Analysis of executive coaching effectiveness: a study from the coachee perspective

Abstract

Executive coaching has become one of the principal leadership development strategies of our time. However, this is a field of HRD that has been discussed far more often in professional than academic literature and further research is required. This work analyses the relation existing between the main explanatory factors of executive coaching effectiveness and the different types of results that can be achieved. This study also provides an empirical test of the effectiveness of executive coaching using the first three levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model (1975). Responses from 176 executives are analyzed, assessing their perceptions of their latest experience of executive coaching. Structural modelling is used to match factors affecting the success of executive coaching to its results. The resulting model highlights the influence exercised by the coach, and to a lesser extent the coachee and the process, on coachee satisfaction. It also shows how the coach influences the coachee's learning. The results also suggest that there is a positive relationship between satisfaction, learning and behavioral change, as Kirkpatrick suggests. The development of a final focus group, in which human resources managers, coachees and coaches took part, contributed to improvements in the discussion and interpretation of the results. In the light of these results, the implications for the professional and academic area are considered.

Assessment of the Impact of Coaching on a Company’s Performance: A Review of Methods

“…Based on the systematic literature search, the following papers were selected for the further analysis of the methods which are currently used to assess the impact of coaching on the performance of a company: Birknerová, Z. and Benková, E. [48]; Albizu, E., Rekaldee, I., Landeta, J., Fernández-Ferrín, P. [49]; Wenu, A. and Tan, C. [50]; Pousa, C., Hardie, T., Zhang, X. [51]; Hagen, M.S.…”

“…All selected articles are research papers. Most of the papers [49,51,53,55,56,58,59] describe the use of the assessment methods in the context of testing the impact of coaching on individuals' and company's performance. Papers [48,60] describe the development of new assessment methods and tools.…”

“…A group of researchers (Albizu et al [49]) applied the first three levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model (1975) to estimate the effectiveness of executive coaching. The assessment of coaching factors was from a coachee perspective.…”

“…Kirkpatrick's learning model first three levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation model (1975). Albizu et al [49] Kirkpatrick and Kirkpatrick's (2016) learning model Wenu and Tan [50] Methods coherently applied throughout the coaching interaction: systematic approach…”

What changes with coaching? Investigating within‐person changes in reflection, the predicting role of implicit person theory and the effects on perceived utility of coaching

“…Nevertheless, few coaching studies have focused analysis on the reaction's level, even though researchers typically collect data immediately after coaching, and this time frame is the most appropriate for assessing reactions rather than learning or behaviours (Blackman et al, 2016). In research conducted among executive coachees, a positive relationship was found between satisfaction with coaching and self‐reported learning (Albizu et al, 2019). Thus, as in the training literature, there appears to be evidence that reactions to coaching may also be predictive of other meaningful outcomes and should be studied in greater depth.…”