Workplace Coaching Research Articles

Coach and no regrets about it: On the life satisfaction, work-related mental strain, and use of supervision of workplace coaches

ABSTRACTPrevious research indicates that coaches frequently experience negative effects for themselves from their work and therefore live with potential stressors due to their work. This study examines whether or not workplace coaches are satisfied with their life. Data were gathered from 110 coaches (75% of which were self-employed) from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland via an online survey. Coaches were asked about different aspects of life satisfaction (concerning their job, financial situation, and leisure time) and work-related mental strain (i.e., cognitive and emotional strain). Compared to German population norm scores (including both employed and self-employed working individuals), coaches show higher satisfaction with their job and leisure time, and less work-related mental strain. Moreover, the vast majority of coaches would choose to be a workplace coach again in retrospect. Coaching supervision had a significant buffer effect on coaches’ job satisfaction when they experienced a high amount of work-related mental strain. Findings imply that coaches are able to counterbalance the possible negative effects on life satisfaction of their work as coaches. The use of coaching supervision appears to be a successful measure to maintain high satisfaction with their work as coaches despite an elevated level of mental strain.

Bringing Context to Workplace Coaching: A Theoretical Framework Based on Uncertainty Avoidance and Regulatory Focus

Workplace coaching is increasingly popular as a global learning and development tool for enhancing employees’ professional capabilities. However, little is known about the role of cross-cultural factors in coaching and the relationships between cross-cultural factors and both coaching approach and motivation factors. Accordingly, by drawing on and integrating theories from the research areas of cross-cultural psychology, regulatory focus, and training, we propose a theoretical framework that unravels the effectiveness of different coaching approaches in different cultural and coaching contexts. We propose that chronic regulatory focus is an underlying mechanism that predicts the effectiveness of a chosen coaching approach in specific contexts of societal uncertainty avoidance (i.e., low vs. high uncertainty avoidance). Furthermore, we propose that coaching context elicits coachee situational regulatory focus, and that compatibility between coachee chronic and situational regulatory focus has a significant impact on coachee pre-coaching motivation. We conclude by discussing implications for future research and practice.

Coaching psychology: Exploring definitions and research contribution to practice?

This paper aims to provide an analytic review of contemporary coaching evidence and future research directions through reviewing the development of coaching (e.g. executive, health and life coaching) and coaching psychology definitions. We offer alternative perspectives from psychologist and non-psychologist coaching practice in the development of both traditions over the past two decades. As part of this paper we will summarise systematic reviews and meta-analyses in workplace coaching and outline the key messages for evidence-based practice. Three key messages are identified from this review. First, coaching itself is a professional helping relationship since the process mainly relies on reciprocal actions between the coach and coachee. Second, coachees should be placed in the centre of the coaching relationship, recognising their motivation to change is the essential antecedent for coaching success. Third, social psychological perspectives are an important element in dyadic coaching interactions. Our aim in this paper is to encourage coaching scholars and practitioners towards future research collaborations in the interest of developing evidenced based practice in coaching.

Towards a process-based typology of workplace coaching: An empirical investigation.

Towards a process-based typology of workplace coaching: An empirical investigation.

Boundary conditions of workplace coaching outcomes

PurposeIn order to address the need for greater understanding about the occupational and practice determinants of effective workplace coaching, the purpose of this paper is to examine the associations of two coaching practice factors (coaching format and external vs internal coaching provision), and coachees’ job complexity with perceived outcomes from coaching.Design/methodology/approachA survey of 161 individuals who had received workplace coaching was conducted. Participants provided data on two outcome criteria (self-reported work well-being and personal effectiveness at work).FindingsAnalysis indicated that external coaches and blended format coaching were most strongly associated with work well-being outcomes. The examination of interaction effects showed that coaching provided by external coaches was more strongly associated with outcomes for individuals working in the most complex job roles.Originality/valueThe original contribution of the authors’ findings is in terms of the implications for coaches, managers and HR practitioners by showing how coaching can be implemented differentially and most effectively based on desired outcome criteria and features of coachees’ job situations.

