Developing Coaching Cultures for Business Impact

The Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) implemented a multi-year strategy to embed a coaching culture, targeting a workforce where 65% of staff are Generation Y. The initiative involved training 85 managers in coaching skills in 2014, followed by the 2015 'Managers as Mentors' programme where 15 managers received professional certification from the Academy of Executive Coaches (AoEC). These certified coaches supported staff through 360-degree feedback processes and provided one-on-one coaching. Early impacts include increased staff openness, greater empowerment in decision-making, and a shift from managers providing solutions to guiding staff to find their own. CBA aims to have 40% of its staff trained as coaches by 2018 to ensure a sustainable internal resource.

• CBA's decision to adopt a coaching culture was driven by rapid organizational growth, a rapidly changing financial landscape in Kenya, and a workforce demographic where 65% of staff are Generation Y.
• The bank implemented a phased solution starting with career development training for all staff in 2013, coaching skills training for 85 managers in 2014, and the 'Managers as Mentors' and 'Free to Grow' engagement training in 2015.
• Fifteen selected managers earned the Executive Certificate in Coaching for Managers from the Academy of Executive Coaches (AoEC) to act as internal resources, specifically facilitating the unpacking of 360-degree feedback for staff.
• Early qualitative impacts of the coaching intervention include increased employee openness, a shift toward staff finding their own solutions, and a reduced tendency for teams to delegate issues upward.
• CBA intends to scale the initiative by training approximately 200 line managers in coaching skills and aims for 40% of all staff to be trained as coaches by 2018.

APA

FSD Africa (2016). Developing Coaching Cultures for Business Impact. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/16-07-08-CBA-Case-Study-1.0.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. Developing Coaching Cultures for Business Impact. 2016. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/16-07-08-CBA-Case-Study-1.0.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=Developing Coaching Cultures for Business Impact |date=2016 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/16-07-08-CBA-Case-Study-1.0.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafrica2016developing, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{Developing Coaching Cultures for Business Impact}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, year = {2016}, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/16-07-08-CBA-Case-Study-1.0.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }