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This study aimed to formulate the characteristic features of Scandinavian successful high-performance coaching. We took our point of departure in the works of Côté and Gilbert (2009, 2013) concerning the knowledge possessed by high-performance coaches. We interviewed 18 successful Scandinavian coaches who were deeply committed to their respective coaching assignments and had achieved great success through the performances of their practitioners at major championships. We then conducted a thematic analysis of the interview data, identifying, analysing and reporting patterns (themes). Our results show that Scandinavian high-performance coaching is a value-based and sensitive balancing act between four knowledge dimensions: analytical and systematic, authority and stability, relational and communicative, and innovative and creative development. The four dimensions, together with an ethical core, form the link between Côté and Gilbert (2009) categorisation of high-performance coaches' knowledge base and how this knowledge is put into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology and its applications have had a significant impact on human resource development (HRD), and they will continue to do so at an ever-increasing speed. We used our a priori opinions and experiences to identify application areas. We then searched, within each of our identified areas to find published sources, including journals, blogs, and websites, to describe the application areas that have impacted, and will impact, HRD. Areas identified and described include authoring, performance management and coaching, personalisation and continuous learning, analytic metrics, robotic continuous improvement, employee engagement and autonomy, employee wellbeing and life balance, attrition reduction, simulations, digital dialogues, communities of practice, credentialing, soft skills development, and ethics. Given the extensive impact on HRD, practitioners must be ahead of the wave of change. Further, academic programs must assess their curricula and make modifications so graduates of their programs will be well prepared to meet the demands of the marketplace. While a critique of these applications of digitalisation and AI is important, that is not the purpose of our article; we limited ourselves to describing the applications only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mergers and acquisitions put organizations through significant disruptions, often taking a toll on employee well-being. This qualitative study aims to analyze how coaching supports employees in coping with the impact of mergers. Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees and managers. Using realist evaluation, four context-mechanism-outcome configurations (CMOCs) were developed, providing evidence for the following working mechanisms: (1) Increased self-awareness and assertiveness led to greater self-efficacy, empowering participants to advocate for themselves. (2) Breaking down big things into manageable steps helped participants cope with overwhelming issues. (3) Leaders' support and guidance played a crucial role in helping employees navigate change. And (4) managing a high workload led to increased self-efficacy and well-being at work. These CMOCs demonstrate the diverse working mechanisms of coaching interventions implemented in a disruptive context. The study's insights into these mechanisms offer valuable guidance for designing future interventions to support employees during organizational changes, such as mergers and acquisitions. By tailoring interventions to address employees' individual challenges and needs, organizations can enhance the effectiveness of these initiatives and promote employee well-being during times of transition. MAD statement This study aims to Make A Difference (MAD) by revealing how coaching works in the context of mergers and acquisitions; more specifically, it identifies the working mechanisms contributing to the intervention's success. By its detailed identification of the interplay of context, mechanism and outcome, it highlights the multifaceted impacts of coaching, ranging from enhanced self-efficacy to coping strategies. It adds to the theoretical discussion on the effectiveness of workplace interventions by not only analyzing what works but also how they work under specific circumstances. As such, it can inform employers on how to support employees during times of organizational change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This pilot study examined the utility of a practice-based coaching (PBC) intervention in Swedish elementary schools designed to support the classroom climate and benefit students. The intervention involved activities, self-assessment, observation, and coaching to the teachers, with the aim of improving the classroom climate and students’ self-concept, prosocial behavior, well-being, and academic achievement. The design was a cluster randomized trial with the school as the assignment unit. Participants in the intervention were 66 students in four classes, and in the control, four classes with 77 students. The duration of the intervention was five months. An autoregressive structural equation model was estimated. The correlations between the latent variables at pre-test ranged from low to high. There were significant standardized path coefficients concerning all the latent variables pre- and post-test. The estimates of the intervention at the post-test were non-significant. The results suggested a longer duration of the intervention with more frequent coaching sessions, which may enhance its effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coaching researchers from different academic disciplines have been occupied for years in exploring the constraints and barriers that women face when entering the coaching profession, not only at the level of individual agency but also at a structural and socio-cultural level. This paper reprises some of their findings and recognises that historians of coaching have made little contribution to the debate, apart from confirming the critical part played by networks, community, and experience in facilitating coaching careers. While the existing historiography has focused almost exclusively on male coaching practices and on a masculine orientated cultural heritage of coaching, attention is drawn here to the way in which the limited literature on women in coaching has been the result of adopting a very narrow definition of 'coach'. This