Advances in the Psychology of Workplace Coaching

Advances in the Psychology of Workplace Coaching

Understanding the factors that determine workplace coaching effectiveness: a systematic literature review

ABSTRACTMeta-analytic results have established that workplace coaching is effective, however, little is known about the determinants of coaching effectiveness. This paper reports an inclusive systematic literature review, covering the quantitative and qualitative research on workplace coaching. We focus on seven promising areas in the current workplace coaching literature that emerged by the synthesis of 117 empirical studies: self-efficacy, coaching motivation, goal orientation, trust, interpersonal attraction, feedback intervention, and supervisory support. The major contribution of our paper is the systematic integration of well-established theoretical constructs in the workplace coaching context and the new insights we provide in the synthesis of these literatures. Based on our review, we provide specific recommendations to be addressed in future research, including recommended research methodologies, which we propose will significantly progress the field of workplace coaching theory and practice.

Understanding Good Practice in Workplace Coaching

Workplace coaching is growing rapidly and many organisations use it as a way to motivate and support their employees in their careers. This paper is a theoretical paper that draws upon the authors' experiences of workplace coaching. The author discusses the main aspects of successful workplace coaching while it summarises the most important behaviours and attitudes of an effective workplace coach.

Large-scale survey of trust and safety in coaching supervision: Some evidence that we are doing it right

Objectives:There is increasing interest in supervision across the executive and workplace coaching professions, and so it is worth exploring whether promised benefits can be demonstrated. A large-scale empirical survey was conducted into the satisfaction, trust and vulnerability of coaching supervisees. Results are compared with those that have been achieved in other areas of supervision such as occupational therapy and counselling supervision.Design:We employed a cross-sectional design focused on relatively experienced coaches, directed at large numbers so as to measure differences within the population. We inquired into satisfaction and trust in general terms, and we also asked more specifically about the most worrying, concerning or shameful episode in the coach’s practice over the last few years, whether this episode had been brought to supervision and if the ensuing supervision had been helpful.Methods:The sampling strategy was snowballing out from our own experienced coach networks, with help from European professional organisations. The web-based questionnaire was short, easy to use and entirely confidential with no requirement to leave any personal data. Five hundred and eighteen full responses were received on the questionnaire, from 356 female and 162 male coaches from 32 countries. Statistical properties of the responses were computed and two-sample t-tests and non-parametric (Mann-Whitney) U-tests were conducted to look at the influence of gender, age, experience, nationality, amount and nature (i.e. group versus individual) of supervision on satisfaction and trust scores.Results:The results show that these experienced coaches are considerably safer, more satisfied and more trusting of their supervisor than was found in comparable research in counselling and psychotherapy. Significant differences were found in the appreciation of supervision by men and women, and also with supervisee age and relative exposure to supervision.Conclusions:With this sample of relatively senior coaches it appears that highly trusting and satisfactory supervision relationships are emerging, perhaps thanks to current practice where most coaches self-select and engage supervisors out of the proceeds of their own work. Nevertheless, even in this sample there are still just under eight per cent occurrences of insufficient trust and safety around really worrying episodes. There are also demonstrable differences within the overall diversity of the profession.

The third ‘generation’ of workplace coaching: creating a culture of quality conversations

ABSTRACTWorkplace coaching is increasingly used in organisations. Workplace coaching is conducted internally within an organisation for the purpose of helping employees, managers and leaders attain work-related goals. Workplace coaching methodologies have evolved over time. The first ‘generation’ (1990s) focused on performance management. A hallmark of the second-‘generation’ (2000s) approach is structured step-by-step proprietary ‘Leader as Coach’ performance-focused coach training programmes. Such mechanistic approaches do not meet the challenges of the contemporary organisational context where uncertainty and rapid change are the norm. This paper describes the third-‘generation’ approach to workplace coaching that is increasingly apparent in the workplace. This is an approach that explicitly focuses on enhancing both the performance and the well-being of individuals and organisations in ways that are sustainable and personally meaningful. A case study example of how to integrate ‘Leader as Coach’ programmes into an organisation is presented. This developmental approach aims to create the culture of quality conversations needed for the challenges faced by contemporary organisations.

A large-scale study of executive and workplace coaching: The relative contributions of relationship, personality match, and self-efficacy.

A large-scale study of executive and workplace coaching: The relative contributions of relationship, personality match, and self-efficacy.

