Department
Organization Development
Date of Paper/Work
2011
Degree Name
Doctor of Education in Organization Development (Ed.D.)
Type of Paper/Work
Dissertation
Advisors
John Conbere; Patricia Hedberg; Joseph Volker
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to understand the lived experience of leaders who engaged in executive coaching as a leadership development initiative. Through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), six participants, three women and three men, shared their experience of the client side of executive coaching. Data collected through one-on-one interviews provided rich descriptions of the client’s perceptions during their coaching engagement. Thematic findings include three Super-Ordinate themes: A Hope & Faith in the Coaching Process, The Journey and Memory Book. Sub-themes under Hope & Faith in the Coaching Process: investment in me, know oneself, expect the unexpected, and ascension. Sub-themes under The Journey: attending, facing warts, freckles and scars, Johari Window, and leader as humanitarian. Sub-themes under Memory Book: nostalgia, self-reflection, client-coach fit and still learning. The three Super-Ordinate themes and sub-themes provide significant insight to the lived experience of leaders in coaching. The research provides recommendations to organizations who may hire a coach, to the executive who is new to coaching or a veteran of coaching, and to the executive coach. Future research is suggested for both positivistic and interpretive studies.
Keywords
executive coaching, interpretive phenomenological analysis, qualitative research, coaching, lived experience, leadership development
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Morrell, Scott Trevor, "Voices of the Coached: Conversations with Those Who Have Participated in Executive Coaching" (2011). Education Doctoral Dissertations in Organization Development. 8.
https://ir.stthomas.edu/caps_ed_orgdev_docdiss/8