Improving intermediate skills through workplace coaching: A case study within the UK rail industry

Abstract

This phenomenological case study, set within the UK Rail Industry used Soft Systems Methodology (Checkland and Scholes, 1991) to answer the central research question “Can workplace coaching improve individual performance among staff and raise levels of customer satisfaction?” The case study examined the individual and business impact resulting from the introduction of a workplace-coaching model on a population of on-train customer service employees. The case study results proved the research theory that through workplace coaching, the level of employee competence would improve, as measured through the assessment against National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs) at Level 2, and that this increase in competence would be demonstrated consistently whilst at work. Furthermore, that the resulting service consistency would improve the level of customer service satisfaction amongst the travelling public. Given the possibility of drawing generalisations from this case study, the results make a strong argument for using workplace coaching as a method of raising intermediate skills levels and show that coaching can significantly improve individual and organisational performance when placed within an NVQ framework.

Keywords

• case study
• customer service
• workplace coaching
• National Vocational Qualifications (NVQs)
• intermediate skills