Building a coaching culture means designing the system that makes coaching normal at work, not just training individual coaches. This workshop helps CHROs, L&D and HRBP leaders define the coaching operating model, roll out manager-as-coach capability, set up internal coach pools, link coaching to talent processes and measure impact. Bodhih designs it with the ADDIE model for each organisation.
- Recommended: 1.5 days in person, or 3 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus a design review 30 days later
- Level: Advanced · In person · Live virtual · Blended
- Designed with the ADDIE model and customised to your context
- Offered by Bodhih since 2008 to 2,000+ organisations across 7 regions
Also known as: coaching culture workshop, coaching culture strategy, manager as coach program design, internal coaching program design
Where and how: building a coaching culture training as an in-person workshop in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur; as a live online course; or delivered overseas in Dubai, Singapore and across the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
Last reviewed · Bodhih Training, Bengaluru
Why coaching needs an owner and a design
Flatter structures and AI-assisted coordination mean fewer managers leading larger teams. Development conversations that once happened naturally now risk falling through the gaps, and it is often unclear who owns them.
Most organisations have run coaching skills programs, yet the habits fade without a system around them. Building a coaching culture asks HR leaders to design the operating model, the rituals and the measures that make coaching stick.
Gallup data cited by Forbes shows the average number of people reporting to a manager rose from 10.9 in 2024 to 12.1 in 2025.
Gartner predicted that through 2026, one in five organisations will use AI to flatten structures, removing over half of middle management positions.
What participants will be able to do
Define what coaching culture means for you
Agree a clear, organisation-specific definition and the observable behaviours that show coaching is happening.
Design the coaching operating model
Decide who coaches whom, from managers and internal coaches to external coaches and peers, and who owns each part.
Plan a manager-as-coach rollout
Sequence capability building, reinforcement and accountability for managers across levels and locations.
Build an internal coach pool
Set selection criteria, development pathways, supervision and matching processes for internal coaches.
Connect coaching to talent systems
Link coaching to performance, onboarding, high-potential and succession processes so it becomes part of how work is done.
Measure and sustain impact
Choose leading and lagging measures, reporting rhythms and governance to keep the coaching culture on track.
Who should attend
- CHROs and HR directors shaping people strategy
- Heads of L&D, talent and leadership development
- HR business partner leaders who support line managers
- Owners of internal coaching, mentoring or manager-development programs
- GCC and multinational HR teams aligning coaching across regions
- Business leaders sponsoring culture change initiatives
Program outline
Recommended design, customised to your context after a short needs analysis.
01Coaching culture: definition and diagnosisModule 1 · 2 hours+
- What a coaching culture looks like in daily work
- Maturity levels, from ad hoc coaching to embedded culture
- Diagnosing your current state with data and interviews
- Clarifying the business case for your leadership team
02The coaching operating modelModule 2 · 2 hours+
- Roles: manager as coach, internal coach, external coach, peer coach
- Ownership, governance and budgets
- Coaching in flatter, larger-span teams
- Drafting your model on one page
03Manager-as-coach rolloutModule 3 · 2 hours+
- Sequencing by level, readiness and business priority
- Reinforcement: rituals, nudges and manager-of-manager support
- Building coaching into one-on-ones and reviews
- Avoiding the 'one workshop and done' trap
04Internal coach poolsModule 4 · 90 min+
- Selecting and developing internal coaches
- Matching, confidentiality and ethical boundaries
- Supervision and quality assurance
- When external coaches add more value
05Integrating coaching with talent processesModule 5 · 90 min+
- Coaching in onboarding and new leader transitions
- Linking coaching to performance and development conversations
- High-potential and succession programs
- Recognition and incentives that support coaching
06Measurement and roadmapModule 6 · 2 hours+
- Leading indicators: frequency and quality of coaching conversations
- Lagging indicators: engagement, retention, internal mobility
- Dashboards and governance rhythm
- Your 12-month coaching culture roadmap
Sample training plan: 1.5-day hands-on design
This one-and-a-half-day design is a working studio for HR and business leaders who want coaching to become part of how work gets done. Teams come with their own data. They define what coaching culture means in their organisation, diagnose their current maturity, draft a one-page coaching operating model, sequence a manager-as-coach rollout, design an internal coach pool and link coaching to talent processes. The half day ends with a 12-month roadmap pitched to a mock executive committee and a design review 30 days later.
Teams can define coaching culture for their organisation, diagnose its maturity and draft the operating model and manager rollout.
