, increased profits and general performances of the businesses. References Clutterbuck, D. (January 01, 2001). Quiet transformation: The growing power of mentoring. Mt Eliza Business Review, 3, 2, 47-52. Delahaye, B. L. (2011). Human resource development: Managing learning and knowledge capital. Prahran: Tilde University Press. DeSimone, R. L. and Werner, J.M. (2011) Human Resource Development, 6th Ed. Connecticut: Cengage Learning. Holland, P. and De Cieri, H. (eds.) (2006) Contemporary Issues in Human Resource Development: An Australian Perspective, New Jersey: Pearson Education. Kulik, C. T., & Bainbridge, H. T. J. (2006). HR and the line: The distribution of HR activities in Australian organizations. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 44,2, 240-256. Laabs, J (2000), “Need peak HR performance? Consider a coach”, Workforce, 79, 10, 132-135 Macneil, C. (2001). The supervisor as a facilitator of informal learning in work teams. The Journal of Workplace Learning, 13, 6, 246-253. Rigg, C., Stewart, J. and Trehan, K. (eds.) (2007) Critical Human Resource Development: Beyond Orthodoxy, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Smith, A. (1998) Training and Development in Australia, 2nd ed, London: Butterworths. Thurston, P. W., DAbate, C. P., & Eddy, E. R. (2012). Mentoring as an HRD approach: Effects on employee attitudes and contributions independent of core self-evaluation. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 23, 2, 139-165. . Read More