The key to successful organisational change is to involve people in every layer of the organisation, acting as agents of change among their peers.
Despite the name, in business coaching we do not actually coach businesses, but the people in them. So what is called business coaching is essentially group executive coaching, encompassing all levels of the organisation, aiming at developing soft skills, personal growth, and expanding the mind to new possibilities. The same tools and techniques used in the work environment can then be further applied on a personal level, which should be the original definition of “life coaching”, a term so tragically misused today by many non-professional practitioners.
Inducing and managing organisational change is a delicate process requiring patience, commitment, and empathy. A top down approach should be avoided, as this alienates the working layers of the company, and feels arbitrarily imposed. The bottom up approach is also likely to fail, as both information and willingness to change often gets diluted and distorted on its way towards the managerial levels. The key to successful change management is to involve people in every layer of the organisation at the same time, acting as agents of change among their peers.
Creating agile teams which are both cross functional and multi cultural contributes the most to the development of innovative ideas and their spread across the organisation. It should also be noted that “culture” does not correspond just to ethnicity, but also on class, community, personal background, and interests. Middle class, city dwellers, or sci-fi enthusiasts of different nationalities, may have more in common between them than with other people in their own country.
