SAP measures the effectiveness of
coaching by collecting individual
impact data. Following each coaching
engagement, clients complete a postcoaching impact survey. Through
these surveys, clients have reported
a host of positive impacts, including
behavior change due to coaching;
positive changes in emotions,
perception and mindset; and an
enhanced capacity for self-reflection
and solution-oriented thinking.
One GCP coaching client reported,
“My life has completely changed …
professionally and personally as
a result of coaching. … Feedback
from colleagues, family and friends
confirm it.” Another GCP client
wrote, “Coaching helped me …
become my own coach moving
forward. … It was transformational.”
GCP has also been a powerful
driver of professional development
for participating internal coach
practitioners, as they gain skills
and experiences that make them
stronger leaders in their primary job
functions. One of SAP’s HR business
partners reported, “I see positive
influences on people and the
organization from an SAP [internal
coach] managing a finance unit.
[Since joining GCP] she can deal
better with peers, senior leaders and
direct reports.”
Although GCP’s leaders
and champions
acknowledge that
organizational culture
change takes time, they
also agree that coaching
has helped accelerate the
process at SAP. As GCP’s
cadre of internal coach
practitioners has grown, SAP
has been able to expand the
availability of “Ready for Coachable
Moments,” a two-day introduction
to coaching and the GROW model
for managers and leaders. As a
result of this training, SAP is gradually
moving away from a conventional
approach to performance
management and feedback delivery,
characterized by twice-annual
performance reviews, and toward
a new mindset characterized by
regular, recursive development
conversations between managers
and their direct reports, as well as an
increased emphasis on empowering
and developing people to create a
multiplier effect for the organization.
SA
PA
G/
Wolf
ram Sc
heible
incorporate coaching into one of
the organization’s flagship corporate
social responsibility initiatives.
Through SAP’s Social Sabbatical
Program, top performers within the
organization have the opportunity
to spend three months volunteering
with small businesses in emerging
markets. In the near future, internal
coaches will be aligned with this
program to deliver coaching to the
volunteers before, during and after
their engagements. Finally, this
year SAP is launching an initiative
to expand ICF Credentialing among
GCP coaches.
With the continued support of leaders
in the uppermost echelons of the
organization, SAP’s GCP is poised
to continue driving change—one
client at a time—for the next decade
and beyond. As an executive from
SAP’s c-suite wrote, “I am proud to
support the program because, as
a credentialed coach myself, I can
state confidently that this high-quality
program enables our leaders and
employees to [address] new situations
effectively and thus become drivers
for change in the digital economy.
The best part, however, is that
this important pillar of our talentdevelopment strategy was started
by a handful of employees with
entrepreneurial spirit.”
13
The influence of coaching on
SAP’s culture continues to grow.
With Dearborn’s support, SAP
has allocated funding to provide
coaching to 25 percent of employees
worldwide. SAP’s protocol for
employees’ development planning
has been updated to include
“working with an internal coach”
as a formal option, and coaching
is now an integral part of the
organization’s onboarding process
for leaders following a merger or
acquisition. Through “Embedded
Coaching Fellowships,” internal
coaches are redeployed to other
divisions in the organization to
provide full-time, temporary support
for specific projects or developme