With a 2009 study by the International Coach Federation (ICF) on the benefits of management coaching finding that executives value the return on investment to be as high as 700%, there is a growing recognition of the benefits of this skill both locally and abroad.

As a result, the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) has launched South Africa’s first SAQA-accredited Masters degree (MPhil) in management coaching.

According to Dr Salome van Coller, Programme Manager: MPhil in Management Coaching, the purpose of management coaching is for executives to develop the key leadership capabilities enabling them to face any potential challenges in their current role, as well as preparing them for the challenges they may face as they move higher in their organisations.

“Learners on the two year work-based programme will gain insight into the relevance of various approaches to coaching styles, as well as the ability to better facilitate learning amongst their own clients".

"The skill of coaching on a range of issues such as behaviour, motivation, performance, thinking patterns, relationships and life skills will also be covered.”

Previously, potential learners had to travel outside of South Africa, to institutions like the UK’s Middlesex University and French business school INSEAD, for this qualification. The USB MPhil will now put South Africa in line with other countries around the world.

“With its design and assessment derived from the International Coaching Federation, graduates of the course will be able to utilise their skills both at home and abroad,” says Dr van Coller.

While the MPhil has been benchmarked internationally, it also deals with the specific opportunities and challenges facing executives in South Africa, such as managing a diverse workforce, harnessing the talent of staff and the art of using African storytelling in approaches to coaching.

Dr van Coller adds that as the cost of hiring management coaches continues to rise, there has been a noticeable shift from companies employing the services of external coaches to hiring an in-house coach to support top executives.

“Companies are seeing the value of training their own managers and leaders in the practical skills of management coaching. There are plenty of benefits to training your own in-house coaches, such as increased performance and motivation, ability to empower others and better teamwork. Graduates of the USB MPhil will be well-equipped to take on such roles either locally or in the global marketplace.”

USB’s MPhil programme has 8 doctorate facilitators, all of whom are leaders in their respective fields and have well-established practices.

South Africans are actually held in high regard by the international coaching community, and of the small number of doctorate coaches in the world, five are South Africans.

The deadline for applications for the programme, which will be held at the University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) campus in Bellville, is 30 November 2009. For more information, please contact Libby Kok on +2721 918 4246 or email coaching@usb.ac.za.