Coaching, HRD, and Relational Richness

Abstract

The Problem Coaching is becoming a ubiquitous form of human resource development (HRD) that experiences regular annual gains in both interest and participation. Yet it lacks theoretical framing and has not been conceptually well developed. There is a need for further framing of coaching as a dyadic, or group-based phenomenon, occurring in a set of diverse, but often commonly utilized contexts. The Solution Contributors to this issue inform this growing HRD area by elaborating upon coaching in terms of conceptualization, theoretical foundations, and measurement tools. They provide perspectives on coaching in its many forms, including executive, managerial, and action learning coaching. These perspectives on coaching most often share a dyadic/one-on-one context, and elaborate on coaching practices in terms of interactional richness, learning, and development. The Stakeholders Researchers and scholarly practitioners in the HRD field, internal and external coaches, and line managers who are committed to improving the practice of and expanding empirical research on coaching will benefit from this special issue on coaching.