Coaching as a Developmental Intervention in Organisations: A Systematic Review of Its Effectiveness and the Mechanisms Underlying It.

Simmy Grover,Adrian Furnham,Eugene V Aidman

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159137

Simmy Grover, Adrian Furnham + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159137

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Jul 14, 2016
Citations: 115	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University College London, BI Norwegian Business School

Abstract

PurposeThe primary aim of this paper is to conduct a thorough and systematic review of the empirical and practitioner research on executive, leadership and business coaching to assess the current empirical evidence for the effectiveness of coaching and the mechanisms underlying it.BackgroundOrganisations are increasingly using business coaching as an intervention to improve the productivity and performance of their senior personnel. A consequence of this increased application is the demand for empirical data to understand the process by which it operates and its demonstrable efficacy in achieving pre-set goals.MethodThis paper is a systematic review of the academic and practitioner literature pertaining to the effectiveness of business and executive coaching as a developmental intervention for organisations. It focuses on published articles, conference papers and theses that cover business, leadership or executive coaching within organisations over the last 10 years.ConclusionsThe main findings show that coaching is an effective tool that benefits organisations and a number of underlying facets contribute to this effectiveness. However, there is deficiency and scope for further investigation in key aspects of the academic research and we identify several areas that need further research and practitioner attention.

Highlights

A recent global survey of coaches [1] estimated that the coaching industry is worth $2bn annually
This paper is a systematic review of the academic and practitioner literature pertaining to the effectiveness of business and executive coaching as a developmental intervention for organisations
The use of coaching within organisational settings, whether it is classified as business, leadership or executive coaching, has grown substantially to become an established practice in a number of organisations and it continues to flourish [2]

Summary

Introduction

A recent global survey of coaches [1] estimated that the coaching industry is worth $2bn annually. This includes all forms of coaching: business as well as life and health. Just over half of the coaches globally, about 28,000 are believed to work in the field of business, executive or leadership coaching. The use of coaching within organisational settings, whether it is classified as business, leadership or executive coaching, has grown substantially to become an established practice in a number of organisations and it continues to flourish [2]. A consequence of this increased application is the demand for empirical data to understand the process by which it operates and its demonstrable efficacy in achieving pre-set goals

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Conclusion