Workplace telephone coaching conversations: a unique institutional practice as revealed through interpretive and empiricist multi-method approaches

ABSTRACTDespite the prevalence in the use of the telephone modality for workplace coaching no published empirical evidence, using a micro-level conversation analysis (CA), has been found to inform effective communication strategies in this context. This exploratory study used a mixed-methods approach to examine seven workplace coaches’ experiences of telephone coaching conversations using a phenomenological analysis of semi-structured interviews. Additionally, a micro-level CA identified how aspects of coaches’ experiences were ‘played out’ in turn-by-turn communication patterns during coaching sessions. Analysis of data in this study identified, for example, how coaches use question formulations which encourage coachee reflexivity. Evidence also demonstrates how coachees engage with silences in ways which can become problematic within telephone coaching conversations. This paper argues that further conversation analyses of workplace telephone coaching conversations would enhance coach-practitioners’ communications skills by facilitating training which is based on an micro-level analysis of ‘real-world’ telephone coaching conversations.

The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta‐analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching

This study presents a meta‐analysis synthesizing the existing research on the effectiveness of workplace coaching. We exclusively explore workplace coaching provided by internal or external coaches and therefore exclude cases of manager–subordinate and peer coaching. We propose a framework of potential outcomes from coaching in organizations, which we examine meta‐analytically (k = 17). Our analyses indicated that coaching had positive effects on organizational outcomes overall (δ = 0.36), and on specific forms of outcome criteria (skill‐based δ = 0.28; affective δ = 0.51; individual‐level results δ = 1.24). We also examined moderation by a number of coaching practice factors (use of multisource feedback; type of coach; coaching format; longevity of coaching). Our analyses of practice moderators indicated a significant moderation of effect size for type of coach (with effects being stronger for internal coaches compared to external coaches) and use of multisource feedback (with the use of multisource feedback resulting in smaller positive effects). We found no moderation of effect size by coaching format (comparing face‐to‐face, with blended face‐to‐face and e‐coaching) or duration of coaching (number of sessions or longevity of intervention). The effect sizes give support to the potential utility of coaching in organizations. Implications for coaching research and practice are discussed.Practitioner pointsOur meta‐analysis supports the positive effects of workplace coaching as an approach to employee learning and development in organizations, with a variety of criteria.Our findings indicate that coaching was more effective when conducted by internal coaches and when multisource feedback was excluded.Workplace coaching was effective whether conducted face‐to‐face or using blended techniques (i.e., blending face‐to‐face with e‐coaching).

Workplace Coaching as an Organizational Intervention: Metaphors, Dynamics and Employee Experiences

This article studies coaching in an organizational context. The research focuses on analysing the specifics of clients’ experiences before, during and after coaching sessions, based on a survey (N=68) and sets of interviews with executives, managers and employees (N=18). It investigates the role and types of coaching expectations, the dynamics of client evaluations during the sessions, their feeling of security, the perception of the coach’s style, types of work (psychologically-oriented and managerial-oriented) and organizational context. Special attention is paid to the qualitative analysis of the positive and negative metaphors of coaching in relation to client satisfaction or dissatisfaction with the sessions, and the conditions which contribute to, or hinder, the efficacy of corporate sessions.

A Trojan Horse? The implications of managerial coaching for leadership theory

This article examines the behaviours associated with managerial coaching and assesses the implications for leadership theory. Survey data from 521 line managers are analysed to: (i) identify the behaviours associated with managerial coaching, (ii) examine factors that affect the propensity of managers to undertake coaching and (iii) discuss the implications of the manager as coach role for leadership theory and practice. First, the analysis indicates that workplace coaching is distinct from specialized coaching practices. Second, demographic characteristics of individual managers, such as their age, experience or level of management qualification are unlikely to affect their propensity to undertake managerial coaching. However, leader-team member relationships (leader-member exchange) and occupational self-efficacy (OSE) are predictive of managerial coaching behaviours. Third, managerial coaching challenges traditional leader-centric models of leadership and requires an acknowledgement of reciprocity, collaborative ‘meaning-making’ and a diminished ‘distance’ between leaders and team members.

It Takes Time: A Stages of Change Perspective on the Adoption of Workplace Coaching Skills

Although many managers receive training in workplace coaching skills in order to enhance employees' performance and facilitate organizational change, little is known about managers' perceptions of the costs and benefits of adopting workplace coaching behaviors. This study explored the relationships between workplace coaching skills and the perceived costs and benefits of adopting coaching skills from a Stages of Change perspective. This is the first study to examine these issues. Participants were 99 executives and managers from a range of occupations. Findings were broadly as predicated by the Transtheoretical Model of Change. Individuals in the early stages of adopting coaching behaviors had lower self-efficacy and lower coaching skills than those in the latter stages. The perceived benefits of adopting coaching behaviors did not differ across different stages of change. The perceived costs of adopting coaching behaviors were significantly lower in the latter stages of change, but findings suggest that it takes about six months before the perceived benefits of adopting coaching behaviors outweigh the perceived costs. Disaffected managers held higher perceptions of the benefits of coaching, and there was no relationship between coaching behaviors and workplace wellbeing. It is recommended that managers of coach training programs explicitly address ways to overcome barriers to adopting coaching behaviors, rather than primarily promoting the benefits of workplace coaching. Organizations should give ongoing learning support to those who have recently completed workplace coaching training, in order to help them persevere through the initial adjustment period as they consolidate and develop their coaching skills.

