Coaching within organisational dynamics; keeping a step ahead of AI coaching
Coaching 1 on1 is one thing. Coaching within and in the context of an organisation is a different matter. There are so many variables to consider within coaching and coaching relationships. This makes it currently complex for AI machinery. AI currently likes predictability, not complexity, less variables not more. Predictably, AI can recognise and use, organisational strategies and organisational structures, because they are linear. But, throw in variables such as – organisational history, politics, relationships, power dynamics, risk, reputations all these make coaching in this context a complex web. Add in systemic elements and it is a powerful melting pot to navigate and requires a lot of processing power.
So effective coaching within organisations is still a human coach preserve. However this has a working assumption that the coach is able to work coach within, embrace and have the competence to coach the systemic bigger picture.
Organisations have a variety of internal and external stakeholders, all with varied wants, needs and expectations. In the coaching situation the coach has to be aware of and manage often competing interests of coachee, line manager, team, customer as well as performance. The nature of these interests again represents a systemic minefield, as there are variables within variables to contend with. Whilst a team member is a variable, this variable is also influenced by their experiences, emotions and abilities, to name but a few.
A coach can sort the ‘wheat out from the chaff’ in these scenarios and know where and how to zoom in, or zoom out. An AI coach, less so. This does require a deeper skills, and thinking from the coach.
Within internal organisational coaching there are legalities, organisational norms and cultures to process and navigate. Only a human coach is able to embrace these, work within them and know when it is safe to challenge them. They are also able to consider when a situation is cause by an individual and when it might be the wider organisational system at play or to blame. One person may perceived to need coaching, but no amount of this individual coaching, will work when the system is at fault and causing the problem. AI chatbot cannot yet successfully navigate this multiverse.
In organisations there exists a culture and multiple sub-cultures each with its own set of values and dynamics. All of these can be at play in any one coaching scenario. AI can recognise this, and that there will be different values, behaviours and unwritten ‘codes’ associated with them. However, it cannot reasonably suggest which values, behaviours or ‘codes’ should prevail.
AI coaching as yet can’t interpret the ‘undercurrents’ of and in an organisation. It is quite possible that AI might pick up and reference historical organisational norms, biases and beliefs of an organisation incorrectly. In doing so it might perhaps misguidedly, even reinforce them during AI coaching sessions. The coach conversely, can sit in these spaces, understand, process and interpret, with their clients. If the AI coach uses information from other part of the organisation, it may even bring biases and other norms from other situations and coaching into a client conversation. Thus, clouding an understanding and potentially providing incorrect information. Humans can ably navigate and selectively consider all these in the context of their coachee, unlike AI.
So how can AI be used by coaches and organisations?
AI coaching is going revolutionise coaching in a very short period of time, especially as large language models become more effective. We therefore need to consider how we use AI to augment our current approaches to coaching, rather than replace, both as coaches and within organisations. Whilst organisations might think by bringing in an AI coaching platform will create a huge coaching surge, a ‘quick win’, the reality is that currently it is not a silver bullet by any means. In an age where tech become ever present, the flip side is that human relationships and interpersonal communication becomes less. Indicative ideas of AI coaching within human based interactions include:
- As a passive assistant transcribing and documenting the coaching conversation. To enable coach and client reflect on the conversation and develop learning.
- As a development tool to translate coaching actions into plans
- To help a coach develop ideas around questions on a particular topic. Or more person centric questions.
- Support the coach in reviewing previous sessions, analyse assessments undertaken by the client.
- Between session coaching. If a client has had a coaching session and a clear focus and outcomes. They might use AI coaching to explore facets of that conversation or application of their learning. So, continual development is maintained.
- Post session coaching activities can include research, planning and activities that utilise AI
- Where the client has to do something generally or towards/with another, they can use AI coaching as a rehearsal tool, a practice tool. Allocating roles for AI to enact. Also to provide feedback on the clients approaches.
- Client research as preparation for coaching sessions around their topic
- Coaches to aid their own development by getting AI to scrutinise session transcripts and identify development area or supervision topics. Analysing their approach to question usage, relationship development and lower value interactions.
- To analyse scripts from coaching sessions to identify elements that coach and client might have missed.
