Developing Coaching Cultures for Business Impact

This case study, written by Creative Metier for FSD Africa, examines the efforts of the Commercial Bank of Africa Limited (CBA) to embed a coaching culture within its organization. To address the needs of a workforce where 65% of staff are Generation Y and to manage rapid growth, CBA implemented a multi-year strategy involving career development programs, engagement training, and the certification of internal managers as professional coaches to improve employee productivity and business performance.

• CBA identified a need for a coaching intervention due to rapid organizational growth, a changing financial landscape in Kenya, and a workforce demographic where 65% of staff are Generation Y.
• The bank's solution involved a phased approach starting in 2013 with a career development programme for all staff, followed by coaching skills training for 85 managers in 2014, and the launch of the "Free to Grow" engagement training and "Managers as Mentors" programme in 2015.
• As part of the 'Managers as Mentors' initiative, 15 managers earned the Executive Certificate in Coaching for Managers from the Academy of Executive Coaches (AoEC) to act as internal resources, initially supporting staff through a 360-degree feedback process.
• Early qualitative impacts of the coaching culture include increased openness among staff, a shift toward a leadership style that encourages employees to find their own solutions rather than receiving them from managers, and greater employee empowerment in decision-making.
• CBA aims to have 40% of its staff trained as coaches by 2018 to ensure a sustainable coaching culture and expects to see tangible long-term benefits on the bottom line within three years of the initial investment.

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} }