introduction to the special issue of Sport in History highlights the range of terms historically used by women in coaching-related roles and the way in which women transcended social constraints to become coaches. Although the 'herstory' of sports coaching is only just being uncovered, these contributions represent an important stimulus to the further development of the topic and the paper concludes by highlighting how historians of women's coaching will be taking their research forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to empirically assess the effectiveness of training services on borrowers' repayment performance in a leading microfinance institution in Tunisia. The two training services analysed are financial education and entrepreneurial coaching. Financial education as basic capital management training does not impact repayment performance. On the other hand, coaching programs to strengthen the technical, managerial, and marketing skills of microentrepreneurs significantly improve repayment performance. These results are obtained through an ordered probit model with endogenous treatment accounting for selection bias and endogeneity problems arising from unobservable factors that influence both the use of training services and repayment quality. These results remain significant after restructuring the sample into more homogeneous borrowers' groups and confirm the hypotheses of the human capital theory. The determinants of training services are also explored. The findings confirm the importance of integrated microfinance strategies, especially in remote rural areas. Combining microcredit with coaching will empower the poor to foster their entrepreneurial skills, productivity, and thus their repayment ability. This study sheds more light on how microfinance institutions can improve their programs in developing countries, which often suffer from a lack of technical and vocational training, the main handicap for transitioning young people to the labour market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assesses the impact of a 2-year virtual coaching program on teacher and student outcomes. The program—Feedback on Alignment and Support for Teachers (FAST)—was intended to deepen teachers' understanding of their state's standards and improve the alignment of their instruction with the standards. Relying on a multisite school-level randomized controlled trial, we assessed the impact of the FAST program in fourth-grade math and fifth-grade English language arts (ELA). We found that the program had a positive impact on the alignment of teachers' instruction with state standards for both math and ELA teachers (effect sizes = 0.70 and 0.40, respectively), although the impact was statistically significant only for math teachers. In contrast to a growing body of evidence on the benefits of instructional coaching, the program's impact on student achievement, was in the negative direction for both fourth-grade mathematics and fifth-grade ELA (effect sizes = −0.07 and −0.10, respectively), although the impact on achievement was statistically significant only for ELA. These results suggest that improving instructional alignment alone may not be sufficient for improving student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Sales Education in the United Sta... In this article, the authors examine syllabi and survey sales professors to highlight the common practices for teaching sales. "Sales Enablement: Definition, Domain, a... The authors explore the development of the sales enablement construct, which they define as a "cross-functional assimilation (marketing, training, operations, management, automation, etc.) of content, processes, and technology that readies a firm to more productively assist the customer's journey" (46). "Antecedents and Outcomes of Salesperson Interna... The authors leverage job demands-resources (JD-R) theory to investigate antecedents of business-to-business (B2B) salesperson attitudes toward internal relations and their impact on important salesperson job outcomes. Also, behavior control, salesperson experience, and salesperson knowledge positively impact salesperson implementation of strategy, enhancing sales performance. [Extracted from the article]

Instructional coaches are increasingly used to deliver job-embedded professional development for educators despite limited evidence-based models and assessment-driven resources to guide implementation. While researchers in vocational psychology have validated measures for job selection that can guide training; development and validation of coaching assessments for measuring evidence-based coaching behaviours have only recently begun. Given the availability of these measures, it is now possible to examine the extent to which teacher workstyles commonly known to administrators are related to effective coaching behaviours. To this end, we examined the relations between 16 workstyle attributes as measured by the Workstyle Personality Inventory (WPI) and six-effective coaching behaviours as measured by the Instructional Coaching Rating Scales (ICRS) based on a sample of 27 full-time coaches across 14 high poverty charter schools. Results showed that higher levels of achievement/effort, initiative, cooperation, and self-control were correlated with higher levels of implementation of effective coaching behaviours. Teachers with a strong ability to encourage others to work together while remaining emotionally composed in difficult situations may thus represent ideal candidates for coaching positions that train them in the systematic implementation of research-based coaching behaviours. Correlational findings are limited to self-report of respondents. Future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the impact of a pilot coaching project that included peer coaching in an early childhood program in the Northeast. A total of 18 coaches provided coaching with 15 teachers. Peer coaches included a participant-selected teacher or a director-selected teacher; program administrators also provided coaching. A one-page coaching form included columns to document the coaches' observations and notes on teacher strengths and suggestions for improvement. Reflection forms, completed by teachers following coaching, captured perceptions about the coaching process. Results suggested that, compared to other coaches, administrators were most likely to provide specific feedback to teachers. Teachers were most comfortable being observed by a self-selected peer coach and most comfortable receiving