COACHING MODELS IN CONTEXT: GROW, OSKAR, CLEAR, AND the LEDA 5-Step Coaching System.
The most widely referenced coaching models used in the workplace include the GROW model, the OSKAR model, the CLEAR model, and the LEDA 5-Step Coaching System.
The GROW model was developed in the 1980s, in a period that predates the internet, global digital workplaces, and today’s distributed, technology-enabled ways of working. At the time, it represented a significant innovation in how coaching could be applied to performance and development in organisations. Sir John Whitmore’s work in the 1980s and early 1990s helped change how organisations thought about performance, responsibility, and human potential, and opened the way for coaching to be adopted more widely in the workplace.
The OSKAR model and the CLEAR model further contributed to the development of coaching as a conversational and reflective practice, supporting learning, insight, and solution-focused dialogue within coaching relationships.
As the nature of work has evolved, coaching has continued to develop. Today’s organisations operate in a global, fast-moving environment, with distributed teams, constant change, and a growing expectation that employees at every level can think independently, solve problems, and take action without waiting for escalation.
The LEDA 5-Step Coaching System is designed specifically for the contemporary global workplace. It is a structured problem-solving coaching system that provides a consistent, repeatable method for framing issues, understanding the current state, defining a target state, generating solutions, and committing to action.
LEDA vs GROW
The GROW model is primarily used to structure coaching conversations around goals, options, and reflection. The LEDA 5-Step Coaching System is designed as a practical problem-solving system that guides the individual from issue definition through to action, and is intended to be applied directly in day-to-day work rather than only within formal coaching conversations.
LEDA vs OSKAR
The OSKAR model emphasises solution-focused dialogue and reflective questioning within a coaching relationship. The LEDA 5-Step Coaching System provides a clear step-by-step structure that can be used independently by employees to solve real work problems, without requiring a coach to be present.
LEDA vs CLEAR
The CLEAR model focuses on contracting, listening, exploration, and review within coaching conversations. The LEDA 5-Step Coaching System is designed to support real-time problem-solving and decision-making in operational environments, where action and ownership are required.
The LEDA 5-Step Coaching System is used across organisational levels, from new graduates entering the workforce to supervisors, managers, senior leaders, Group CEOs, and C-Suite executives. It is designed to work consistently across roles, giving everyone a shared way to think, solve, and improve.
The LEDA 5-Step Coaching System underpins the AI-Powered SOLVE Platform, enabling organisations to apply structured coaching and problem-solving at scale across modern, distributed workforces.
The LEDA 5-Step Coaching System was created by Ash Alexander FCIM, HRD Corp National Thought Leader and Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (UK).
