Coaching, as a professional domain, is an emerging area of practice. In fact, there is no single agreed upon definition of professional coaching, though most scholars and practitioners generally agree it focuses around some form of “professional development, growth, change, or thriving” (Boysen-Rotelli, 2018, p. 2). According to Boysen-Rotelli (2018), effective coaching is a transformational dyadic relationship wherein the coach is the catalyst for change and the client grows in awareness such that they develop the solutions and answers they need to achieve their own goals and increase their thriving (p. 4). Additionally, Boysen-Rotelli asserts the practice of coaching is geared toward generating new modes of thinking via encouraging inquiry and challenging old patterns. Also central to coaching is the coach’s commitment to pursuing the client’s agenda for goal attainment versus what the coach believes would benefit the client.
Coaching vs Therapy
Allowing the client to set the agenda for a coaching session fundamentally differentiates coaching from other service professions such as consulting, training, and psychological therapy (Boysen-Rotelli, 2018). For example, in consulting, the consultant is the expert who provides a solution to their client based on the consultant’s knowledge and experience. Similarly, in a training engagement, the trainer determines both the learning process and the learning objectives. In contrast, a coach views the client positively as the problem-solving expert and facilitates the client’s self-discovery of his or her own solutions based upon the client’s goals and a negotiated coaching process.
Psychotherapy also differs from coaching in that therapy is focused on psychopathology and coaching is focused on attaining goals and enhancing well-being (Boysen-Rotelli, 2018). Additionally, therapy supports the client in looking backward in order to understand the root of their problem; whereas coaching supports the client in looking forward toward the future and solving a problem. Finally, therapy assumes that the client is not well and aims to bring the client healing; whereas coaching assumes the client is starting from a point of wellness and aims to increase the client’s functioning, effectiveness, and thriving.
The Benefits and Value of Coaching
The benefits of coaching are wide and varied and – as coaching influences change in the client’s self-awareness, behaviors, and performance – impacts individuals, teams, and whole organizations (Boysen et al., 2018). Boysen et al. identifies such benefits of coaching as personal and professional goal attainment, improved communication, increased employee satisfaction, reduced turnover, improved relationships, improved teamwork, improved ability to lead and respond to change, and increased flexibility and adaptability. Boysen et al. also suggest that coaching produces staying-power of such changes where 63% of one study’s participant’s experienced sustained behavior change.
In terms of value, Boysen et al. (2018) reports on numerous case studies that calculate the return-on-investment (ROI) of coaching to organizations. One study found a 529% ROI; another study found a 251% ROI; and a third study reported that participants estimated ROI between $100,000 and $1 million.
Coaching not only produces financial returns, however, but also intangible returns, which – as Boysen et al. point out – may be “in the eye of the beholder” (p. 161). For example, Longenecker and McCartney (2020) cite intangible value for organizations such as creating time, space, and focus for reflection and self-assessment; establishing mechanisms for accountability and motivation; and establishing processes that support employees through change. Each of these intangible benefits provide value back to the organization in the form of increased employee engagement, satisfaction, and organizational commitment. Given that the benefits of coaching may be both tangible and intangible, it is important for organizations to define clearly both financial and non-financial goals prior to any coaching engagement so they can assess the value of coaching more effectively over time (Boysen et al., 2018).
Summary
In summary, coaching possesses characteristics that make it unique among service professions such as a client-directed agenda, a forward-looking growth objective, and the belief that the client is capable of generating their own solutions with the support of the coaching process; and which produces benefits and value to individuals, teams, and organizations that may be tangible, intangible, financial, and non-financial.
References
Boysen-Rotelli, S. (2018). An introduction to professional and executive coaching. Information Age Publishing.
Boysen, S., Cherry, M., Amerie, W., & Takagawa, M. (2018). Organisational coaching outcomes: A comparison of a practitioner survey and key findings from the literature. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching & Mentoring, 16(1), 159–166.
Longenecker, C., & McCartney, M. (2020). The benefits of executive coaching: Voices from the c-suite. Strategic HR Review, 19(1), 22–27.