Background

Coaching Monitor: evaluation instrument for coaching

The NOBCO/EMCC-NL Coaching Monitor answers questions about efficiency and effectiveness of individual coaching.

Over three years ago, the NOBCO/EMCC-NL started the ‘Coaching Outcome Monitor’ project to develop an instrument for coaches, clients and sponsors to gain insight into the effectiveness of coaching. The current Coaching Monitor can be compared to the ROM (Routine Outcome Monitor) instruments in the (mental) healthcare sector.

Quality assurance for sponsors

The Coaching Monitor offers coaching purchasers quality assurance of the hired coach and the efficiency of coaching. The Monitor makes the effectiveness of individual coaching visible. This is done in a number of ways:

  • Monitoring an individual coaching program: the coach can use the Coaching Monitor to monitor and, if desired, adjust the coaching. This allows for mapping of both the working relationship and the substantive progress, on the basis of predetermined goals.
  • Measuring and reporting the final result of an individual coaching: during the starting phases of the coaching, the goals agreed on by the client and the coach are linked to (validated) questionnaires by the coach. During and after completion of the coaching, goals and questionnaires are reassessed. On the basis of the questionnaires, the results are measured and a visual report is generated.
  • Involving relevant stakeholders by means of 360-degree feedback and peer evaluation. In this way, not only the coach’s and client’s opinions are mapped, but also those of other (involved) parties (such as references, co-workers, team members, direct reports, employees, clients, customers, family members, friends and other third parties).

With the Coaching Monitor, the NOBCO/EMCC-NL aims to contribute to further professionalisation of the coaching trade. The Coaching Monitor, therefore, also functions as a:

  • Learning instrument for professionals: both client and coach evaluations are recorded in a clear environment. The coach builds a portfolio that gives (more) insight into his/her own methods and allows the coach to increase his/her professional coaching skills.
  • Research instrument: the completed questionnaires, in anonymised form, are used for (scientific) research into the active ingredients of coaching, gathering sectoral information, and benchmarking.

Coaching Monitor set-up

The Coaching Monitor consists of an onlin survey program allowing the coach to send a number of questionnaires to clients and possibly peers (referees or sponsors) at four specific moments during and after the coaching . The client (and peers) can complete the questionnaire online, after which the data are securely sent to the Coaching Monitor. The client’s (and peers') answers are automatically analysed and results are sent to the coach. The programme also generates a visual representation of the intake, mid, final, and post-measurement, making the coaching results visible at a glance. These reports can be submitted to clients and any possible sponsors after explicit consent of the client. The Coaching Monitor also asks the coach, the client and any peers for information for educational purposes, academic research and gathering sectoral information.

Questionnaires

 The Coaching Monitor utilises a number of client-related questions:

  • Questions about the client as a person: these include demographic information, personal traits, motivation, and expectations about the coaching.
  • The client’s personal goals: the goals mapped by the client. These coals can be adjusted, discarded or added to during the coaching . The goals are described as well as quantified by means of closed questions.
  • Theme-related questions: these are questions from standardised (academic) questionnaires mapping a specific concept or theme. The coach can select a number of themes that are relevant to the client’s personal goals (e.g. quality of life, leadership qualities, conversational techniques, etc.). During the pilot phase, the focus is on the theme of well-being. After the pilot phase (phase 2), more themes will be added to the Monitor.
  • Evaluation questions: questions mapping the client’s opinion about the coaching , the role of the coach and his/her own role.

Read more about this here: Model and measurement instrument

Availability and security

The Coaching Monitor is completely web-based. This means that the instrument can be accessed 24 hours per day, 7 days a week by means of a computer, tablet or smartphone with an internet connection. No special hardware or additional software are required. In developing the instrument, the utmost care has been dedicated to security and privacy, without detriment to usability.

Read more about using the Coaching Monitor here: Privacy statement.

Organisation

The Coaching Monitor was developed in collaboration with a large number of coaches - including NOBCO/EMCC-NL professional coaches as well as non-affiliated coaches, researchers and web developers. The instrument is part of the NOBCO/EMCC-NL’s online ‘Knowledge Centre for Coaching’ and falls within the management portfolio ‘Research and Benchmark’. Scientific research is coordinated by Alexander Waringa (MA), who shall be advised by the NOBCO/EMCC-NL Committee for Scientific Research. This Committee consists of prof.dr. Karen van Dam, prof.dr. Fred Korthagen, prof.dr. Karen van Dam dr. Rendel de Jong, dr. Roeslan Leontjevas and dr. Iris Keasberry. Technical support, maintenance and management is provided by Basemotive. Administrative support is provided by the NOBCO/EMCC-NL secretariat.

The Coaching Monitor is a product of the Dutch Association of Professional Coaches (NOBCO) and the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (NOBCO/ EMCC-NL)
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