- 09:30–10:00Overheard in the corridorEnergiser
- 10:00–11:00What coaching culture means hereBuild sprint
- 11:15–11:45Maturity levelsConcept burst
- 11:45–13:00Diagnosis clinicCase clinic
- 13:45–14:45The operating model on one pageBuild sprint
- 14:45–15:30Rollout sequencing gameBusiness game
- 15:45–16:45Avoiding 'one workshop and done'Debate
- 16:45–17:30Day 1 design checkReflection
Teams can design an internal coach pool, connect coaching to talent processes and present a 12-month roadmap with measures.
- 09:30–10:15Internal coach pool designGroup challenge
- 10:15–11:00Coaching into talent processesGallery walk
- 11:15–11:45Measures that matterHands-on lab
- 11:45–12:30Pitch to the executive committeePresentation
- 12:30–13:00Roadmap and 30-day commitmentsAction planning
Every session’s activity, timings, outputs and materials, plus pre-work, a 90-day reinforcement plan and how impact is measured. Free, emailed to you instantly.
Recommended: 1.5 days in person (Day 1 09:30–17:30, Day 2 09:30–13:00), or 3 × 3-hour live virtual sessions, plus a design review 30 days later. A sample design: every Bodhih program is customised after a short needs analysis.
How long is the coaching culture workshop?
The recommended design is one and a half days in person: a full day from 09:30 to 17:30 and a half day to 13:00. It also runs as three live virtual sessions of three hours. A 90-minute design review 30 days later refines each organisation's plan.
What activities are included in the coaching culture workshop?
HR and business leaders define coaching culture in observable behaviours, diagnose maturity with their own data, draft a one-page operating model, sequence a manager rollout in a budget game, design an internal coach pool and pitch a 12-month roadmap to a mock executive committee.
How we deliver it
Design studio format
HR leaders work on their own organisation's model throughout, leaving with a draft operating model and roadmap rather than notes.
Evidence-based diagnosis
The ADDIE analysis phase can include pulse surveys and interviews to establish a baseline before the workshop.
Peer challenge
Participants test each other's designs, stress-testing ownership, resourcing and measurement assumptions.
Follow-up design review
A session 30 days later reviews progress, adjusts the plan and prepares the pitch to the leadership team.
Tailored versions
For GCCs and multinationals
Focus on aligning with global coaching frameworks, local adaptation in India, and coaching across hybrid and matrix teams.
For growing Indian enterprises
Design a lean coaching model for companies starting from a low base, with limited HR bandwidth and fast growth.
HR and business leadership session
A half-day session bringing HR and business leaders together to agree ownership and sponsorship of the coaching culture.
How we measure impact
We use the ADDIE Evaluate stage to track progress. We help you set a baseline through a coaching pulse survey and, where useful, manager assessments on AssessAll with 360° feedback. At 30, 60 and 90 days we review roadmap milestones with your HR team. Over time, agreed indicators may include coaching conversation frequency and quality, manager coaching capability, engagement, internal mobility and regretted attrition.
Pair this program with AssessAll, Bodhih’s AI assessment platform, for pre- and post-program skill measurement.
Frequently asked questions
What is a coaching culture?
A coaching culture is one where coaching conversations are a normal part of work: managers regularly help people think, learn and grow, peers support each other and development is not left to annual reviews. It is supported by systems such as training, rituals, internal coaches and measures, not just by individual skill.
How do you build a coaching culture at work?
Start with a clear definition and business case, then design an operating model that assigns ownership. Build manager coaching capability in waves, reinforce it through one-on-ones and talent processes, create an internal coach pool where useful and measure progress. Senior leaders need to model coaching visibly.
How do you measure a coaching culture?
Combine leading indicators, such as how often coaching conversations happen and how employees rate their quality, with lagging indicators such as engagement, retention and internal mobility. Baseline before you start, measure regularly and pair numbers with stories. The workshop helps HR leaders build a practical dashboard.
Who owns coaching in an organisation?
Ownership is often unclear, especially as organisations flatten. HR or L&D typically owns the design and capability building, managers own coaching their teams and senior leaders own sponsorship. Making these roles explicit is one of the main outputs of this workshop.
Should we build internal coaches or hire external coaches?
Most organisations use both. Internal coaches scale well, understand the culture and suit mid-level development. External coaches often suit senior leaders or sensitive situations where independence matters. The right mix depends on budget, confidentiality needs and the populations you want to reach.
How is this different from coaching skills training?
Coaching skills training teaches individuals how to coach. This workshop is for HR leaders designing the organisation-wide system: ownership, rollout, internal coach pools, integration with talent processes and measurement. Many organisations follow it with our coaching skills or coach-the-coach programs for managers and internal coaches.
Does Bodhih certify internal coaches?
This workshop does not issue a coaching credential. Bodhih can help design and deliver development pathways for internal coaches and assess coaching skills on AssessAll. If your coaches want an external professional credential, we can help you plan how internal development fits alongside it.