feedback from a director-selected peer coach. Participants shared perceived benefits of and challenges to engaging in the peer coaching process. Findings and implications for program-level peer coaching initiatives are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research which identifies and describes the learning situations coaches engage with often overlooks how coaches' dispositions and the 'learning cultures' they occupy influences their opportunities for learning, limiting our understanding of what 'works' and for 'whom'. Seven coaches from five sports were interviewed regarding their experiences of 'The Coach Talent Programme' (CTP); a non-formal learning situation consisting of cross-sport CPD workshops delivered by a UK County Sports Partnership. Data were analysed thematically, integrating Pierre Bourdieu's sociology alongside Phil Hodkinson's theory of 'learning cultures'. Three themes were developed: (1) social interaction and cross-sport learning; (2) workshop content and online learning; and (3) tutor capital and the coaching field. The findings demonstrate how coaches' 'learning' within non-formal situations varies significantly due to embodied dispositions, capital, and the social fields coaches are positioned within. Sports organisations would benefit from recognising the influence of these factors to develop transformative non-formal environments for coach learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designing field embedded experiences for teacher candidates poses a unique challenge for large teacher education programs. Field experiences must include working with students, enhanced pedagogical coaching, and interaction within a professional community. Coursework coupled with field work should engage teacher candidates in a process of planning, implementing, analyzing and reflecting, and then modifying future teaching as evidence of reflective practice. Skilled coaching by the university based teacher educator or classroom mentor is one avenue for teaching novice educators how to analyze their classroom experiences. However, in large teacher education programs the ratio of candidates to UBTEs can make adequate coaching impossible. Thus, peer coaching can provide a feasible option for UBTE coaching. The purpose of this article is to describe the peer coaching experiences of teacher candidates and their university based teacher educators during junior level clinical block courses focused on developmentally appropriate practices for students in grades 1-3. Presented are a discussion of reflective practice, a rationale for peer coaching, and the application of peer coaching within three early childhood and elementary courses. Recommendations and challenges of peer coaching in a clinical pre-service teacher education program and implications for further studies are explored in the closing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lifestyle behaviours are a contributing factor in approximately 80% of chronic diseases, making them a primary target for employee wellness programmes (EWPs). To effectively change health behaviours, EWPs should implement evidence-based strategies. One strategy is health behaviour change coaching, which is often delivered in a one-on-one format. While limited research exists, group health behaviour change coaching (group coaching) has potential to be an efficient alternative, impacting more people. The purpose of this study was to determine whether group health coaching improved psychological constructs related to physical activity and physical fitness among university employees in an EWP. Employees (n = 100) were randomly selected from a pool of volunteers who registered for the EWP, were overweight/obese, and at risk for cardiovascular disease. The intervention consisted of three group coaching sessions based on the Transtheoretical Model and Self-Determination Theory. Paired t-tests compared pre/post-measures of psychological constructs related to physical activity and physical fitness. Additionally, multivariate regression analysis with post-coaching self-efficacy as the dependent variable was performed. Overall, 84 participants (83% female, average BMI = 31.2) completed the intervention, attending an average of 2.26 sessions. Stages of change, seven processes of change, self-efficacy, perceived competence, and the health care climate score improved. Attending group coaching sessions predicted post-test self-efficacy. All but one measure of physical fitness improved. Group coaching can be effective in improving physical fitness and psychological constructs related to physical activity behaviour. In programmes with limited funds, group coaching has potential to be an important EWP component to support health behaviour change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graduation programmes are innovative because they combine regular cash transfers with livelihood promotion and - most innovatively - a combination of training and tailored coaching. The latter is sometimes considered the 'X-factor' in the graduation model, but little evidence exists regarding its role in affecting change. This paper presents findings from a mixed methods evaluation of a graduation programme in Burundi. We find that (i) training and coaching are important complements to cash and material support in achieving positive change, (ii) positive effects extend to the wider community, and (iii) continuous, tailored, and positively engaging modes of messaging are imperative for achieving change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meta-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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workplace 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 performanceandthe 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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article showcases four student research projects focused on forms of internal and external coaching, and coaching supervision. The studies were selected from a pool of unpublished studies that were grouped according to their general interest and relevance to each other. After briefly describing the studies, key findings are identified for each and integrated into a combined discussion. More specifically, the discussion focuses on the perceived challenges that HR practitioners face in respect of providing an internal coaching service (i.e. HR coaching), along with an examination of more general factors that appear to influence employee receptivity to employer-sponsored programmes (like internal coaching). Also explored is the niche area of maternity coaching, with evidence presented about its efficacy and questions noted about current prevalence and the importance of research to its long-term viability. Finally, several issues related to coaching supervision are considered, particularly in regard to the relatively unexplored area of supervision within internal coaching contexts. Recommendations for future research are provided for all research topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coaching is an essential attribute of effective managers and leaders and it is becoming progressively more important for managerial practice and research. Given the increased interdependence between countries due to global commerce and the changing demographic landscape due to migration and mobility through borders, the interest for developing multilingual research increased. However, there are no published studies offering a translation of the original English coaching scales into languages that can be relevant for research in America and Europe. This paper presents a Spanish and French translation of the Perceptions of Supervisor/Line Manager Coaching Behaviour measure (Ellinger, Ellinger & Keller, 2003. Supervisory coaching behavior, employee satisfaction, and warehouse employee performance: A dyadic perspective in the distribution industry.Human Resource Development Quarterly,14(4), 435–458) thus offering scholars and practitioners the possibility of conducting coaching studies in English, Spanish or French using the same standardised instrument. The paper also presents an initial assessment of measurement invariance using multisample confirmatory factor analysis across two languages (French and Spanish) using two samples: one with French-speaking Canadian respondents and the other one with Spanish-speaking Argentinian respondents. Results suggest that the proposed translations present partial invariance across the samples, with six items out of eight showing invariance and only two showing non-invariance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite 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. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Coaching is a promising method for providing professional development, which takes many forms. One such form is real-time coaching through bug-in-ear technology. This study explored the social validity of bug-in-ear coaching when provided as a form of professional development with preservice and in-service early childhood educators. Data from two studies were qualitatively analyzed to describe early childhood educators’ perceptions of the acceptability of bug-in-ear coaching with respect to the learning opportunities provided, feasibility, difficulties, and child-level outcomes. Findings suggest that BIE is deemed to be important and effective at producing educator and child outcomes. Further, educators are satisfied with the intervention and view it to be an acceptable means for receiving professional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study charts the progress of a two-year programme to build a coaching culture at a small Australian multinational organisation. The intervention consisted of executive coaching and coaching skills workshops aimed principally at potential successors to the senior leadership team. Over the course of the programme the organisation went through many changes, including an organisational restructure and a change in CEO. The outcome of the intervention is discussed with reference to previously published models for implementing a coaching culture and to work on complex adaptive systems. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Feedback is one of the core components of teaching in the clinical setting. Traditionally, this activity has emphasized observations made by senior physicians and delivered to medical trainees. However, the optimal approach to feedback remains uncertain, and the literature abounds with trainee-perceived inadequacies in feedback content, quality, and impact. Moreover, given the multiplicity of demands on trainees and their physician mentors, we propose that medical trainees themselves—specifically, medical residents—are poised to serve as unique adjunct effectors of feedback. We propose a model of “clinical coaching” for residents as teachers, with emphasis on the active roles of both the feedback “giver” and “recipient”. We define “clinical coaching” as “a helping longitudinal relationship between coach and apprentice that provides continuing feedback on and assistance with improving performance.” Here, “coach” is the more experienced trainee (e.g. supervising resident), and “apprentice” is the less experienced trainee (e.g. intern or medical student). By working to better recognize and prepare residents for this vital role, we propose to encourage efforts to optimize the structure, execution, and impact of feedback in the contemporary climate of medical education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Coaching as an effective leadership initiative in organizations has gained increasing attention from scholars. This study investigates the effects of coaching on employees’ in-role behaviors (IRBs) and proactive career behaviors (PCBs), while also exploring the mediating role of psychological empowerment. Data were collected from a sample of 324 employee–supervisor pairs from 11 service companies in Taiwan. The results show that coaching was positively related to both IRBs and PCBs. Moreover, psychological empowerment fully mediated the coaching–IRB relationship and partially mediated the coaching–PCB relationship. Implications for managerial practices and future research are derived from these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Librarians in higher education who work in technical services must frequently rely on student employees to accomplish tasks previously assigned to professional staff. Hiring, training, managing, and mentoring student workers for the performance of high-level library functions can prove challenging. However, working side-by-side with student employees can be a positive experience when evidence-based training techniques and effective coaching and mentoring strategies are utilized. This article focuses on training techniques integrated with ongoing coaching and mentoring strategies to promote a positive work environment and motivated, successful student employees. