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Rowe, Cases in Leadership 5e
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Case Notes
Case 5.1: Jones Schilling Employee Coaching Workshop
Ken Mark wrote this teaching note under the supervision of Professor Jane M. Howell as an aid
to instructors in the classroom use of the case Jones Schilling Employee Coaching Workshop,
No. 9B14C040. This teaching note should not be used in any way that would prejudice the future
use of the case.
This publication may not be transmitted, photocopied, digitized or otherwise reproduced in any
form or by any means without the permission of the copyright holder. Reproduction of this
material is not covered under authorization by any reproduction rights organization. To order
Teaching Note
Case Synopsis
Four managers at Jones Schilling (JS), an Asia-based retailer, are preparing to coach their Gen
Y1 employees on how they can better contribute to the firm’s performance. Each of these
managers needs to coach an employee with distinct issues:
• Cindy is a hidden gem: she has high potential but is channeling her energies to activities
outside of work.
Instructor Resource
Rowe, Cases in Leadership 5e
SAGE Publications, Inc., 2019
The case allows instructors to assign four Gen Y coaching opportunities to different groups.
Actors or volunteers will play the parts of the Gen Y employees, and students will take turns
playing the part of the managers who are coaching them.
Teaching Objectives
This case is suitable for an MBA-level course on coaching or for executive education workshops.
• To recognize and seize the opportunity to do informal coaching focused on talent
development.
Workshop Organization
The workshop requires considerable advance preparation by the facilitator. Breakout rooms that
accommodate four-person teams as well as recording equipment (camera on a tripod with a built-
in microphone, discs for recording—one disc for each participant—and playback equipment need
Instructor Resource
Rowe, Cases in Leadership 5e
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Time Plan
Role assignment sheets can be found in Exhibit TN-2 (one for each four-person team). After the
role play, the feedback form for the senior manager (Exhibit TN-3) can be filled in by the actor.
During the debriefing, when the other team members have a chance to review the footage, the
team members can fill in forms to provide feedback to the person playing the senior manager.
Introduction to the JS case and logistics 20 minutes
Record the Workshop: Participants take turns playing the senior manager 60 minutes
Break 20 minutes
Debrief the Workshop 60 minutes
Role Play 1 15 minutes
The Role Play
Logistics
After introducing the workshop objectives and effective coaching behaviors (see Exhibit TN-4),
it is useful to describe the workshop logistics to participants.
When playing the senior manager’s role, remind participants of the following:
• The senior manager is leading the conversation.
• Be yourself in the role, but be guided by case realities.
• Sit on an angle facing the camera.
Debriefing the Workshop
During the debriefing of the workshop recording, each participant receives feedback on his or
her coaching skills, including strengths and opportunities for development. The sequence of the
debriefing follows the same sequence as the recording of the workshop.
• The facilitator and team members view the 10-minute recording and assess the
participant’s coaching skill effectiveness using the coaching behaviors as a guide.
Suggested Learning Points
The suggested learning points are contained in the Teaching Notes for each of the Gen Y
employees. See Appendix TN-1.
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Exhibit TN-1
Talent Development Coaching Framework
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Exhibit TN-2
Talent Development Workshop Role Assignment Sheet, Four-Person Team
Senior Manager Gen Y Employee
1. Cindy Chu
2. Jason Wong
Visiting Log
Round
Senior Manager
Actor
Start
End
1
Cindy Chu
2
Jason Wong
3
Michelle Kang
4
Sam Chan
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Exhibit TN-3
Jones Schilling Feedback
Name of Senior Manager: __________________________
Name of Actor: _______________________________
Please complete this feedback sheet as soon as possible after the meeting.
Record your impressions of the effectiveness of the coaching skills shown by the senior
What did the senior manager do particularly well in this meeting?
What suggestions do you have for the senior manager to improve?
What did the senior manager achieve by the end of the meeting?
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Exhibit TN-4
A Summary of Effective Coaching Practices
Dig Deeper
• Ask effective, probing questions to get at the root of the situation, beyond the surface
issues presented, and utilize that information productively.
Problem Solving
• Break down a complex situation into manageable parts.
• Recognize several likely causes of events and multiple consequences.
Listen, Understand, Respond
• Engage in active listening
• The listening response involves hearing and understanding both content (what people are
saying) and feeling (attitudes underlying content).
Developing Others
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• Provide information and resources to help the person attain his/her objectives.
• After assessing the person’s competence, delegate full responsibility for a task, including
opportunity to learn from mistakes in a noncritical setting.
Long-Term Coaching
• Solicit and utilize skills, ideas and opinions of people.
• Encourage people to work out the answer to problems themselves so they gain experience
rather than merely giving them the answer.
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Appendix TN-1
Teaching Notes for the Four Gen Y Cases
1. Cindy Chu—Teaching Note
Diagnosis
• Cindy is a “hidden gem”: she has high potential but is channeling her energies to
activities outside of work
How the leader should handle this conversation
• Probe to understand what is important for Cindy—what she likes or dislikes.
o Engage Cindy in the conversation to locate the key issue that she feels neglected at JS.
• What triggered her disengagement?
• Does she understand why her role is important?
• Does she know job expectations?
• How frequently does she receive feedback? And how is it delivered?
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• Include Cindy in the conversation about how to improve the situation.
2. Jason Wong—Teaching Note
Diagnosis
• Jason “has a sense of entitlement and lacks initiative”: he believes that the hard work has
been done—he has gotten through his studies—and that the rest of his life will be easy
because he has “proven” himself.
• Jason has credible alternatives to a negotiated agreement. His parents, grandparents and
great-grandparents are counting on him to succeed in life and will do whatever it takes to
help him. Jason knows this and uses this alternative as a crutch.
How the leader should handle this conversation
• Probe to understand what is important for Jason—what he likes or dislikes.
o Engage Jason in the conversation to understand his current frame of mind.
• Ask Jason to conduct a self-evaluation.
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• Does he understand why his role is important?
• How frequently does he receive feedback? And how is it delivered?
• Do not sugarcoat key parts of the conversation.
• It may be necessary to educate Jason about the difficulty of restarting his career at
• Appeal to Jason’s self-interests.
The coaching conversations may take place over several weeks, so the manager should not
expect the situation to improve overnight.
3. Michelle Kang—Teaching Note
Diagnosis