Internal Coaching Discussion Forum
A research-led discussion forum for L&D, OD, Talent, and HR leaders working with internal coaching in their organisations.
Research-led. Discussion-driven.
Each session opens with a focused 20-minute presentation drawing on published research, named case studies, and 25 years of practical experience.
The real value is in what follows: 40 minutes of dedicated time for you to share your own experiences and for the group to learn from each other.
Our intention is to provoke thought and real conversation, not deliver another webinar.
Six sessions. Six questions.
Why doesn't coaching skills training create a coaching culture?
Many organisations have invested in coaching skills training. Far fewer believe they have created a coaching culture. This session explores why, using Hawkins' five levels of culture as a diagnostic, evidence from organisations that succeeded (GSK, HSE Ireland, Southern Railway), and the failure patterns identified by St John-Brooks and Robson's doctoral research. Includes a live self-assessment exercise
Can AI assess coaching better than humans?
In some respects, the answer is yes. This session explores what AI coaching assessment can measure (and what it cannot), the rapid rehearsal loop it enables, and what happens to coaching development when instant objective feedback sits alongside reflective human supervision. We showcase the top three AI-based coach assessment tools available today.
Should you even build an internal coaching faculty?
Most literature assumes the answer is yes. It is not obvious that it should be. This session presents the genuine strategic choice between building a coaching faculty and training all managers in a coaching style. Covers the economics (the BBC's £50/hr figure), the ethical dilemmas (37% of internal coaches face clients preparing to leave), and the supply/demand trap.
Is it possible for coaching to be culturally neutral?
Most coaching models were developed within Western, individualist contexts and assume coachees want personal goals, value autonomy, and are comfortable with self-disclosure. Carr and Seto's research with Rosinski's Cultural Orientations Framework offers a concrete alternative. Key finding: difference creates insight, not just discomfort. Also covers neurodiversity-affirming practice.
How should we measure ROI in organisational coaching?
Only 36% of organisations evaluate their coaching. This session surfaces the tension between the demand for ROI (MetrixGlobal's 529 to 788%) and the argument that financial metrics miss what coaching actually does. Hawkins' output/outcome distinction is central. Examples include a financial services control group study and a law firm using retention as its single metric.
How can we truly make coaching how we do business around here?
Hawkins' final step: coaching becomes how the organisation does business with all its stakeholders. Almost no organisation has achieved this, but the examples are striking: Boeing's 777 co-design with airlines, Oxfam extending coaching into international development, and Huthwaites' SPIN research showing a 17% sales increase. The session that lifts the series from the operational to the strategic.
How it works
Tom Battye
Tom has spent 25 years training internal coaches across the public and private sectors. He is the founder of Tom Battye Coaching and the creator of CoachInsights, an AI-powered coaching assessment platform.
His programmes include the Certificate in Executive Coaching (EMCC Practitioner, AC accredited) and the Leader as Coach programme (EMCC Foundation, AC Accredited). Both are grounded in person-centred and nondirective principles.
Each session is offered twice.
Pick the time that suits.
Places are limited to keep discussions focused and valuable for everyone involved. Please book early.