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Formal mentoring programs continue to gain popularity within various organizations due to their positive impact on protégés' career successes. However, to date, relevant research has focused on the benefits of informal mentoring relationships. To narrow the literature gap, this study was conducted to examine whether, how and when the amount of formal mentoring provided by mentors influenced protégés' work attitudes. Based on 208 formal mentor–protégé dyads from the People's Republic of China, we found that the amount of formal mentoring provided by mentors related positively to protégés' affective commitment and related negatively to turnover intention. Furthermore, perceived psychological safety of protégés partially mediated the relationship between the amount of formal mentoring and affective commitment, whereas it completely mediated the relationship between the amount of formal mentoring and turnover intention. Finally, protégés' power distance orientation moderated the relationship between the amount of formal mentoring and perceived psychological safety. Additionally, implications for research and practice from our findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents some practical insights, strategies and tips about how to help organisations embed leadership coaching skills in the workplace following participation by executives and managers in ‘Leader as Coach’ development programs. Given that organisations globally are increasingly using such programs as part of leadership development initiatives, it is important that we develop effective methodologies for teaching and embedding coaching skills in organisations. We argue that an evidence-based approach to program design and solid alignment with the organisation's goals, values and language are essential foundations for the process of embedding coaching skills. In addition to internally branding the program, using respected figures internal to the organisation as role models and champions and encouraging participants to personalise the coaching methods and models, we have found that regularly sending reminder tips on how to use coaching skills in emails or other web-based communications to be effective in prompting leaders and managers to use coaching skills on a daily basis. This article presents seven such tips and other ideas about embedding and sustaining leaders' coaching skills in contemporary organisational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Measuring the benefits obtained from the use of executive and organisational coaching is of interest both to coaching service providers and to the organisations who engage their services. Survey instruments, designed to measure coaching effectiveness, have emerged as a means of easy access to information on the success of the coaching provided to individual recipients (termed in this paper ‘coaching counterparts’). However, the appropriateness and reliability of the instruments used are critical to good-quality coaching evaluation. This paper argues that reliability tests should be undertaken, and assessments made, in terms of the general efficacy of any instrument that is used. It reports on a study that investigated the reliability of a custom-designed survey instrument, the Coaching Effectiveness Survey (CES) which was developed by the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership, a commercial coaching service provider and coach training organisation in Australia. Although the CES has been in use since 2005, this study was completed when a population size of 291 coaching counterparts was reached in 2011. Results revealed that the CES is a reliable survey instrument and that coaching counterparts were most satisfied with the coaching experience for developing benefits in key intrapersonal and interpersonal areas, and, importantly, self-efficacy. Finally, this paper reminds us that although no survey instrument is sufficient for measuring the human experience of coaching (the ‘immeasurables’), surveys can be a useful and convenient starting point for investigating coaching effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper provides a summary of team coaching literature and includes team effectiveness studies that can inform team coaching practice. Four team coaching models, four empirical studies and eight case studies are discussed. Key team effectiveness topics reviewed include communication, decision-making and conflict. Coaching the leader on team design and structure was identified as a key condition of effective team coaching, along with the benefits of individual coaching, peer coaching and team off-sites. The case studies highlight that team coaching resulted in interpersonal and communication benefits while the empirical studies indicated improved team performance. The authors recommend that future researchers should conduct more management and leadership team coaching studies in real work settings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Coaching of employees, executives and organisations is becoming increasingly widespread. Improvisation may be essential to dynamic, interactional relationships such as those found in coaching. This paper introduces improvisation to the coaching literature, measures its importance to coaches and highlights improvisation usage within 12 coaching activities. Data from 113 coaches across two studies indicate that most coaches believe improvisation is essential and use it to a great extent. The combined results indicate improvisation is commonly utilised by a majority of coaches in a variety of coaching activities. Consequently, this paper offers a first step towards understanding how and why coaches use improvisation in organisational coaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports and discusses the findings of the UK coaching survey run in 2010/2011 and compares these findings with similar surveys within the UK and in the USA. The paper explores the nature of coaching in the UK today. It confirms that the prevailing focus of UK coaching activity is business and management related. It also establishes that a majority of UK coaches who responded to this survey are accredited with a coaching-related professional body, and the majority of coaches identify themselves as independent consultants, with a business and management orientation. This trend appears to reflect business demand for recognised qualification among a growing number of external coaches in the UK. