BT Wholesale pilots online coaching and mentoring

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a coaching and mentoring pilot program, using multimedia technology, at BT Wholesale. Design/methodology/approach – Explains how the company tested “next generation” coaching and performance‐support tools during the three‐month pilot involving 80 consultants, project managers and support staff in the operations‐planning and central‐change team. Reveals the main findings from the pilot program. Findings – Reveals that participants benefited in their personal effectiveness and ability to manage stressful situations. The pilot indicates that raising productivity by between 10 and 15 percent is feasible as a typical outcome. Results of the post‐pilot evaluation show that participants agreed program could support innovative thinking practices (76 percent), has the potential positively to affect leadership styles and behaviors (64 percent) and could underpin training programs and learning application in the workplace (70 percent). Practical implications – Indicates that information technology can make it cost‐effective for a firm to spread the benefits of coaching and mentoring to a wider range of workers. Originality/value – Shows that many participants believed that the coaching would add further value by underpinning other personal development, change and stress‐management initiatives.