Why the GROW Model Doesn't Drive Organisational Change

Popularised in the late 80’s by John Whitmore et al, the GROW model is still cited as one of the most popular and most recognisable coaching tools in the world.

This simple, sequential coaching approach often forms the most basic instruction of any new Coach.  But despite its enduring popularity, we still haven’t seen coaching break out in a way that transforms behaviour change at an organisational level.

Indeed even when organisational commitment to creating a coaching culture is strong many coaching initiatives fall flat.  As a result, organisational confidence in the ability of coaching to affect real change drops, making it much harder to sustain interest and attract future investment. So what is going wrong?  Has the GROW model outlived its usefulness in organisations?

Well, yes and no.