An Investigation of Coaching Styles on Employee Development

This report examines the impact of various coaching styles on the personal development of employees within the John Lewis Partnership. The study utilizes secondary data collected from literature reviews, books, journals, and the company's website, employing Two-Way Analysis of Variance and Multiple Regression Coefficient for data analysis. The findings highlight a direct correlation between coaching styles and employee motivation, skill enhancement, and overall performance. The report emphasizes the need for the John Lewis Partnership to strategically select coaching styles that align with employee needs to maximize effectiveness. It includes an introduction outlining the importance of employee development, a literature review of relevant research, a detailed methodology, and a discussion of the results, recommendations, limitations, and future research scope. The report concludes with a summary of the key findings and their implications for the organization.

Role of Different Coaching
Styles on Personal
Development of Employee

EXECUTIVE SUMMERY
Coaching styles training and development methods play important role in increasing skills
and experience of employees of every organization. Each company uses different coaching
styles for their employees. The current study is also based on coaching style and development
of personnel of the firm. Major aim of this investigation is determining the impact of different
coaching styles on the personal development of employees of John Lewis partnership. For
attaining this aim study has focused on applying appropriate methods. Auhtor has chosen
secondary data collection methods for collecting facts and figures on this subject. Regarding
this, it has used different sources such as literature review, books, journals and website of the
company. For analysing this data author has applied Two Way Analysis of Variance Test and
Multiple Regression Coefficient. These methods have helped in resolving the research
problem in better manner. Further, study has concluded that coaching style has direct impact
on the motivation level of employees and their interests. It also increase their skills and
knowledge by which they can improve their outcomes that helps in augmenting the
organization performance also. But, for effective results John Lewis partnership should focus
on selecting other coaching styles as per the needs and requirements of cmployees.

Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................1
PROJECT TITLE.......................................................................................................................1
BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH PROBLEM....................................................................1
Background.............................................................................................................................1
Research problem...................................................................................................................1
Rationale.................................................................................................................................2
PROJECT AIM AND OBJECTIVES........................................................................................2
LITERATURE REVIEW...........................................................................................................3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................5
Type of investigation..............................................................................................................5
Research approach..................................................................................................................5
Research design......................................................................................................................5
Data collection and data analysis...........................................................................................5
FINDINGS FROM THE SECONDARY DATA......................................................................6
DISCUSSIOn.............................................................................................................................8
Discussion of findings............................................................................................................8
Recommendation....................................................................................................................9
Future scope of the research...................................................................................................9
Limitations..............................................................................................................................9
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES.........................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
It is efficient for John Lewis partnership to evaluate the skills which are lacking in the
employees. This will help in developing their attitude which will result in higher efficiency in
work (Leedham, 2005). Moreover, it will also assist in satisfying the customers to a greater
extent as serving them is directly dependent on the skill set which needs to be acquired by the
staff member. Further, different styles such as on the job training, coaching, greater
leadership and team coaching will help the employees to attain the skills and become highly
efficient in working.
PROJECT TITLE
An investigation on assessing the role of different coaching styles on the personal
development of employees. A case study of John Lewis partnership.
BACKGROUND AND RESEARCH PROBLEM
Background
The learning or personal development of employees plays a crucial role in the success
of an organization. It motivates employees to contribute towards efforts towards achieving
the long as well as short-term objectives so as to deliver right kind of products and services.
The present research is based on John Lewis partnership which is retail organization deals
with several kinds of products and services. This is business shed light on the development of
employees and with this aim, it had conducted approximate face to face training sessions
(Watt, 2004). At the same time, the company saw the drastic changes in the sales turnover by
offering to learn among personnel. This is because 80% of the time of the selling coaches
devoted to the development of the partners (John Lewis Partnership plc. 2017). This enables
the corporation to integrate all related resources and ensure the continuous development of
the employees by offering them learning (Abbott & Rosinski, 2007). It proves to be effective
in driving the valid outcome. In this regard, learning is offered by using varied kinds of
coaching styles.
Research problem
The success of the retail industry is based on the efforts put by the employees who
directly interact with customers. This aids to retain customers for longer time span. However,
retention of customers is based on the retention of employees. Owing to this, it is crucial for
management to ensure continuous improvement of the personnel by offering the training and
development on time to time. At this juncture, development can be ensured through coaching
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and number of training initiatives (Auerbach, Stober & Grant, 2006). This proves to be
effective in developing the sense of achievement among personnel and they started
contributing towards the success of the business. However, businesses which ignore the
development of employees tend to face the lower profitability, dissatisfaction among
employees and lower profitability. Owing to this, research problem is related to the personal
development of the employees.
Rationale
Skilled and competent personnel better contribute towards the success of the business
and learning serves as the motivation. The major issue associated with the company is related
to the lower profitability and sales turnover. However, companies ensure the learning of
employees but the poor selection of coaching style merely waste the time and sources. For
this purpose, current research is being conducted to assess the impact of different coaching
styles on the personal development of employees (Astorino, 2002). It would be effective to
recommend the suitable ways through which management can retain and motivate personnel
for the long time span. In this manner, the betterment of the businesses can be ensured with
the increased rate of return.
PROJECT AIM AND OBJECTIVES
The aim and objectives of the current research are explained as follows-
Aim
To assess the impact of different coaching styles on the personal development of
employees. A case study of John Lewis partnership.
Objectives
 To assess the role of coaching for personal development of employees in the
organization
 To evaluate the different coaching styles applied in the John Lewis Partnership
 To evaluate the impact of coaching style on the growth or development of employees
working at John Lewis Partnership
 To recommend different ways to enhance personal development of employees at John
Lewis Partnership
Research Question
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1. What are the major role of coaching for personal development of employees in the
organization?
2. What are the different coaching styles applied in the John Lewis Partnership?
3. What is the principle impact of coaching style on the growth or development of
employees working at John Lewis Partnership?
4. How John Lewis Partnership can enhance personal development of employees?
Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no significant impact of different coaching styles on the
personal development of employees of John Lewis partnership.
Alternative hypothesis (Ha): There is a significant impact of different coaching styles on the
personal development of employees of John Lewis partnership.
LITERATURE REVIEW
In this growing world, there is the high rate of competition among the people as well
as in companies. Thus to sustain in the market, it is essential for the individual to grasp with
latest skills and knowledge to acquire with greater opportunities. Further, in this assignment
study is been made about different coaching styles which help to develop the personality of
an individual. In this, a case study of John Lewis partnership is been taken to detail the about
the topic. Berger (2006) stated that Marks& Spencer is one of the most auspicious
companies which take initiative for the development of there employees. Moreover, they feel
that the development of the company is directly dependent on the practices which are carried
in the firm. Further, motivating and personal development of employees plays a vital role for
this. As per the opinion of the Bobick & Berard (2011) feels that with better decisions
regarding the development of employees will help to grow there value and motivate them to
work efficiently. John Lewis partnership highly focuses on the training and development of
the employees in relation to their skills, corporate goals, attitude and working style which will
help to attain the targets of the company in an efficient manner. Further, there are different
schemes and methods which make their staff efficient enough and compete with the modern
working (Benedicta, 2010). Further, personal development helps the employees as well as
companies to enhance with there knowledge and come up with there talents which proves
beneficial for the firm. According to Blattner, (2005) mentoring is one of the efficient styles
which is been used by the firm to develop their skills to work more efficiently in the
organisation. Moreover, it is the method which is practised while working in the firm. In this,
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the leaders mentor their subordinates for learning different methods and working with new
technology equipment. This will assist them to develop their company to a greater level. As
per the opinion of Brockbank & McGill (2006), coaching is also an effective means which
will enable them to develop personally as well professionally. In this, a qualified person is
been appointed which train the employees about the latest technology and teach them about
the different skill set that helps to come up with their talents and work more efficiently. In
addition to this, the person who is appointed in John Lewis partnership at first they give them
on the job training to them. In this, they train them from starting that is by giving orientation
program to the process of doing work.
Grant (2001) stated that giving training sessions to employees will help them to
furnish their skills that will be beneficial for growing the company to a next level.
Furthermore, John Lewis partnership is a worldwide brand which means that the people
employed in this must serve the customers in the most efficient manner so as to maintain their
dignity in the market. Thus for this, company take several measures to develop their skills
personally so they can provide greater services. There are various types of coaching which
help in making the employees develop their skills to a greater extent. Leadership coaching is
one of the efficient ones in which an experienced coach is been appointed which have a better
knowledge about the organisation and their ethics. They make them learn about different
things which help in developing there personal values which have a direct impact on the
functioning of the business. According to Hackman & Wageman (2005) career coaching also
help the employees to focus on a particular target and make them learn the things which will
help them to achieve the target. This is highly dependent on different skill set such as proper
mentoring, advising and another psychometric tool which helps them to achieve their target
goals. Thus, this method will assist the company to make their employees highly focused
about their work and which will directly reflect the higher rate of sales.
Moreover, this will satisfy the customers to a greater extent and help to earn more
profits. In the opinion to Palus & et al., (2003) team coaching also plays a crucial role in
developing the personal attitude of the employees. In this, the person gives group training
about the values and skills which need to be acquired by the staff to give better results to the
firm. Further, leader's main aim is to achieve the greater performance of the employees so
that they can achieve the target of the company. In addition to this, John Lewis partnership
firstly evaluates the skills and development of employees which need to be polished. Thus,
this will help to know the weak points of the staff which will to be developed. Further, they
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will develop the plans and schemes which need to be adapted to make them learn and polish
their skills to provide greater services.
Moreover, as per Miller (1990) personal development is highly beneficial for the
person to come up with their hidden talents and different viewpoints that may help to increase
their efficiency of doing work As per the requirement they set with the schemes and teaching
plan which may result in most efficient manner so as to make them learn different skills and
knowledge. This will help the staff to overcome their weak points and learn different things.
Further, it will make them efficient enough in performing their task and serving the
customers.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Type of investigation
The current study is based on the quantitative type of investigation as research is
considering two aspects to assess the impact of different coaching styles on the development
of employees (Miles, Huberman & Saldana, 2013). It enables the researcher to assess the
impact of one variable on other so as to accomplish the certain purpose of the research. On
the other hand, qualitative type of investigation is applied to carry out in-depth analysis (Jahn,
2011). However, qualitative research is more suitable for the current study.
Research approach
There are research approaches such as inductive and deductive which are applied as
per the requirement of the study (Sgier, 2012). In the current research deductive approach has
been applied in which researchers first collect the secondary data and then reach to the
specific outcome. On the other hand, inductive approach begins with the collection of the
specific outcome so as to reach to the general outcome. Owing to this, a deductive approach
is more suitable and it has been applied in the study.
Research design
The descriptive research design is applied to understand the characteristic of the
population which is studying where explanatory research design provides the cause and effect
relationship (Lacey & Luff, 2001). This shows that explanatory research design is more
suitable wherein research assess the effect or impact of coaching styles on the development of
employees (Polkinghorne, 2005). This proves to be effective to accomplish the research aim
and enable the scholar to apply the suitable strategies to select the right style of coaching.
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Data collection and data analysis
Data collection is the process of collecting necessary information for the valid outcome. The
current research is based on secondary data only wherein the information about John Lewis
partnership and other organization has been collected (Hayes & Sliwa, 2003). Furthermore,
the outcome of the investigation is based on the past information, therefore, primary data are
not selected. Owing to this, selection of secondary data can be justified. In this regard,
journals, books and online articles are referred (Simmons, Nelson & Simonsohn, 2011). On
the other hand, data analysis has been carried out by using the statistical techniques such as
correlation and regression. However, qualitative analysis is based on themes which are
constructed in accordance with the questionnaire method. Owing to this, selection of
quantitative method is more suitable to derive the valid outcome (Pausas & Lavorel, 2003).
