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The Observation and Coaching Process

Grainne Matthews
Terry McSween
Quality Safety Edge

This article in the series on Behavioral Safety outlines the role of the Design Team in planning and implementing the process. The second article covered the Design Team’s first task in the creation of the observation and coaching system Œ developing the observation checklist. This article will discuss the development of the observation and coaching process.

Once the observation checklist is finalized, the Design Team can develop the actual procedures for observation and coaching. Several of the questions the Design Team must consider are:

• Who will conduct the observations and coaching?
• How often will observations and coaching occur?
• Will observation and coaching be voluntary?
• What training will coaches need?

1. Who Will Conduct the Coaching?

The design team usually considers at least three options: train all employees to be Behavioral Safety coaches, assign coaching to specific positions, confine coaching to Safety Team members, or begin with one of these options and later gradually involve all employees. The great benefit of involving all employees right from the start is the sense of ownership and involvement that participation generates. Involving all employees is also consistent with the values of many of today’s organizations. Employees are empowered by their understanding of the Behavioral Safety process and their participation as coaches, observers, and perhaps team members, to protect themselves, their coworkers, and their communities. The challenge of such an observation and coaching process is coordination and efficient maintenance. However, without the involvement of all employees, the ideal of daily positive feedback for safe practices will be difficult to achieve. This leads to the next question.

2. How Often Will Coaching and Observations Be Conducted?

The frequency of coaching is important. Daily or weekly coaching is the best way to support lasting behavior change. Issues to consider are:

• What is the level of risk faced by our employees?
• Will all employees be included in the process?
• Will supervisors and managers observe and coach less often than other employees?

3. Is observation and coaching a voluntary or required activity?

Daily coaching is recommended for employees in high risk areas. Most manufacturing organizations will want to conduct at least weekly coaching. Receiving coaching every two weeks is the minimum frequency that will produce any change. If participation as an observer and coach is voluntary, then frequency becomes less predictable. Employees can conduct as many or as few sessions as they choose. In this case, encouraging participation in the process becomes critical. Recognition and celebration issues will be addressed in a future article in this series.

4. What Training Will Coaches Need?

Consider the existing skills and training needs of the identified coaches. For the Behavioral Safety process to be successful, coaches may need training in at least three areas:

• Observation skills
• Use of the checklist
• The observation procedure
• Observation-based Coaching skills
• Providing positive feedback
• Discussing safety concerns
• Problem-solving safety concerns
• Job-related skills identified on the safety checklist

Coaches also benefit from an understanding of the rationale underlying the Behavioral Safety process. In addition to identifying the training needed to make implementation successful, the Design Team decides on the most effective way to deliver training. Plan a training process that balances effectiveness with cost and impact on the workplace. Options for training include:

• Individual coaching
• Mentoring of new coaches by successful coaches
• Seminars or workshops

Consider individual coaching and mentoring for training new coaches as a less disruptive process than providing workshops or seminars. On the other hand, providing an understanding of the rationale for the Behavioral Safety process might be done most effectively in larger groups. Allowing employees to make videos or slides of near-miss incidents or past incident situations provides an effective training tool that creates a high level of involvement. This training tool is especially useful for demonstrating and practicing coaching skills.