COACHING AS A STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT TOOL
Authors: Nikolaeva Velislava 
Published: September 2019

In the last few years, the use of coaching in the management of the business organization has become more and more popular. The new requirements for global environmental behavior and global competition support the established need to improve the tools for managing indoor environment factors that lead to the sustainable formation of competitive advantages and to increasing the efficiency of management. On the other hand, the evolution of the business organization also implies a continuous improvement of the management tools in order to better meet the objectives and increase the effects from the realized activities and processes. This is the argumentation of the defended thesis in the present study, namely: Coaching can be used as a management tool that helps to create sustainable competitive advantages, supports the implementation of organizational goals and positively influences the organization's working climate. In view of the sustainability of the results and benefits to the organization from the use of coaching, it is advisable that it can be done by managers who are specially trained to do so.The aim of the study is to follow the scientific discussion on the essence and specifics of coaching in the management of the business organization. On this basis, to systematize and critically analyze the relevance of coaching as a strategic management tool to increase the individual and complex results of the activities carried out in the organization.In order to achieve the research goal, analysis and synthesis of specialized literature, problematic, systemic and functional analysis are used. In the course of developing the report, focus is placed on the specifics of coaching and its relevance to business organization management, including its potential to be used to form and develop sustainable competitive advantages and achieve strategic success. The term "synergic coaching effect" is used and substantiated.The author's understanding of coaching ability to generate synergic effects is formed on the basis of established direct and indirect benefits to the organization as a result of using coaching to solve different kinds of problems that lead to a general and individual increase in the results of the activities performed, to improving the professional suitability of employees and managers.This statement does not deny the benefits to the organization from using an external coach, as well as the training of employees of the organization for implementing internal coaching. Based on the systematic and analyzed information about the coaching specifics, it is concluded that the organization should train its managers to conduct coaching. In this way, the manager's skills are increased and another problem solving tool is mastered. At the same time, the trust between him and his coaching staff is growing, which can be seen as one of the prerequisites for turning the manager into a leader. Coaching by a manager in the process of solving internal organizational problems, not by an outsider or a trained coach, also saves time, as it misses the stage in which regardless of the type of coaching chosen - whether external or internal with a coach who is not the manager, the latter must get acquainted with the results achieved to take the necessary action.This is another argument in support of the defended thesis that coaching can successfully be used as a strategic tool for managing the business organization.