Background: As one of the biggest forces in Britain, Thames Valley Police has set itself a challenging agenda for change. One of the key elements of its change strategy is the desire is to set a coaching style of management at the heart of its leadership and management development framework. The aim of embedding a coaching style of management is to move away from the traditional directive style of management and towards a style which empowers people to be the best they can possibly be. This will enable the force to deliver its financial objectives whilst also improving the service it provides to its citizens.

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Solution: In working with many other organisations to develop coaching cultures Q. Learning understood that creating and embedding a culture of coaching requires a shift that needs to be facilitated through learning based interventions. With this belief Q. Learning proposed that the culture shift be supported by 3 learning interventions – ‘Executive Coaching Skills’, ‘Additional Coaching Skills’ and ‘Embedding a Coaching Culture’. The approach for these learning interventions would be inclusive, relevant and specific to the needs of the organisation and its people.

Q. Learning designed and delivered these learning interventions to 150 of TVP’s senior leaders including the Chief Constable Sarah Thornton. The feedback from TVP has been outstanding and, for the first time there is confidence that a significant shift is taking place in leadership and management behaviours.
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Outcome: Perhaps the clearest signal that the coaching culture really is becoming part of ‘the ways things are’ at TVP is our recent facilitation of the rollout of the new Human Resources 5 year plan. Through their involvement with the Coaching Skills Programme the HR team recognised the value of using a coaching approach to support the rollout of the HR plan. It was incredibly exciting to hear the Head of HR talk about his plans to role model how he intended to use our coaching methods to support the rollout of the plan with TVP leaders and managers!

As always at Q. Learning we prefer our customers to be the judge of the success of our programmes. With this in mind here is a selection of quotes from participants who attended
the learning interventions designed to embed a coaching culture within TVP…

“Well-balanced, thought provoking training, very at ease and enjoyable”

“Great mix between learning and activity. Practice and feedback time was invaluable”

“The team is now very cohesive in its approach and appears to be getting better in terms of communicating and talking to each other – everybody seems to be making the effort!'

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