Getting Started with Reporting for Coaching Programs

Not sure where to start with assessing the success of your Torch Coaching Program? Look no further for guidance on what program metrics to report on and when. This article will also give you an introduction to measuring program value, understanding the Kirkpatrick Model framework, and proving the ROI of your program.

Measuring program value

When you think about measuring program value, it's helpful to start by asking yourself what's important at your organization. What does your organization value? Which key initiatives are important to senior leadership? What does success look like? How are successful leaders expected to behave?

At the core of quantifying leadership development ROI is measuring how people grow and change over time and the many implications this has for your organization. While growth of leaders shows up as changes in mindset and behavior, these changes can save or earn your organization significant money because they translate into:

• Greater employee retention
• Greater likelihood of promotion
• Enhanced job performance
• Better team coordination and performance
• Increased employee and team engagement

Though before you can assess if your program participants have changed, and if those changes have impacted your organization in a positive and tangible way, you'll first want to understand our framework for demonstrating leader growth and program ROI.

Understanding the Kirkpatrick Model framework

At Torch, we use the Kirkpatrick Model, a well-defined framework for measuring program effectiveness. In this framework, there are four levels that demonstrate the impacts of coaching. As you move up the pyramid, the changes become more challenging to measure, but also more impactful and more helpful in convincing others of the value of a leadership development program.

• Level 1: Reaction - Participant reactions are the foundation for program effectiveness. Why? We know that if participants aren't enjoying and finding value in a program, they won't engage with it and outcomes like behavior change will be less pronounced.
• Level 2: Learning - Here's where you show that participants are learning new information or skills that can help them grow. 
• Level 3: Behavior - At this level, you show that your program has led to behavior change, and that participants are applying the skills they've learned. 
• Level 4: Results - The top of the pyramid is showing that your program impacts meaningful metrics for the business.

Proving the ROI of your program

Now let's look at the Kirkpatrick Model pyramid again, but this time with the supporting data you can use to demonstrate the impact of your program at each level, and the timeframe for when the data will be available to report on within your program. This will help you answer the crucial question: What program data should I look for, and when? 

In month 1 of your program

To gauge participant reactions including satisfaction and engagement, look at:

• Coach Satisfaction Score
• Coach Net Promoter Score (NPS)
• Meeting Utilization and Trends

In months 2-4 of your program

To understand participants' progress with professional and personal growth, review Torch 360 Leadership Assessment results.

In months 5-11 of your program

To validate that participants have experienced behavior changes and are applying the skills they've learned, review Coaching Impact Survey results.

In month 12+ of your program

Assessing organizational impacts, like retention and promotion rates, requires the most complex measuring of ROI. To do so, we may bring in our Behavioral Science team to perform an analysis leveraging data in your HR information systems alongside data captured in the Torch platform. This allows us to provide a more detailed view of the impacts of coaching in your organization. 

As a requirement, your program must have at least 100 participants who have completed coaching with at least 6 months of time passed since they finished. If you meet these requirements, reach out to your Customer Success Manager about this professional service.