An explorative comparison of the value and experiences of the coach and coachee during executive coaching

Abstract

This study set out to explore and describe the experiences of executives and coaches when going through a process of executive coaching. The rationale was that an understating of their experience and their perceived benefits that they gain from a coaching process, might afford insight into a relatively new field. Subsequently this could perhaps contribute to the knowledge of executive coaching in South Africa and develop the discipline further by focusing on the experiences of the different parties. A qualitative approach was followed since it provides rich, descriptive data that increases the contextual depth. To ensure the quality of the research, sensitivity was given to criteria of transferability, credibility and dependability. Exploratory research was employed because executive coaching in South Africa has not been documented that extensively. This method was also chosen because the researcher aimed to describe and interpret the context-bound research subject. Grounded theory was used to analyse the qualitative data. Ten participants were interviewed individually to collect information regarding their experiences. Five coaches and five coachees were interviewed, the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed from a grounded theory perspective. The findings indicated the experiences of coachees and coaches when going through a coaching process. There are five transcending findings that the researcher found very interesting although these were not all linked to the research questions. They are as follows:<br> 1) Approach / focus of coach seems closely linked to experience of coachee<br> 2) Coaches use very different paradigms / models <br> 3) Use the term executive coaching interchangeable with other terms<br> 4) Coach not unaffected by executive coaching relationship<br> 5) Important for the coachee to feel that the coach understands his/her culture The first indicates that the approach of the coach seems closely linked to the experience of the coachee”. The second indicates that coaches use different paradigms and some followed a more involved process. The third indicates that coaches also use different terms to refer to executive coaching which may lead to misunderstandings in the field. The fourth transcending finding indicates that the coach is not unaffected by the coaching relationship and that they also value growth and development from coaching. The last transcending finding indicates that the coachee feels it is important that the coach understands his/her culture and background. This study contributes to the field of coaching, more specifically, executive coaching in South Africa. The findings also stress the importance of understanding and respecting the diversity in South Africa, specifically in terms of our cultures, backgrounds and different frameworks. Copyright 2008, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Hattingh, M 2008, An explorative comparison of the value and experiences of the coach and coachee during executive coaching, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02162012-120517 / > C12/4/133/gm