Let me start by saying that all organizations aspiring to be agile need an agile coaching presence. But the question is how many, for how long, and how much?
I’ve seen many organizations that invest too heavily in coaching and keep the coaches around for far too long. This often creates a dependency on the coaches and really doesn’t help the organization’s growth.
I came upon this article around 2016 that explained how one group at Walmart approached creating an internal agile coaching capacity. What strikes me about it is how lean it is. And how it leverages the entire organization for what is essentially self-coaching.
Anyway, I thought I’d share it. I don’t think many are aware of this approach and it’s a thought-provoking alternative to many of today’s strategies.
Wrapping Up
One of the things I appreciate about this article is the author’s willingness to share—what works for them. It may not work for every organization, but it’s a real-world approach that produced results.
And on a personal note, is that this strategy aligns with my own. Instead of embedding oodles of coaches for long periods of time, it confirms that you can make great progress with a more situational approach. Not only that, the results may be even greater than applying an entire army of coaches to the effort.
Stay agile my friends,
Bob.