FINDINGS FROM THE SECONDARY DATA
The outcome or analysis of the current study is based on the collection of secondary
data. The following table is showing information collected from 42% employees who were
asked to fill the questionnaire. With the collection of data, it has been found that 90%
employees increased their confidence level with the help of training or learning methods. On
the other hand, 80% participants found that communication skills were improved. In addition
to this, 75% respondents learned from to explore their career opportunities. This effect is the
outcome of the team and personal development coaching (Orodho, 2003). This enables
companies to improve the internal performance of the business and bring drastic changes in
the overall personality of the employees. This aids to create the competitive edge of the
business and meet the expectations of all related stakeholders. Therefore, a finding of the
study is showing positive changes in the personality of the employees or people who attended
a training program.
Table 1: Personal development through coaching
Changes in the parameters Approved percentage of people
Increase in the level of confidence 90%
Learned to communicate effectively 80%
Learned to deal with the conflicting
situation
82%
Enhances grasping power 80%
Improved the decision-making process 97%
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Learned to explore the career
opportunities
75%
Understood to predict the changes in
the workplace
85%
The study conducted by to assess the impact of different coaching styles on the
performance or development of the employees. For this purpose, two-way analysis of
variance analyses has been applied on the 90% significance level. The below-mentioned
outcome is showing that there is no statistically significant difference in the derived value of
mean associated with the employee performance between varied coaching styles (business
coaching and executive coaching style). This is interpreted with the help of p-value (0.097).
Owing to this, it can be said that executive and business coaching cannot ensure the
development or personal development of the employees working in the John Lewis
partnership as it only provides them theoretical knowledge related to the business activities
which might not be there in their interest areas. On the other hand, teach coaching and
personal development coaching is statistically significant for the employee performance. This
is because P value is 0.004 whereby it can be analysed that self-personal development and
team coaching facilitate to bring improvement in the performance of the employees.
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Figure 1: Two Way Analysis of Variance Test Results
Figure 2: Multiple Regression Coefficient Results
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Tarur & et. al., (2015) conducted multiple regression models in the study. The outputs are
explained in the following graph. The standard deviation on average is showing that
executive coaching tends to reduce the performance of employees by 0.018 where employees
are reduced by 0.086 from business coaching. However, team and self-development coaching
are contributing towards improving the performance of employees due to their attention to
their growth and development. This proves to be effective in driving the valid outcome and
supporting corporation in increasing overall rate return. This s because employees get the
higher level of confidence with the help of cited coaching styles.
DISCUSSION
Discussion of findings
According to the collected information, it can be analysed that coaching should be directed
towards the personal growth and development of the employees. This would be effective to
enhance their level of confidence and support them in contributing towards the growth and
success of the business. It proves to be effective in driving the valid outcome for the business.
However, business-oriented coaching relatively less affects the performance of employees in
a positive manner. Owing to this, a company can effectively assess the training need and
accordingly personal development of personnel can be ensured.
Furthermore, employees get the life-changing experience with the effect of training or
coaching they go through at the workplace. This enables a corporation to integrate all related
business activities and accomplish the specified objectives of the business. It leads to meet
the expectations of stakeholders as the satisfied and highly skilled personnel automatically
contribute towards the success of the business.
Recommendation
According to the collected information, it can be suggested to the management of
John Lewis that business coaching should be integrated with the personal coaching. This will
have the dual impact on the organization and employees both. It would be effective in
bringing improvement in their personality. On the other hand, the effectiveness of coaching
style should be assessed by reviewing the behaviour of employees through the observation
method. It will be effective to understand that how communication skills or others things got
improved. Moreover, the expert can be hired or called upon the requirement of the
professional and personal development of the employees. This provides something extra to
the personnel and increases their involvement with the organization.
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