The role of feedback in coaching and technology-enabled coaching processes

Abstract

Many forms of coaching are quite popular in organizations, yet it is only very recently that the feedback literature has been linked to the coaching process. In this chapter, we discuss the role of feedback in the coaching process and identify four success factors for coaching: constructive feedback, individual coach and coachee feedback orientation, quality of the coaching relationship, and the feedback environment. We then extend these notions to the technology-enabled coaching interventions of e-coaching and virtual coaching. We identify a particular need to study the way technological applications in coaching can mirror face-to-face coaching processes, and where technology can be leveraged to improve coaching outcomes. Future research and practical applications linking self-feedback to self-determination in coachingare explored.