WE coach BOSCH - From grassroots initiatives to a global movement
What happens when qualified coaches in the company organize themselves for the benefit of all the associates and their organization?
Earlier this year, I had the honor to contribute to Changement-Magazin by sharing how coaches at Bosch started a global movement called We coach Bosch, aligned with our vision statement #wearebosch.
With permission of the editor, I share the article which I translated into English.
In the article you learn
what's behind the initiative We coach Bosch,
how we aim to break down barriers in order to make coaching accessible for everyone,
how it can be integrated in people development programs,
and thus contribute to the success of Bosch and its associates as well as its transformation.
Enjoy reading and I'm looking forward to further exchange and inspirations!
Transcription from the original article “We coach Bosch – von Graswurzelinitiativen zu einer globalen Bewegung” published in the magazine Changement! 04/2022:
"We coach Bosch" - From grassroots initiatives to a global movement
The We coach Bosch network brings together numerous coaching initiatives in the technology company and has set itself the goal of making coaching as easily accessible as possible for all Bosch employees and managers. In the meantime, it has also become a fixed component of management and associate development. The importance of coaching in the organization is steadily increasing; it is clearly seen as a contribution to the company's success.
Coaching is a matter of the heart for me, especially the desire to make coaching an experience for everyone. I have been burning for this for more than six years. Since 2016, as a coach and manager, I have been committed to anchoring coaching and the associated strengths- and resource-oriented approach more firmly in the minds of associates at Bosch. For me, coaching means helping people to find and follow their own path. Learning about oneself and reflecting on one's own behavior play a central role in this. As coaches, we thus make a valuable contribution to the employees and the company so that together we can successfully get through the transformation.
"We coach Bosch" - what's behind it
Bosch employs people from more than 150 different nations worldwide. The coaching offered to our associates was and is as diverse as our company. With the motivation to make coaching more easily accessible to everyone in the company, the "We coach Bosch" network was founded five years ago - based on the principles of our corporate mission statement "We are Bosch". We coach Bosch" stands for a multitude of initiatives in our company and unites as a network all coaches and initiatives worldwide at Bosch. Starting in Germany, a global network with three overarching goals was created via initiatives in China and Japan:
- to support and encourage each other,
- Raise awareness of coaching among people in the organization, and
- Make coaching opportunities available to all employees,
and all goals contribute to the success of Bosch's transformation.
To achieve this, there is a coaching platform on which all employees worldwide can register. Once registered, employees have access to internal or external coaches and can book them free of charge. The platform also offers the opportunity to expand one's own network and share experiences. More than 200 coaches are now listed on the platform.
Initiatives organize themselves
To date, our "We coach Bosch" community has grown to more than 900 participants, divided into twelve internal coaching initiatives from different business units and regions. The initiatives are self-organizing and are mostly firmly anchored in the HR or Organizational Development departments. The interface to external coaching services is also integrated there. The creation of the internal movements takes place almost identically within the various organizational units, and they are further promoted within the "We coach Bosch" network. Employees who are convinced of the idea and the added value of coaching find each other and enter into an exchange, initially for personal development and support. Through this collaboration, the offering develops and grows within the organization. More qualified coaches are identified, and new quality standards are established. We draw attention to our network through information events such as Coaching Days or theme weeks. Personal recommendations from employees further increased awareness.
In the meantime, "We coach Bosch" is also gaining recognition outside our company. In the fall of 2021, for example, our network received awards from both the International Coaching Federation in Germany and the Harvard Business Review in China.
Breaking down barriers: Coaching for all
Whether for employees or executives, coaching at Bosch is for everyone. It is important to us to break down barriers and make coaching as accessible as possible for everyone. The relationship between coach and coachee thrives on trust and confidentiality in order to be able to discuss topics such as reorientation, conflicts in the team, workload, diversity aspects, or the transition to retirement in a spirit of partnership.
