The National Nuances of Coaching

No matter where Career Partners International firms may gather, you'll find them comparing notes about trends and techniques being used in coaching around the world. In this article, Matt Resnik of the U.S. CPI firm Resnik Partners in Denver, Colorado discusses how an awareness of international cultures must often be included as a component of an executive coaching program. And Ines Pardo of  CPI firm Altos Ejecutivos Ltda in Colombia talks about the emerging world of coaching in Latin America.

 

To illustrate his point, Resnik cites the case of a rising star in a company that serves the mining industry. Says Resnik, "The budding executive who came to us was a German national, living in the U.S., whom we were to coach to move him from a purely operational focus to building the leadership skills essential for higher-level executives - relationship development skills, how to create community, how to motivate, and when to step out of certain situations."  The executive responded well to the coaching, but soon discovered that his success would also hinge on education and immersion in the cultural nuances of the multi-national business world.

 

At the time, Resnik coached the executive on aspects of U.S. culture. "When his work began to include more dealings with India, we talked to him about what he was experiencing and the differences in Indian management. He may have been most surprised by the Australian culture, though, where he learned that integration on a social level was a prerequisite for building strong business relationships," explained Resnik.  A quick learner, the executive was soon promoted to a position where he was responsible for running a multinational business on three different continents. At that time, he returned to Europe, and his native Germany. He was referred to CPI firm Best.Placement in Germany to continue his acclimation to his new position and to learn the cultural nuances of a growing number of countries.

 

Coaching Instruments May Vary

Resnik notes that while the objectives of coaching may be basically the same from country to country, the tools and approaches used in the process can vary dramatically around the executive being coached.  Some countries aren't as relaxed, for example, about giving feedback about peers and management, simply because they are more hierarchical than most U.S. companies, with more privacy and formality involved in business relationships. Subordinates don't evaluate their superiors. "The 360 instruments may not be as popular in those countries," said Resnik. 

 

In Colombia, Ines Pardo says, "It is common to use 360 and other assessment aids in a Latin American coaching engagement. But coaching is still largely considered a luxury." Pardo was recently interviewed by Shoya Zichy for APTi's Bulletin of Psychological Type as she explored variation in coaching practices around the world.  (See full article.)  Pardo notes that coaching remains a relatively rare business practice. For the most part, it is used by multinational companies or by people looking for jobs with international companies.  As one might expect in companies just beginning to adopt coaching for its business merits, Colombia doesn't differentiate yet between "coaching" and "executive coaching." The stratification of services is more prevalent in countries where coaching has been popular for a while. In some countries such as New Zealand, Zichy points out, strict labor laws result in many employers using coaching as an option prior to termination.

 

The one thing that seems fairly certain is that coaching and its value are here to stay. There will always be some who see it as a punishment meted out by HR, and others who view it as a perk to guide them to both corporate and career success. (The latter are far more likely to reap the benefits!)  In today's tough economic climate, more and more top level executives under fire may be reaching out for coaching as they struggle to find the balance between the transparency that the public and stockholders demand and the positive, forward-thinking leadership and demeanor they must provide.