A group of people sitting at desks in an office

Coaching for Collective Transformation: Helping Organizations Prepare for the Future of Work

The world of work is rapidly changing, and so should human resources strategy. Coaches forecast that organizations will prioritize collective transformation over individual performance in the future of work.

Collective Transformation – the Next Horizon for Coaching in Organizations

Coaching access in organizations is already expanding. Virtual coaching platforms, on-demand learning libraries, and internal coaching teams mean more employees can realize the benefits of coaching development. While today’s focus is on personalized experiences, the future of coaching in organizations will drive system-level change.

This shift is driven by the urgent need for organizations to adapt in a constantly changing and interconnected world. According to Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report, persistent change, complexity, and uncertain environments create a ripple effect, such as low employee engagement and manager burnout. Top down change is no longer effective. Instead, employees want a community model with shared identity, collective responsibility, and open communication. Recruitment, training, and coaching will all need to reflect this collective lens.

What’s Your Hunch? Emerging Insight

“I am noticing that the impact of coaching in organizations is greater than what coaches do and what employees receive. It is systematically creating shared ownership and resilience for its people to thrive and sustain productivity in a constantly disruptive world. Coaching is shifting from a skill and behavior to a habit of thinking.”
—Pooja Khandelwal (Canada)

Shared Leadership and Development

Team, group, and system-level coaching have the potential to inspire collective transformation and reshape culture. To support this, organizations can integrate coaching development directly into human resources (HR).  This aligns with HR’s evolution into people operations that balance technological innovation with human connection and growth.

What’s Your Hunch? Emerging Insight

“I’m noticing that there is still a tendency to fund higher executive coaching packages rather than focus on building the system bench strength. I think that the demand for options for the Manager/ New Director level will change and that group/cohort/system-based coaching will need to emerge.”
—Heather Tibbles-Vassilev (United States)

Beyond coaching at scale, organizations that apply a collective lens can build resilience. With shared buy-in across the organizational ecosystem, teams co-create solutions and experiment when facing new challenges. Using AI tools and advanced data, people operations can help teams use their collective strengths to adapt proactively instead of reacting to change.

Group or collective coaching will also support organizations testing shared leadership and decision-making models. Many successful companies already use flat or hybrid structures. Collective leadership models lean into collaboration, adaptability, and innovation – creating consensus and trust amid uncertainty. Coaches can foster similar buy-in and resilience in traditional structures by focusing development on collective transformation.

Coaching in Collaborative Organizations

Future-ready organizations are moving away from hierarchy toward collaborative and shared ownership models. Successful examples of this emerging leadership include companies like Zappos, Haier, and Netflix. As coaching expands across organizations, coaches will become strategic partners in transformation by facilitating collective development.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

  • What resources would coaches need to support collective transformation?
  • How might coaches collaborate with HR teams to shift development from an individual focus to a collective one?

Do you have a hunch about the future of coaching? Share your thoughts and see what fellow coaches are forecasting.

Copyright © (2025), International Coaching Federation, All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, distribution or transmission of this content in any format without the prior written permission of ICF is strictly prohibited.

EXPLORE RELATED INSIGHTS

Back To Top