- Perhaps an opportunity to blend coaching sessions. Sometimes human coach led, sometimes AI coach led. Blending human and AI coaching with wider development activites – coaching, AI coaching, specialist input, training or group coaching.
- To put in data about situations and stakeholders to provide approaches or consider risks
- In times to come, to act as a meta observer picking up patterns, themes, progress and resistance within the conversation. Thus, acting as a mirror to both coach and client
- Thinking bigger, a leader could organise for AI to analyse a video of a team meeting to tease out the dynamics, speaking ratios, domination, role of the leader, where challenge is focused and who challenges. Where decisions were clearly made or not.
What does the future hold for coaching with the surge of AI coaching?
Whilst no one can be certain of this, the nature, face of and approach to coaching is going to change radically and potentially happen exponentially. Forbes 2026, posits that lower-level employees will have increased access to coaching. Higher up it could be a performance enhancer. At senior level the nature of the coaching requirement shifts, being less about skill acquisition, more around judgement and intuition, thus human based coaching might have a longer lifespan.
As AI evolves from a more advice-based tool to an interactive engagement tool, then it potentially becomes a game changer for all parties. It also suggests that as more people engage with AI and as it matches many of the skills of coaches, then it will potentially raise the bar of the skills required of many coaches. Coaches can’t be complacent.
A big challenge is for organisations. Will they be prepared to displace employee coaching development to an AI platform. Will they be prepared to take the risk of using AI coaching when it cannot offer the human experience, when it cannot offer our unique human emotional and personal capabilities Will organisations be prepared to delegate people and ethical issues and judgements to a machine? Especially when AI can’t be ethically accountable the way a human coach can be. If AI coaching is aligned to a larger platform used in an organisation, and can access employee information, is the organisation able to fully conceive what this might mean or lead to?
Yes human coaches may increasingly justify their involvement or their place in organisations. Yes they are going to have to up their game, and be able to demonstrate real impact. They are going to have to be open to be compared to an inanimate, but ever improving ‘rise of the machine’…
We cannot guarantee the future of the coach or human based coaching, long term. Organisations in their ignorance and quest for efficiencies, will certainly come to question the value of human coaches, with the rise of AI coaching. It is for us as individual coaches and as an industry to demonstrate, remind, promote and deliver on the uniqueness of our offerings.
I am reminded of the classic quote wrongly attributed to Charles Darwin (it was actually written by Leon C. Megginson) quote – “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” This describes how coaches, internal and external need to work alongside AI coaching and Chatbots, if the profession is to not just survive but continue to flourish.
Summary of this AI coaching blog series
- AI coaching can handle frequency, scale, data, rehearsal, reinforcement when it comes to mass appeal. The nature of its exploration is more transactional than transformational. It is more linear, rational, logical in its thinking.
- AI coaching is increasing and is already replicating many coaching skills and approaches. This is only going to increase, exponentially.
- Humans have a unique place in coaching and for coaching. They bring the uniquely human elements that make us human – embracing and nurturing relationships, handling personal complexity, being able to use judgement to inform coaching questions, actions and behaviours, considering how to ethically behave. How also to embody and be intimately present with clients in their lives, challenges and opportunities.
- As coaches we have the ability and opportunity to meet the organisational challenges and nuances of culture, norms, values, beliefs, systems, positives, relationships and quirks. This is where we can really add value, success and change
- There are multiple ways for coaches to work alongside AI coaching, not only demonstrating their want to embrace the technology but also how organisations perhaps need to see AI coaching as an opportunity to get the best of both worlds, technological effectiveness and human uniqueness, relational insight.
- We can’t fight AI coaching and win. We can ‘pump our gums’ (moan) about AI and our field of work, but it won’t change it. But we can be really good at what we do, be great at what AI can’t (yet) do and demonstrate we are willing to embrace AI into our thinking and activities around coaching, for the benefit of all.
Nick Howell is an Executive Coach, Facilitator and Author of best selling book ‘Great Coaching Questions‘. From leadership and coaching development, to ‘soft’ skills to establishing mentoring in organisations, he is passionate about people development and changing people’s thinking and behaviours to achieve improved performance. Contact him today for a chat about adding further value to your organisation’s people development. Speak to him on 07867 785314 or nick@abintus.co.uk