The focus of "management" has been shifting towards issues related to human resources.
This is consistent with the more general definition of management (direction) "achieving results through other people." But, in previous times, it was not given the importance that is given to it at this time.
In the postwar period and until the 1960s, with a Europe destroyed by war and wide demands on its markets, the main focus was on technologies to manage production. In the 1970s, markets began to saturate, competition increased, and attention shifted to "marketing" issues. In the 1980s, the international liquidity that had been produced with the “petrodollars” contracted and the focus of attention shifted to financial issues.
With the speed of changes in the environment and uncertainty as variables that should be managed by the management of organizations, specialists began to question the validity of the approaches and tools that had been proposed by the "management" that, according to Drucker, "They were no longer capable of producing efficiency gains."
Among the research conducted to identify what managers need to know to lead in new research, among the most significant is a survey sponsored by an international consulting firm and business schools, conducted in 1991 among 1,500 managers of companies in Europe, Asia and America.
They were asked what skills do managers need for the year 2000? The answers were: 1-Formulation of strategies, 2-Human resources management, 3-Negotiation and conflict resolution, 4-Marketing and sales, 5-Financial management.
The “philosophy” that can be identified in these responses is that, after formulating your strategy, the first thing that must be done is to recruit, select and prepare the necessary human resources. In this context, Coaching emerges, among other management approaches and tools.
As with other approaches and tools that have emerged in recent years, coaching has its background in previous management issues and techniques. The most evident can be found in the classic presentation of the “Administration Cycle” that presents the four main functions of administration: planning, organization, command (or direction) and control.
The “command function” includes the processes and techniques applied by the manager to ensure that the necessary things are done, to achieve the objectives established in the planning function. Includes topics related to interpersonal communications, leadership and motivation, conflict management, group and team work. In the exercise of this function, the "delegation" is given an important role, a process through which the manager "transfers" part of the authority she has to her subordinates, as well as the execution of certain tasks. With this, the manager can focus on the most strategic and important things. Furthermore, it is an instrument for the development of people.
Many books have been dedicated to the topic, it is included among the topics offered for the development of managerial skills. The basic questions to which the study of this process is directed and the preparation of managers in the knowledge of techniques and skills to apply them are: What to delegate? To who? When? and how?
In more recent years, “empowerment” emerged, which has had multiple and horrible translations such as “empowerment”, “empowerment”, “empowerment”, among others.
Wilson, in his Empowerment Manual (1996) says the following: “The central proposition of empowerment is that currently many people in organizations work far below their knowledge and skills and that it would be convenient for them to be offered the opportunity to develop and use those skills for your own benefit and that of the organization… ”
Morris and Haigh clarify that “Empowerment is not simply delegating tasks. It is a question of power, of how and who exercises it. No one doubts the positive values of this "Total Quality Management" tool to improve processes and performance in the organization… ".,
In reality, it is not a matter of “empowering”, which is something that is influenced by many external factors (higher level decisions, elections to appoint authorities) or internal factors (individual capacities that allow someone to exercise “informal authority”, for example). their knowledge, experiences, etc.). What it is really about is developing the capacities of the people so that they can exercise with certain effectiveness the authority (the "power") that at a given moment they can receive.
Coaching is more recent in the bibliography on management issues. It takes many elements from the foundation and philosophy of "empowerment". But, it focuses more on the precision of behaviors and techniques for its application than what is stated in the empowerment literature, which is identified more in approaches to the work of the leader with the subordinate. It thrives on experiences in the formation and management of successful sports teams, from where it takes its name.
Chiavenato defines it as:
"… a type of relationship in which the" coach "is committed to supporting and helping the learner so that he can achieve certain results, or follow a certain path. It is a relationship that produces new skills. And, that is worth as much for your client, the trainee, as for the coach herself… the return that learning provides to the coach can produce more knowledge and new expectations for the coach.
Coaching has become one of the most popular management topics. Many articles and books are dedicated to it, internet portals specialized in the subject have been created, congresses and events are held, professional associations have been established, it is incorporated into the offers of training and management consulting services, some of the most international firms They have incorporated it into their "product portfolio". More recently, Master's offerings have appeared. The “European Coaching Council” has been created.
In a "Master in Personal, Executive and Organizational Coaching" Program, with face-to-face versions in Madrid and Barcelona, it is expressed:
"Coaching has emerged as the new profession of the 21st century, with greater expansion internationally."
The institution that offers it expresses that “it arises as a company with the ideal of marking the history of human development, under the diffusion and development of coaching, considering it with a much greater scope than that of a simple tool for executives who wish to be at the forefront of knowledge. Coaching arises to change the corporate culture and limiting perspectives of human beings.
Among the reasons that specialists state to support the need to develop and apply coaching are the following:
- It has become imperative that people be able to constantly learn. Organizations, like never before, are requiring people to produce more and better. To promote internal change, the biggest challenge is to change people's heads, make them more effective. and effective, more integrated, productive and imaginative. The competitive and sustainable advantage of the company today depends on the transformation of knowledge into concrete organizational results. And, much of corporate knowledge is still in the heads of individuals. Despite the rapid and profound advances in information technology and its innovative software, it is people who confer intelligence, knowledge and competence for organization.The waste of talents, knowledge,People's skills and competencies is a constant in organizations. The company needs to show that it does not consider individuals as a set of ready-made brains, but rather as people endowed with continually expanding potential.
Therefore, the most successful managers dedicate a significant part of their time to the development of their subordinates. Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric for nearly two decades, asked his managers to spend 50% of their time developing their subordinates.
