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David Megginson is Visiting Professor of HRD at Sheffield Hallam University and founder of the Mentoring and Coaching Research Unit in the University. He has written and researched extensively about coaching, mentoring and other topics. Two books, Techniques for Coaching and Mentoring, and Creating a Coaching Culture (written jointly with David Clutterbuck) are to be published shortly. Two further books, Mentoring in Action and Mentoring Executives and Directors, have also been written with David Clutterbuck. The two Davids founded the European Mentoring and Coaching Council in 1992, and David Megginson now co‐chairs it, with Sir John Whitmore. He is also Chairman of strategy consultancy The idm Group, and an executive coach. Here he answers questions about his work.

One of the goals of many formal mentoring programs is to bring the organization to the point where the majority of mentoring is carried out informally, without the need for substantial, structured support from HR and elsewhere. The problem, in most cases, is that completely informal mentoring – where people come together without guidance and without clarity about the mentoring role – is a hit and miss affair. Not only is the quality of the relationships highly variable, but the pairings tend to exclude people who do not fit the mould, by virtue of their gender, race, culture or some other differentiating factor.

This article explains the process and results of distilling meaning from the book Mentoring Executives and Directors by David Clutterbuck and David Megginson, published by Butterworth Heinemann in 1999. Capturing meaning requires a method that suits the context of study. In this case the context is book that contains a number of illustrative accounts of being mentor and mentee within the private, public and voluntary sectors of business. The method permitted capturing ideas contained in the contexts described, and then associating these ideas in order to gain insights into the very nature of mentoring.

This paper comments on the findings of a new survey into the status of internal communication within British companies and organisations. It suggests that while many companies have opened the door to internal communication as a distinct business discipline — even given it a desk and a chair — most have yet to grant its practitioners a seat at the boardroom table. The authors put forward reasons for this, and identify some of the issues that internal communication managers should address to continue to improve their status.

Discusses case examples from organizations which reveal a customer focus. Examples cover retail, airlines, manufacturing and service firms. Places service and quality of service firmly in the forefront of competitive advantage. Considers factors such as the importance of existing customers; the need for a clear view of the customers on whom the company wishes to focus; and methods for building customer relationships.

The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the role and nature of team coaching.

The paper undertakes a review of research and practical experience in team coaching.

Team coaching has multiple definitions and is only now emerging as a clear area of practice that requires specialist knowledge, skills, experience and supervision.

The paper provides a pragmatic view of how organizations can approach the development of team coaching as part of their coaching strategy.

This is a relatively unexplored field, with only three books so far in English.

Why culture is key to coaching. Is HR ready for M&A increase?