Role behavior of the coach and the participants as essential for the results of individual coaching

Abstract

Individual coaching has become a popular intervention tool to increase manager’s (named coaches) affective commitment, competences and effectiveness in conducting healthy organizational changes. The aim of this chapter is to explore the infl uence of the role behavior of the coach and the participants on intervention outcome. An 8 month individual coaching intervention focusing on the safety- related competencies of the top manager and the safety manager was carried out in a medium-sized Danish company. The coaching interventions towards the top manager generally succeeded and supported substantial changes in the Company’s approach to safety. The safety manager solved 69 % of the coaching tasks. However, the safety manager did not change her role behavior substantially and this intervention was categorized as partly failed. In this case, the role behaviors of the coach and the safety manager and the power relation between these lead to implementation failure. Role behaviors of the coach and the participants are important for the implementation of individual coaching interventions. The theory of individual coaching needs to address these issues. Additional, a clarifi cation of power interest between the coach and the company is a precondition for successful coaching interventions.