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of the present study was to implement an experiment with a control group designed to explore the effects from external executive coaching on goal setting, self-efficacy and causal attribution. The study is comprised of 20 executives at a branch of a Norwegian Fortune 500 company who all voluntarily participated in an experiment over a period of 1 year. Analyses by means of analysis of covariance show that the goal setting strategy dimension, leadership self-efficacy and successful causal attributions to strategy increased in the experiment group compared to the control group. These findings are discussed based on the possible impact these variables have on performance, and how external executive coaching might be beneficial for companies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an overview of coaching in educational settings in the UK before introducing the concept of Instructional Coaching which is an evidence-based approach which has been developed and trialled in the USA. Instructional Coaching is defined and discussed in relation to UK-based approaches. It is proposed that Instructional Coaching may be of value within the UK and this article concludes with some ideas about how the approach might be introduced into the education sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their seminal paper on performance management, London and Smither suggested that an individual's feedback orientation should influence his or her receptivity to coaching. In the current paper, we seek to provide support for this notion by showing that individuals’ feedback orientations predict their perceptions of the coaching relationships that they share with their supervisors. We also examine the commonly held notion that the relationship is a critical prerequisite for effective coaching. Whereas previous research has examined the influence of supervisor (or coach) individual differences on coaching relationships, results of the current study demonstrate that individual differences of the employee (or coachee) also impact the quality of the coaching relationship. We examine our theory, that employee feedback orientation impacts the quality of the employee/supervisor coaching relationships, using survey data from 479 employees of a Fortune 500 company. Regression analyses show that employee feedback orientation accounts for significant variance in the quality of a coaching relationship. In addition, the current study provides some of the first empirical evidence of the link between the coaching relationship and actual coaching behaviours. The results of regression analyses also demonstrate that perceptions of the coaching relationship accounted for significant variance in reports of actual manager coaching behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, it is argued that financial return on investment (ROI) is an unreliable and insufficient measure of coaching outcomes, and that an over-emphasis on financial returns can restrict coaches’ and organisations’ awareness of the full range of positive outcomes possible through coaching. Furthermore, poorly targeted coaching interventions that myopically focus on maximising financial returns may actually inadvertently increase job-related stress and anxiety. The well-being and engagement framework (WBEF) is presented as an example of a potential approach for evaluating the impact of coaching in organisational settings that can give a richer overview of coaching outcomes than financial ROI. Although financial ROI may well be an attractive metric for some managers and organisations, it is proposed that frameworks such as the WBEF and goal attainment can provide a far more comprehensive and meaningful metric than financial ROI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a study on teachers’ perceptions of the coaching role in innovative secondary vocational education (SVE) in the Netherlands. Data from 109 teachers were collected by means of an online questionnaire, asking for their associations with the coaching role, goals concerning the coaching role, and typical coaching activities. Using multiple correspondence analyses, it was explored whether underlying dimensions could be found in teachers’ perceptions of the coaching role. Relations between teachers’ perceptions of the coaching role and background variables were also explored. The outcomes revealed that dominant themes in the teachers’ perceptions were promoting and supporting students’ meta-cognitive skills, creating a positive learning and working atmosphere, and guiding and actively supporting students. Two underlying dimensions regarding the perceptions of the coaching role could be detected. The extremities of these dimensions were interpretable in terms of learning environment and learning process on the one dimension, and general development and domain-specific development on the other. Teachers’ background variables were not significantly related to their perceptions of the coaching role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research suggests traditional probation and parole services perform less than optimally in reducing recidivism. In response to these findings, several attempts to integrate the principles of effective intervention and core correctional practices into community supervision have been made. Preliminary results from several jurisdictions suggest that the use of core correctional practices within the context of community supervision has been associated with meaningful reductions in offender recidivism. This research provided the impetus for the development of a new model by the University of Cincinnati Corrections Institute, entitled Effective Practices in Community Supervision (EPICS). The purpose of the EPICS model is to teach community supervision officers how to translate the principles of effective intervention into practice, and, more specifically, how to use core correctional practices in face-to-face interactions with offenders. Results indicated that officers trained in the EPICS model demonstrated more consistent use of core correctional practices. Remarkably, trained officers also became more proficient in their use of these skills over time as a result of participation in coaching sessions. These preliminary findings underscore the importance of training and coaching as an on-going process to assist agencies in gaining adherence to the principles of effective intervention and core correctional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The subject of supervision is receiving increasing attention within the coaching literature. At the same time, the level of priority assigned to coaching supervision varies within and between coaching consumer- and provider-groups. Referring to models that inform coaching supervision as well as to the multiple perspectives of the coaching context, this article details the core features of the supervision relationship that will inform the supervisee (and the systems with which they interact) whether they have found the right supervisor. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Explaining the purpose of a research study and providing a compelling rationale is an important part of any coaching research project, enabling the work to be set in the context of both existing evidence (and theory) and its practical applications. This necessitates formulating a clear research question and deriving specific research objectives, thereby justifying and contextualising the study. In this research note we consider the characteristics of good research questions and research objectives and the role of theory in developing these. We conclude with a summary and a checklist to help ensure the rationale for a coaching research study is convincing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Coaches do not come to practice as a blank slate. However, there is little documentation of the impact diverse life experiences have on coaches’ skills, professional evolution or presence in practice. Analysis of a critical events question included in a long-term global study of coach development identified three different clusters of life experiences each of which has an impact on a specific range of coach characteristics and coaching practices. Stressful personal experiences impact characteristics such as empathy and self-awareness. Coaching-field specific experiences influence practice skills and knowledge base. Some prior professional training and experiences influence coach practices and perceptions of client workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Coaching in organisations is often limited to high potential employees and varying levels of management for a specific duration of time, typically lasting six months. The Strategies for Enhancing Performance Initiative introduces a more simplified usage of coaching and one that has potential to address a much larger audience. The Strategies for Enhancing Performance Initiative began in 2003 and involved 115 workers in an experimental/control design. The purpose of the study was to identify, test and measure the most effective Performance Control Practices used in the workplace to increase performance while simultaneously mitigating the negative effects of stress. Participants took part in a 4-hour traditional classroom-based training programme, followed by one individual 30-minute phone coaching session with an external coach 3–4 weeks after the training programme. The results for the experimental group, when compared to the control group, showed a significant difference in their ability to identify solutions to issues that positively impacted their work to be done, their effectiveness when being criticised, their heightened ability to deal with changing priorities and more effectively dealing with tight deadlines and turning around assignments. The experimental group also showed an increased adeptness for articulating ideas more clearly and concisely when compared to the control group. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Self-determination theory (SDT) and Co-Active life coaching (CALC) serve in a complementary capacity whereby both are concerned with investigating the natural growth tendencies of individuals with respect to self-motivation. SDT provides a framework for examining the processes that regulate health behaviours, while the Co-Active model provides the tools necessary to bring desired changes to fruition. Although an increasing amount of empirical support for CALC exists, its motivation-specific underpinnings have yet to be examined theoretically. Given that motivation has been linked to the behaviour change process, the purpose of present paper was to explore the motivational foundations of CALC as they relate to SDT in order to provide theory-based evidence for its effectiveness and validate further, its utility as a viable health behaviour change method. Through deconstructing the techniques inherent in CALC and analysing its three key principles (i.e. fulfilment, balance and process coaching), a protocol for increasing motivation and enhancing self-determination as a function of satisfying SDT's needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness was uncovered. This exploratory analysis provides an important first step in positioning CALC as a theoretically grounded behaviour change method from a motivational perspective. Empirical research is now warranted to confirm these mechanisms with respect to the behaviour change process and treatment outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though the knowledge base on mentoring new teachers has grown exponentially in the past 30 years, researchers know less about university involvement in induction, and even less about the role that faculty mentors may play in induction. Drawing on interview, e-mail, and observational data from a yearlong mentoring relationship between a faculty mentor and 7 new teachers, the author examined a faculty mentor's role in supporting beginning teachers. Findings highlight the importance of identity development in assuming a cross-institutional role as a faculty mentor. The transition from teacher educator to teacher mentor requires the development of a mentor identity that is recognized and valued in the community of practice inhabited by classroom teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 300 Green Belts trained but business results not delivered as targeted, Agilent Technologies, Inc. needed to understand the root causes and develop methods to raise their Six Sigma Green Belts up the ladder of development. Agilent has an excellent training programme for Six Sigma Belts with effective tools for instruction and learning assessment. However, the quality advocates believed a more highly developed programme of proactive coaching was necessary for Green Belts to achieve a higher level of maturity, improve the contribution to the business, and to attain industry recognised certification. A Six Sigma Project was instituted with two goals; (1) develop a measureable process with associated methods and tools to coach Green Belts to the desired level of cognitive and affective maturity; and (2) improve that process using Six Sigma methodology to reduce variation in the quality and effectiveness of the coaching process. This article discusses the four-step coaching process developed by Agilent. It describes the goals associated with Agilent's expectations of its Green Belts on the cognitive and affective rungs of the ladder of development. It reports the project's results and what was learned during the journey with regard to the key relationships for Green Belt development. Lastly, it proposes recommendations for further development of Green Belt coaching and improved business results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While managers' coaching of their subordinates continues to grow in organisations, little empirical research exists to inform the practice. The current paper seeks to further our understanding of this type of coaching - which we refer to as employee coaching - by exploring the coaching relationship formed between the supervisor and subordinate. Past research has noted that the process and effectiveness of coaching are contingent on this relationship. The purpose of the current paper is twofold: to better define the constructs of employee coaching and the employee coaching relationship and to develop a measure of the perceived quality of the employee coaching relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores coachees and coaches views on aspects important in the formation of the coaching relationship. The research uses a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured repertory grid interviews were conducted with six coachees and six coaches in the UK. Using content analysis, three primary themes, of bond and engagement, coach attitudes and characteristics, and collaboration were elicited. Findings suggest that coach self-awareness and awareness of the coachee are important to both coachees and coaches; adaptation of the coach to the individual coachee was important to some participants; that the bond and collaboration were perceived differently by participants, however not by coachees and coaches; and that trust was a key aspect of bond and engagement. The quality of interpersonal interactions between coachee and coach, and an emphasis on co-creation of the coaching relationship were highlighted as superordinate themes subsuming several of the study's findings. Recommendations for coaching research and practice and implications of the study's findings are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Now that coaching has developed into a more recognisable and established profession, coaches must articulate and understand their own practices with growing precision (Kauffman & Bachkirova, 2008). Since coaching is an evolving field, coaches are being encouraged to document research on their emerging profession (Drake, 2008). Considering this need, a new demand arises for coaches to be supported by colleagues who are familiar with existing research, best practices, and empirical bases. Because concepts such as listening, relationships, voice, and silence matter to many coaches, and given the fact that more coaches are seeking valuable methods of analysis to better understand their coaching in research-based ways, the purpose of this article is to introduce the Listening Guide (e.g. Brown & Gilligan, 1992; Gilligan, Spencer, Weinberg, & Bertsch, 2003; Raider-Roth, 2005; Taylor, Gilligan, & Sullivan, 1995; Tolman, 2002; Way, 1998) to the field of coaching. The Listening Guide (LG) is a qualitative, relational, voice-centered methodology, which may be used to seriously reflect on the ways in which we listen to our clients, learn from them, and form relationships with them. In this article, the author takes the reader through a comprehensive 'how to' of the LG, including step-by-step explanations and examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coaching is rapidly increasing as a valued intervention. This has led to key debates on professionalism, its evidence base, boundaries with other interventions and the underpinning knowledge base. This paper outlines these issues and in particular considers what is happening in the UK. It concludes that coaching in the UK is generating important developments in education, research and professionalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian coaching workplace (to be referred to as the State Institute of Sport; SIS) under consideration in this study employs significant numbers of full-time performance sport coaches and can be accurately characterized as a genuine workplace. Through a consideration of the interaction between what the workplace (SIS) affords the individual and the agency of the individual SIS coaches, it is possible to gain an understanding how high performance sport coaches learn in the workplace. Analysis of data collected by means of semi-structured interviews with a group of coaches (n=6) and administrators (n=6), revealed that coaches learned through a variety of sources both within and outside of (but often influenced by) the SIS. In addition, there were a range of factors such as the working climate and the physical environment that were reported to have an impact on the learning of the coaches (structure). In keeping with Billett's (2006) theorizing, aspects of the individuals' agency (e.g. passion for the sport, drive to be the best) were also found to be critical to the learning in the workplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article makes the case for integrating coaching training into Six Sigma activities. It reviews the literature in the areas of process improvement, quality, leadership, and managerial coaching to show how the implementation of managerial coaching training for Six Sigma black belts would have a positive effect on the accumulation of knowledge within an organisation, thus enhancing the potential benefits of a Six Sigma process improvement effort. Current literature calls for practitioners and scholars to address Six Sigma black belts' lack of training in those soft skills that promote success and advancement within the Six Sigma project team setting. Coaching, defined as the facilitation of individual learning within an organisation, is vital to the growth of organisational learning. This paper incorporates current literature to show the inherent link between managerial coaching practice and expertise and the sustainability of Six Sigma programmes, which is essential for many companies to maintain a competitive advantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]