Organisational context
Zurich is an insurance-based financial services provider, with headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. The organisation’s core business is general insurance and life insurance. Founded in 1872, Zurich now has a global network of subsidiaries and offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and other markets. The business employs 55,000 people in more than 150 countries. In the UK, Zurich has 6,500 employees.
Zurich is very proud of its heritage, having been the first insurer in Switzerland to offer global insurance programmes, and in 1912 having become the first European insurer in the United States. Over the years, Zurich has spread its reach throughout the globe.
Zurich aspires to become the leading global insurance group in its chosen general insurance and life insurance markets, consistently delivering top-tier results for shareholders. In addition, the organisation has a clear aim to create strong relationships with customers, agents and brokers and rewarding opportunities for employees.
The context for coaching
The organisation’s aim in the UK is to build a coaching and mentoring practice across the UK that will meet both current and future business needs. This is happening in the context of a move away from a command-and-control structure, as the organisation moves into a matrix structure across Europe.
The coaching offer at Zurich
Zurich develops newly appointed team managers’ coaching skills as part of their first line development programme, Aspire. The Aspire programme coaching is based around the GROW (Goal, Reality, Options, Way forward) model.
As they progress into middle management roles, managers may receive external coaching as part of talent programmes. This tends to focus on gaps such as career management, gravitas, networking and so on. In addition, senior managers may request external coaching from a pool of selected providers.
David Kay, Learning and Development Manager, reflects on the high quality of line managers at Zurich: ‘We have excellent first line managers, the only problem with coaching is they sometimes coach too much rather than saying enough is enough and looking at alternative management practices.’
The organisation does not currently have a pool of internal specialist coaches but is reviewing this. The learning and development team offers both coaching courses and mentoring courses for senior managers. Mentoring is popular, with 150 mentors, of whom around 100 are currently active in the organisation. As part of the programme, Zurich offers separate training to both mentors and mentees.
Developing coaching practice at Zurich
David Kay reflects, ‘What has worked well for us is not having one size fits all and allowing organic growth while ensuring that all coaching is aligned. There needs to be a business driver.’
Going Damion Wonfor from the talent management development team has also recently launched an assessment process to ensure consistency of quality of external coaches. This involves presentation, interviews and observed coaching sessions.
The coaching process at Zurich Financial Services
Zurich has recently established a high-level process for initiating and running individual coaching interventions. The intention behind the process is that it should act to make clear the various roles and actions that will support the coaching process.
The process flows as follows:
Identification:
Coaching need identified by line manager, learning development manager or HR business partner. Individual completes coaching request form and is sponsored by line manager or sponsor.
Check:
Need fed to talent management and development (TM&D) team. They will then contact individual to ensure that coaching is the correct intervention. They will also brief individual on our coaching process.
Matching:
TM&D will discuss requirements with individual and provide profiles of preferred coaching suppliers.
Session one:
Individual has chemistry session with coach. Both sides check relationship will work. Discuss and draft public and private goals.
Individual contacts TM&D if they are not happy to work with suggested coach. Coach will not charge for session apart from expenses.
Programme approval:
After session one, coach will contact TM&D to gain authorisation for number of sessions required for assignment.
Coaching goals sign-off:
Individual discusses public goals with line manager and/or sponsor.
Session two:
First hour, individual, coach, line manager and/or sponsor discuss and agree public goals and measures. Second hour, coach and coachee commence coaching.
Coaching assignment process:
Coach and coachee manage programme of sessions during assignment.
Mid-point review:
If coaching programme is more than five sessions, there will be a mid-point feedback. Feedback will be gained from coach, coachee, line manager and/or sponsor. This feedback will be reviewed by TM&D, who will record organisational trends.