Developmental coaching: Business benefit – fact or fad? An evaluative study to explore the impact of coaching in the workplace

Objectives:To contribute to research on the return on investment and business benefit of workplace coaching by using a quasi-experimental design. Specifically, to investigate the impact that in-house coaches, using developmental coaching approaches, had on levels of coachee self-efficacy.Design:The study used action research (Lewin, 1946) and a quasi-experimental method to investigate the impact and process of developmental coaching, evaluating coaching which took place over a two-year period. A large sample and multiple data collection methods were utilised to ensure research was a valid reflection of the current status and perception of coaching within the organisation in the reported study.Methodology:Thematic analysis of qualitative research informed the content of coach and coachee questionnaires, supported by a holistic literature review. Coachees and the comparative group of non-coached staff completed questionnaires assessing their general levels of self-efficacy and personal experiences of development. Coaches completed a self-perception questionnaire to capture their personal views on the experience and if any changes had been observed in the coachee which could relate to the construct of self-efficacy.Results:Participants that had received developmental coaching (N=61) had higher levels of self-efficacy than the control group of participants (N=57) who had not received coaching.Conclusions:This research aimed to explore whether developmental coaching does actually deliver business benefits and results suggest that coaching can impact positively upon an individual’s level of self-efficacy.

Using Coaching Psychology to identify the return on investment for workplace coaching

Using Coaching Psychology to identify the return on investment for workplace coaching

Positive coaching with frontline managers: Enhancing their effectiveness and understanding why

Coaching is increasingly being used in the health sector, with staff and patients. Despite this increase there is only a small body of empirical evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of coaching in health care settings.Objectives:This study evaluated the effectiveness of a workplace coaching programme (WCP) aimed at enhancing the work behaviours and well-being of 17 managers in a large Australian teaching hospital.Design:A within-group, pre-post test study design was used.Methods:The WCP consisted of needs-based workshops and group and individual coaching over a six-month period. Positive social science provided the theoretical underpinning for the WCP, and this was applied through an integrated solution-focused, cognitive-behavioural methodology. A questionnaire was used to collect data at two time points. Data was analysed using the Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test.Results:Participation in coaching was associated with significantly enhanced proactivity, core performance, goal-attainment, self-insight, motivation, positive affect, and autonomy. Significant effects on self-reflection, negative affect and psychological well-being were not found.Conclusion:The study provides preliminary evidence in favour of workplace coaching as an effective approach for facilitating work effectiveness. Further research utilising larger sample sizes and controlled study designs is warranted.

Life coaching in the workplace

Objectives:There is increasing recognition of coaching’s situated nature. Different emphases in coaching are being utilised in different contexts with differing performance expectations. Life coaching has witnessed rapid growth within the last five years, primarily outside but increasingly within the workplace. The objective of this research is to establish the understanding, utilisation, and outcomes associated with life coaching in the workplace. Procurement practices within organisations are also explored.Design:A cross-sectional survey of organisations is undertaken. Practices and reported outcomes are explored within small- and medium-sized organisations together with large organisations. Private, public and community and voluntary sector organisations aresampled.Methodology:A postal questionnaire assessing 39 potential organisational outcomes, 93 potential individual outcomes and 21 potential procurement criteria for bothperformance and life coaching was developed. Responses from 51 organisations were obtained.Results:Life coaching is found to be less well understood than performance coaching. Significant differences between organisational sizes and sectors in practices and perceived outcomes are identified. Coaching has significantly less impact upon entrepreneurship and social purpose outcomes than more general organisational outcomes. The outcomes more typically associated with life coaching are not secured to the same extent as outcomes typically associated with performance coaching. Both coaching in general and life coaching secure rectification outcomes to a greater extent than positive well-being outcomes. There are significant differences in procurement criteria for performance and life coaching.Conclusions:A potential role for a life dimension in workplace coaching may be evolving. The contribution of the current study and other prospective research towards the development of theory and practice are discussed.