Key Differentiators between Mentoring and Coaching: Analytical Essay

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Analyze the differences between coaching and mentoring

As a manager when new employees start their roles, I will mentor and coach the new employee for a week minimum to enable them to feel settled and supported in their roles they are coached to be able to complete their tasks confidently and competently. The new employee may require more support after their week as people all have different ways of learning or may take more time to build their confidence to learn and work in the organization’s way. Their mentoring forms are completed and stored on their e-file and this shows their progress in their learning development.

Mentoring and coaching are very similar. They are both techniques used to drive desirable workplace behavior and support the personal and professional growth of employees. The process of direct transfer of experience and knowledge from one person to another. In the workplace, a mentor provides guidance and direction to a mentee-usually a new employee with similar interests who may aspire to the position of the mentor. The mentor has achieved success within the industry and voluntarily shares his or her expertise with the colleague. We define coaching as a method of achieving set goals. A coach, who is a company employee, helps carers achieve goals as defined by the organization.

1: Orientation

Mentoring is oriented around relationships. Although the mentor and mentee might initially focus on certain learning goals or competencies, over time they develop a bond and rapport that often transcends specific workplace issues.

Coaching is oriented around defined tasks. Coaches are often called upon to help individuals become more proficient in certain areas or address important workplace skills they might be lacking. Some examples might include conflict resolution, strategic thinking, or public speaking.

2: Drivers

Mentoring is development driven. The focus is on the future. The mentor shares his or her experience in an effort to positively influence the personal and professional growth of the mentee. Coaching is performance-driven. The focus is on the present. The purpose is to improve, enhance, or acquire new skills that can be leveraged immediately.

3: Duration

Mentoring requires a significant time commitment from both parties. Mentors and mentees may start out as casual acquaintances, but often build strong fellowships that can continue for years. Coaching has a defined ending. Parties may meet just once or over a period of time, however, the relationship usually terminates when the trainee masters the specific skill or goal they were working on.

4: Input from leadership

Mentoring requires little oversight. Although a manager may be assigned to administer the logistics of a mentoring program, formal supervision is rarely required. For the most part, mentors and mentees steer the direction of their relationship. Coaching requires active engagement. A manager must monitor the progress, solicit regular feedback from the coach, and oftentimes determine when a coaching initiative should conclude.

5: Evaluation

With mentoring, success is usually measured in broad terms. While benefits may include improved morale or lower turnover, it can be challenging for organizations to identify specific key performance indicators (KPIs) that result from a mentoring relationship. With coaching, measurement is easier. Specific goals are clearly defined in advance, and the accomplishment of those goals can be tracked and measured.

Mentoring vs. Coaching

Mentoring and coaching both play an important role in today’s workplace. Depending on the situation, one may be preferable over the other. Management Mentors, a global firm that provides a range of mentoring services, offers the following recommendations:

Consider mentoring:

When the company wants to develop promising internal talent, When there is a shortage of potential leaders in the corporate pipeline
When the organization wants to remove barriers that inhibit the advancement of certain groups, such as women and minorities
When it becomes important to preserve internal expertise and knowledge as part of succession planning
When established senior leaders are altruistically motivated to give back

Consider coaching:

When talented employees are not meeting expectations
When staff members must acquire or master specific skills or competencies
When the company needs to improve performance in a short period of time
When the organization is introducing a new system or program
When a subdivision of the company is attempting something new or untested

Explain circumstances when coaching would be an appropriate method of supporting learning at work.

Coaching happens when a new employee starts with the organization, they are coached to learn to work the way the organization requires. As they are required to complete tasks at a high level and to be able to respond to service users’ different needs in a way that is desired for the service user and in, the way that the organization requires staff to work. Staff inductions are an important part of our coaching system. Staff induction is a process by which we welcome new staff, supporting them and helping them to familiarise themselves with our routines, our ethos, and our way of doing things. The induction period reduces some of the stress that people encounter when starting a new job and as such, it is an effective way to welcome new members of staff to our organization. We introduce new members of staff to the existing staff, the existing staff will also support and coach the new employees, It is also a time where we can identify the strengths and weaknesses of each new staff member, and the priorities for their future development. Our induction process usually lasts for about 3 months for all new staff and can be extended for a further 3 months if necessary, this allows new staff time to show that they can reach the expected standards for them. On their first day, staff receives an induction, which makes them fully aware of the policies and procedures and outlines their role and responsibilities and what is expected of them. The induction also covers the safeguarding, inclusion, and equality policy and the general health and safety.

Coaching covers a range of development needs;

To help bring about improvements where people are underperforming, to challenge and stretch those with high potential.
To enhance current and future skills
To re-motivate people
To prepare people for new roles
To prepare people for delegation.

1.3 explain circumstances when mentoring would be an appropriate method of supporting learning at work.

Mentoring can be used in a specific situation and can also be more of a supervisory approach to help gain new skills or overcome specific difficulties. Mentoring could be an appropriate method of supporting learning within the organization would be;

to improve the retention of staff
to support self-development and work-based learning programmers such as QCF’s continuous professional development.
To encourage personal development
To help individuals cope with transitions such as moving into a new role.

We have supervision with all of our staff every 6 months, and this is when we discuss any issues they may have, and we can offer guidance and support if needed. Supervision is a mutual arrangement between staff and management and helps to encourage teamwork and professional development as well as allowing the opportunity for staff to have a confidential discussion about any sensitive issues. The main aim of supervision is to provide opportunities for staff to discuss any issues they may have, identify any issues and possible solutions if they arise, and plan any training needs to help improve staff personal development.

These are not negative but to be looked at in a positive way as all these can help with their personal development.

Explain how coaching and mentoring complement other methods of supporting learning.

Mentoring and coaching can be used alone but can also complement each other and can resolve any issues such as, developing careers, solving problems, overcoming conflicts, and re-motivating staff. The aims of coaching and mentoring are the same as those of good management. To be a good mentor coach and manager you need the following:

Willingness to listen
Openness to new ideas
A challenging way of thinking
Encouraging staff to become involved in new work experiences
Making time available
Enthusiasm.

Providing staff with coaching and mentoring opportunities ensures that all staff is given the chance to voice their opinions and needs.

Coaching and mentoring complement other methods as they all help to give staff feedback on how they are performing. We try to give positive feedback to staff at every opportunity and when staff is struggling, we help them to look at why they are struggling and together we come up with a plan and a strategy to come to the problem.

Analyse how coaching and mentoring at work can promote the business objectives of the work setting

Coaching and mentoring employees can help the employees by developing and enhancing their skills both professionally and personally. showing that we are interested in the development of our staff will show them that we do care about their development will show that we are interested in their progress and will increase their loyalty to us.

Coaching an employee Is shorter and more specific.

For example; coaching a group of trainees on how to support those with dementia, but in line with the company’s policies and strategy. This requires the passing on of particular knowledge, Mentoring can be a longer process than coaching, we will attach a senior employee to one or a group of new employees, and have frequent one-to-one sessions to monitor progress over, over a 3-month period, their forms are stored on their E-file and allows us to monitor their progress and areas of improvement. During this time, they will concentrate on a range of skills, the mentor will form a relationship with their mentees, and be available for any queries. Observing the new employees as they grow over a period of time can help make crucial decisions, such as aligning the career path of employees with the strongest skills for your business.

Coaching within the company can;

Teach new skills with a clear learning plan in place
Help staff solve problems in new ways

Answer questions that someone may have if they become confused during the coaching sessions.

When staff commits to learning new skills, they recognize that they can increase their value to their employer.

If they are looking to pass their probation, and progress in their career, this is a great way to go about it.

By recognizing their value and their ability, they become confident and work to a high standard at all times and show competency and professionalism.

