Comparing coaching and mentoring

learning resources

Overview

The terms coaching and mentoring are quite often used interchangeably. They do however describe different activities, and understanding the key differences (and also similarities) is important to their use in organisations.

These learning resources compare coaching and mentoring and in the audio clip (to the right) your HR tutor Andrew gives an overview its purpose and content. Below is a summary of how this fits with the CIPD units.

Listen to “Comparing coaching and mentoring – introduction” on Spreaker.

1. Coaching and mentoring defined

Coaching

The word ‘coaching’ comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word for a carriage, which is something that takes you from where you are now to where you want to be.

There is no one agreed definition of coaching. Indeed, there are as many definitions of coaching as there are writers about coaching.

Definitions include:

’Effective coaching in the workplace delivers achievement, fulfilment and joy from which both the individual and the organisation benefit’ (Downey, 2003, pg. 17)

‘Coaching is an intervention that has as its underlying and ever-present goal the building of others’ self-belief regardless of the task or issue’ (Whitmore, 2006 pg. 18).

‘Coaching is a pragmatic humanism. … Coaching is also a method to enhance performance and a leadership style that gets results’ (Rosinski, 2003 pg. 3)

‘Coaching targets high performance and improvement at work and usually focuses on specific skills and goals, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s personal attributes (such as social interaction or confidence)’ (CIPD, 2019)

CIPD (2019) Factsheet: Coaching and Mentoring, CIPD [Online]. Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/coaching-mentoring.aspx (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

M. Downey (2003) Effective Coaching, US, Texere Publishing.

Rosinski, P. (2003) Coaching across Cultures, London, Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Whitmore, J (2006) Coaching for Performance, 2nd edn., London, Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Mentoring

Mentoring can claim a 3000 year head start on coaching, but both are powerful aids to personal and organisational change and development. The first reference in literature to the idea was three thousand years in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey in ancient Greek mythology. Here Mentor, the Goddess Athene in disguise, takes Odysseus’ son on a developmental journey in order to maintain the Kingdom of Ithaca and develop a successor to the throne.

As with coaching, there is no universal definition.

Definitions include:

‘Mentoring is a term generally used to describe a relationship between a less experience individual called a mentee or protégé, and a more experienced individual, known as a mentor. Traditionally, mentoring is viewed as a dyadic, face to face, long term relationship between a supervisory adult and a novice student that fosters the mentee’s professional, academic or personal development’. (Donaldson, et al, 2000, pg. 233)

‘The mentor provides a very different kind of support … one based on reflective learning and akin to pastoral care.’ (Clutterbuck, 2004 pg. 3)

‘Mentoring in the workplace has tended to describe a relationship in which a more experienced colleague uses his or her greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of a more junior or inexperienced member of staff.’ (CIPD, 2019)

CIPD (2019) Factsheet: Coaching and Mentoring, CIPD [Online]. Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/coaching-mentoring.aspx (Accessed: 5 October 2019).

Clutterbuck, D. (2004) Everyone needs a mentor: fostering talent in your organisation., 4th edn.,. London, CIPD.

Donaldson, S. I., Ensher, E. A., and Grant-Vallone, E. J. (2000) ‘Longitudinal examination of mentoring relationships on organizational commitment and citizenship behavior’, Journal of Career Development, Vol. 26, pp. 233-249.

2. Similarities and differences

There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring, with the process often (but not always) describing a conversation between two people – the mentor/coach and the individual being mentored/coached. In order to establish a fuller picture of where the two are similar and differ, it helps to apply them to different situations

Activity

Below you will find links to two People Management articles, each describing the use of coaching and mentoring in different organisations and contexts. Read these and make a note of:

The development need
The type of coaching or mentoring used
The reason why coaching or mentoring was appropriate in that situation.

Once you’ve done this listen to the debrief from your tutor.

Summary

In this short YouTube clip Carol Wilson restates the main difference between coaching and mentoring and identifies how the two are not exclusive, with mentors increasingly taking a coaching approach and coaches perhaps being more directive. She also talks about the emergence of the manager as coach.

Contact Andrew

andrewwales_lod@btinternet.com