The focus of coaching is the solution path. The coach accompanies the coachee on his path in direct discussions and thus helps him to develop solutions. The coach helps to view the respective situation from different perspectives - using appropriate methods and his or her own qualifications. We attach great importance to the appropriate training of coaches - following the guidelines of international coaching associations, such as the International Coaching Federation, the European Mentoring and Coaching Council or the self-commitment to ethical standards. In principle, our training is based on a systemic coaching approach, and additional qualifications range from mediation to hypnotherapy and neurolinguistic programming. We are also committed to the education and training of coaches within and outside the company, as well as self-organized learning on the topic of coaching.
Fixed component of the support programs
In management development, coaching is a fixed component of the multi-stage development programs (Talent Development Program, or TDP for short). Managers experience coaching from external trainers, coaches and mentors. At the same time, they are taught the basics of coaching attitudes and methods. Colleagues from the next management level up then get involved as coaches and mentors in the various TDP levels. Bosch also offers opportunities to acquire coaching skills through the Bosch Training Center as an open, multi-part offering for all managers. This is supplemented by local offerings and cooperation with training providers in the respective regions. Managers who develop their own coaching skills and become involved in "We coach Bosch" are particularly welcome companions in the development programs.
Although internal self-organized initiatives around coaching got their start in the last five to ten years, the roots of coaching at Bosch go back much further. As early as the 2000s, there were the first coaching offerings for executives. At that time, coaching methods for prospective executives also began to appear, and these have been steadily deepened and expanded in recent years. Since the introduction of the corporate mission statement "We are Bosch" and the leadership principles "We Lead Bosch" in 2016, coaching has been an integral part of the measures accompanying the development of potential and corporate transformation. The first local initiatives, in which people with coaching experience joined forces to voluntarily support their colleagues through their skills and accompany them in their development, also date back to this period.
Contribution to the success of the company
Like many other companies, Bosch is currently facing a wide range of challenges: the structural upheavals in the automotive industry, the expansion of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things in the company, and the impact of the pandemic. Under the slogan "People matter," our global HR strategy aims to empower all associates to actively shape change, to develop personally, and thereby to make their contribution to the sustainable success of the company. We summarize this with the triad "enjoy, grow, perform.
Coaching can support this in two ways. On the one hand, there is an increased need among employees for further development and qualification. At the beginning of almost every training, the question often arises: in which direction do I want to go, do I want to develop within the company - or continue my way outside? This is where coaching can provide good support. On the other hand, I believe that we can meet the current challenges in the best possible way if we ensure and promote the interconnection of people. It is elementary that people network to share their knowledge and support each other. This is also where our "We coach Bosch" movement comes in.
Added to this are the current challenges in connection with the pandemic. Here we have experienced how important it is to have the opportunity to receive support quickly and at all levels. The internal offer has the advantage that it can be taken up in an uncomplicated manner and without a lengthy lead time. In addition, the coaches and HR departments provide tips and support with methodological expertise.
"We coach Bosch" works in three dimensions.
- Employees who make use of coaching develop their own solutions, recognize their strengths and are more successful with their teams as a result.
- The coaches develop further in their personality, gain insights into other specialist and corporate areas and from this gain new ideas and approaches for their own actions.
- Coaches and coachees thus become more effective in their roles and make a positive contribution to Bosch's success.
Thus, "We coach Bosch" not only sets a framework for coaching within the organization, but is also the unifying element of the many coaching initiatives at Bosch. This creates a community of practice that ensures the continued development of internal coaches and supports the integration of coaching methods into associate and leadership development. This brings us step by step closer to our goal of making coaching accessible to all Bosch employees as part of our (leadership) culture. And that is a matter close to my heart.
Author:
Jens Maxeiner has more than 26 years of management experience. He spent 17 years as an officer in the German Armed Forces and 10 years at Bosch in manufacturing, working in Germany and China. He is currently head of production in the Powertrain Solutions division. He is also involved as a coach, mentor and trainer and in the "We coach Bosch" initiative. He is intensively involved in topics such as organizational development, self-organization and new forms of collaboration, and puts his findings into practice.
Jens Maxeiner is a graduate engineer and certified coach (ICF PCC).