Coaching and mentoring are great for helping staff to learn new skills or enhance their current skills whilst increasing their knowledge and confidence. It does not matter who the employee is, there is always room to learn. You might be thinking that only new recruits need coaching but what about when you or one of your other senior employees needs to learn how to use that new smart piece of technology, it could be a tablet or it could be the new software like access care planning and people planner.

This is why we make sure that all of our staff know how to use access care planning, people planner, and the mobile app before we show anyone else how to use them, and before the new employees are sent out to work.

Evaluate the management implications of supporting coaching and mentoring in the work setting

As a manager, we are expected to demonstrate more knowledge and a wider range of skills, along with self-motivation, initiative, and innovation however managers do need to act as an instructor, conflict mediators, mentors, and coaches. I know as a manager that this at times seems an impossible task, as you have to split yourself up into a whole lot of pieces and it is not always possible. On a daily basis, we deal with different situations from staffing issues to client issues, etc. Having coaching and mentoring systems in place I feel that it makes my job a little easier as I can delegate certain tasks to supervisors and assistant managers, such as staff observation and inductions and scheduling the rotas. This can help the senior staff to develop in their own roles and makes them more aware of their own roles and responsibilities as they are required to be professional and work to the high standards that are required of them.

Such programs require careful planning and agreement between all parties involved. By first considering the costs and benefits, you can implement a mentoring program smoothly, increasing potential benefits.

Support the implementation of coaching and mentoring activities

Mentoring appears to be growing in popularity, however, implementing a scheme does require significance, for example, possible work down- time. With the costs of participants, the provision of training for mentors, and the cost of coordinating and supporting a scheme, it is important that mentoring is implemented in a way that ensures that potential benefits are realized and that employees grow in their development and feel supported by our organization.

Having the mentoring forms helps the mentor ensure that they are covering all areas and can document the mentee’s progress this is then uploaded to the system straight away so that I as a manager can see this in good time and act on any concerns there maybe in a quick time so that dealing with anything in a quick time can help stop these things happening sooner rather than later and will also support the mentor with the mentee.

Review how the use of coaching and mentoring in the work setting has supported business objectives

Coaching and mentoring are a newer and more effective way to help get the most potential from the employee and also will help them to feel supported and in turn, they become loyal and committed to the company and their work. The following 9 outcomes coaching looks at to achieve when coaching we aim to make these happen.

Thrive performance results that meet the needs of the group and the business.
Build high levels of employee commitment
Develop employee skills and abilities.
Help employees to perform to their best and as self-sufficiently as possible.
Increase productivity by maintaining your resources
Build working relationships with your staff
Provide leadership to encourage progress not only today but also in the future.
Reinforce quality performance and employee accountability
Make your life as a manager just a little bit easier

Evaluate the impact of coaching and mentoring on practice

Coaching and mentoring are increasingly being used for professional development to indicate a positive change in individuals and to encourage the transfer of knowledge from the coach and mentor to the individual.

We find coaching and mentoring highly beneficial for the career growth of the employees. Coaching and mentoring have been applied by many in their organizational practices.

A skilled coach or mentor is an invaluable asset to us. As well as increasing confidence and motivation, coaching and mentoring improve management performance, conflict resolution, and communication and interpersonal skills.

We found that coaching and mentoring can positively impact the workplace in a variety of ways such as:

Stronger teams are gained
Improved ability to align the organization’s culture and ethos with employees
A more inclusive culture
Improved employee satisfaction scores
Improved staff retention

The mentoring and coaching take place independently, they are open, honest relationships between the mentor or coach and their coached mentee. A mentor or coach is an accountability partner who works in their coached mentee’s best interests. The mentor will take into account what the mentee is struggling with and will make priorities to support them more in those areas, take into consideration what their strengths are, and promote independence in those areas.

Neither mentoring nor coaching is about teaching, instruction, or telling somebody what to do. The role of mentors and coaches is to ask their coached mentees the right questions to promote greater self-awareness and more informed decision-making. The role of mentors and coaches is not to solve problems, but to question how the best solutions might be found.

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