Leadership coaching on organisational culture change in an automotive manufacturing concern in South Africa

Abstract

Organisations whose employees perceive leaders as trustworthy and empathetic to their needs and opinions, especially during times of change, have improved performance, remain competitive and even survive external economic conditions. In this respect, building internal capability through leadership coaching, so as to enable swift adaptability and agility to a changing landscape, mitigate employee resistance and garner trust from employees, becomes paramount. As an established developmental tool to enhance performance, leadership coaching has not gone beyond this developmental requirement towards being viewed as a strategic lever in shifting organisational culture.

The purpose of this participatory action research was to explore the perceived influence of leadership coaching on organisational culture and aimed to enhance leadership trust, empathy and change leadership during organisational change within an automotive manufacturing concern in South Africa. This study was conducted with the application of individual coaching sessions, with three managers within an operations department over a five month period, and pre-and post-coaching employee interviews were conducted with six participants, in order to determine shifts in perception and behaviour. Data collection took place during and after leadership coaching sessions and employee interviews, using audio recordings, transcripts and researcher notes.

The key findings from the study revealed that through the application of an integrated cognitive behavioural and solution-focused approach to coaching, shifts in leadership behaviour resulted in enhanced engagement, inclusivity, augmented self-efficacy and improved performance delivery during change. This study provides insights into the formidable influence that organisational culture has on newly promoted leaders. Although a powerful tool, the influence of leadership coaching – unaided – is not immune to the potency of an organisation’s overriding culture