DEVELOPING COACHING CULTURES FOR BUSINESS IMPACT

This case study, written by Creative Metier for FSD Africa, examines the implementation of executive coaching and leadership development programmes at the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) and Jubilee Insurance Company Limited in Kenya. It details how these financial institutions used coaching to address challenges such as rapid growth, shifting workforce demographics (specifically Generation Y), and low staff morale to foster high-performance cultures.

• CBA implemented a multi-layered coaching strategy to manage rapid growth and a workforce where 65% of staff are Generation Y. The approach included training 85 managers in coaching skills in 2014, launching the 'Free to Grow' engagement training in 2015, and establishing a 'Managers as Mentors' programme where 15 managers were certified by the Academy of Executive Coaches (AoEC) to serve as internal resources.
• CBA's internal coaching initiatives have led to early cultural shifts, including increased staff openness and a move toward solution-focused thinking. Staff reported feeling greater empowerment in decision-making and a deeper sense of responsibility, reducing the tendency to 'delegate upwards'.
• CBA aims to institutionalise a sustainable coaching culture by 2018, with a target of having 40% of its staff trained as coaches. The bank expects tangible long-term business benefits to manifest within three years of the initial investment.
• Jubilee Insurance Company of Kenya launched a three-phased leadership development programme between 2013 and 2016 to address high staff dissatisfaction and low morale. Phase 1 focused on personality and leadership self-assessment; Phase 2 utilised 360° surveys and group coaching; and Phase 3 (scheduled for 2016) focuses on building a pool of internal coaches.
• Jubilee Insurance reported several positive business metrics coinciding with its leadership interventions, including a 37% revenue increase in 2014 (from KES 15.48 billion to KES 21.17 billion), a reduction in staff turnover from 15% in 2012 to 10.7% in 2015, and an increase in productivity per employee from $0.4 million in 2013 to $0.49 million in 2015.
• Jubilee's leadership programme has resulted in improved senior management cohesion and a shift toward 'self-managing' teams where leaders guide staff to find their own solutions rather than providing them directly.
• Challenges identified in the implementation of coaching at Jubilee include the pressure of 'business as usual' targets, which leaves managers with insufficient time to apply their learning, and a shortage of credible coaches with specific business understanding.

APA

FSD Africa (2016). DEVELOPING COACHING CULTURES FOR BUSINESS IMPACT. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Long-Think-Piece-Creative-Metier-African-Coaching-Culture-Case-Studies-2016-1.3-1.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. DEVELOPING COACHING CULTURES FOR BUSINESS IMPACT. 2016. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Long-Think-Piece-Creative-Metier-African-Coaching-Culture-Case-Studies-2016-1.3-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=DEVELOPING COACHING CULTURES FOR BUSINESS IMPACT |date=2016 |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Long-Think-Piece-Creative-Metier-African-Coaching-Culture-Case-Studies-2016-1.3-1.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/2025/05/Long-Think-Piece-Creative-Metier-African-Coaching-Culture-Case-Studies-2016-1.3-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }