Developing a Model for Establishing Coach-oriented Organization with the Approach of Organizational Learning

Coaching is a new and applied method for human resource development with such goals as improving organizational learning. Coach-oriented organizations, in addition to developing organizational learning patterns, can provide a good platform to enrich individual and organizational goals. In higher education for improving the universities’ organizational learning, it is a major priority in policy-makers agenda to design and evaluate programs such as coaching. Farhangian University is a higher education institute that seeks for sustainable development of human resources, and consequently, values human resource training. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to develop a model for establishing a coach-oriented organization with the approach of organizational learning at Farhangian University.

 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK:

Coaching is a method to develop human resources. It can help organizations to create a favorable position compared to their competitors, improve organizational performance, and accelerate learning. A coach-oriented organization is an organization that seeks for growing and fostering its human resources through the coaching technique. By providing factors such as coaching culture, business background, and human resource management, this type of organization prepares a platform to enjoy the benefits of coaching. Organizational learning is a set of interactions to coordinate individual, group, and organizational levels. It is a dynamic process enabling the organization to quickly adapt to environmental changes. During the process of organizational learning, an educational unit continuously improves the level of thinking of members and knowledge acquisition and dissemination. By implementing this approach, the organization moves towards learning.

This is a mixed-methods study. In the qualitative phase, needed data collected through library studies, face-to-face interviews, and the Delphi questionnaire. Delphi panel was comprised of 25 experts based on snowball sampling which is a non-random and purposeful method. In the quantitative phase, the statistical population was comprised of 396 employees of Farhangian University in Razavi, North, and South Khorasan provinces. The sample size of 196 was calculated using Morgan’s table and selected by conducting a stratified random sampling method. The questionnaire obtained from the first phase was utilized in the quantitative phase after evaluating and confirming face validity, content validity by CVI index, construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha reliability. The SPSS software was for descriptive statistics, and for inferential statistics, the structural equation modeling was conducted in SmartPLS and Amos software.

In the qualitative phase, the dimensions and components of the model were finalized after performing four Delphi rounds. In the quantitative phase, the findings indicated the model's goodness of fit. The results were based on a model consisting of 2 variables, 7 dimensions, 27 components, and 131 indicators. Dimensions such as “establishment process” and “learning levels” were the most important respectively in the variables of coach-oriented organization and organizational learning.

CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS:

The findings indicated that the establishment of coaching in the organization has an impact on organizational learning. Farhangian University was found to have the capacity of becoming a coach-oriented organization if utilizing all the processes of action, execution, and monitoring.