Executive and Employee Coaching : Research and Best Practices for Practitioners

It is increasingly common for organizational performance management strategies to include one-on-one coaching engagements. In one variation, called executive coaching, this engagement is between an executive-level employee and an external coaching agent. In another variation, called employee coaching, the engagement is between an employee and supervisor. Both types of coaching have the potential to substantially improve performance, and as such it is not surprising that both are seen favorably by human resource professionals and employees alike. While employee and executive coaching are popular and widely used in practice, scholarly investigation into coaching is still in its infancy. The purpose of the present paper is to clarify accepted definitions, review available scientific evidence, and offer recommendations for overcoming challenges associated with of each type of coaching. Background Executive Coaching Executive coaching is a one-on-one relationship in which a (typically external) coach works with an executive-level employee in order to facilitate behavioral change by increasing self-awareness (Joo, 2005). Areas of performance targeted for improvements vary widely, ranging from interpersonal communication to strategic thinking or influencing organizational culture change (ICF Global Coaching Study, 2012). In contrast to counseling, which is remedial and focused on general life topics, executive coaching is future-focused, developmental, and oriented toward work-specific topics (Peterson, 2002). Overall, available scholarly investigations into executive coaching suggest that the practice can be effective, under certain circumstances. For example, practice-based research has indicated that by the end of coaching engagements, half of all coachees report increased self-awareness, eight in ten report transfer of skills they have learned (Olivero, Bane, & Kopelman, 1997), nearly a third report performance improvements, and a quarter report “personal growth” (Gegner, 1997). Further, human resource professionals report considerable confidence in the practice of executive coaching (a 2009 survey found that 87% believe the value of coaching to be “somewhat high” or “high”; Sherpa Coaching LLC, 2009).