Assessing the Executive Coaching Research and its Impact on Practice and Executive Education

Abstract

This manuscript assesses the quality of executive coaching (EC) research, particularly with regards to its outcome studies. For this purpose, we conducted a systematic review of all EC outcome studies appearing in peer-reviewed journals. Our study focuses only on coaching provided to executives by an external coach and we excluded all other types of coaching happening within or outside the organizations. We specifically explore how the coaching practice is presented within the existing EC outcome studies and what types of outcomes are examined in these studies. Also, reflecting on these two themes, we then explore why most EC outcome studies lack credibility and quality. To our knowledge this is the first study, which provides such an extensive review of the outcome studies in this important, growing field of leadership development and management education. We conclude that, with few exceptions, most existing EC outcome studies are at an elementary level and this has also affected the quality of EC practi...