Executive Coaching

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Executive Coaching

• An HR View of What Works

Dr Gavin R Dagley October 2006
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Research questions

• how has executive coaching been used?
• how effective was it?
• what were the factors that predicted success?

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Scale

• 17 interviews
• 1000 executives
• 15.4m spend
• manufacturing / retail / corporate services /
  industrial / local government / government
  organisations / logistics / financial
• larger (1m) and smaller (200k-) programs

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Does it work?

• Overall, how effective has EC been in your
  organisation?
• Oall 1m
  200k-
• 5 - Outstandingly effective 1 1 -
• 4 - Very effective 6 2 4
• 3 - Moderately effective 10 3 7
• 2 - Marginally effective - - -
• 1 - Not effective - - -

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What do executives think?

• Overall, what have been the participants
  responses to the degree of benefit they received
  from EC?
• Oall 1m
  200k-
• 5 - Outstandingly effective 3 2 1
• 4 - Very effective 11 4 7
• 3 - Moderately effective 2 - 2
• 2 - Marginally effective - - -
• 1 - Not effective - - -

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What do executives gain?

• Which of the following specific gains for the
  individuals have you become aware of that
  resulted from the EC work? (of 20)
• strong some Total
• Style, responses issues 16 1 33
• Communication engagement 7 9 23
• Robustness 6 7 19
• Understanding own performance 7 4 18
• Understanding org issues solutions 3
  11 17

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What executives gain less?

• Which of the following specific gains for the
  individuals have you become aware of that
  resulted from the EC work?
• strong some Total
• Improved measured performance 2 7 11
• Improved work throughput 2 4 8
• Improved delegation ability - 8 8

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What does the organisation gain?

• Which of the following organisational gains
  occurred as result of using EC? (all)
• strong some Total
• Building talent pool capability 8 8 24
• Talent retention morale 6 6 18
• Effective leadership 4 7 15
• Cultural change 3 6 12
• Team cohesion 3 6 12
• Conflict resolution 1 9 11
• Performance remediation 3 5 11

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What are the drawbacks?

• What drawbacks and difficulties have you
  experienced with EC services?
• big some Total
• Expensive 4 6 14
• Making session time 1 12 14
• Poor translation to behaviours 3 6 12
• Negative perceptions of EC 3 6 12
• Locating good coaches 3 5 11
• Difficulty linking to org performance 1 9 11

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Programs Costs

• 9 sessions (4 to 18)
• 90-minute sessions (50 to 120)
• 7 months duration (3 to 12)
• range - 600 for 4 gtgt 45,000 for 18
• 12,600 per executive (10k median)
• 717 per hour (488 median)

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Cost/benefit estimates

• If you were to make an estimate, overall, how do
  you rate EC in terms of the extent to which the
  dollar returns exceeded (or were exceeded by) the
  cost?
• Oall 1m 200k-
• Greatly exceeded 2 1 1
• Exceeded 4 3 1
• Equal 2 1 1
• Less than 1 - 1
• A lot less than - - -

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Are you interested?

• How much interest do you have in using EC
  services in the next two years?
• Strong 15
• Some 2
• Little -
• None -

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What makes it effective?
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What makes it effective?

• For each of the following program factors please
  indicate the relative importance of each using a
  4 to 1 scale, with 4 meaning CRITICALLY
  IMPORTANT and 1 meaning NOT IMPORTANT (22
  factors)
• Highly skilled coaches 4.0
• Rapport and trust between the coach and
  participant 3.9
• Confidentiality of discussions to coach and
  participant only 3.9
• Senior management support and engagement 3.8
• Participant engagement and commitment 3.8
• Other ethical considerations effectively dealt
  with 3.8

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What makes it effective?

• For each of the following program factors please
  indicate the relative importance of each using a
  4 to 1 scale, with 4 meaning CRITICALLY
  IMPORTANT and 1 meaning NOT IMPORTANT (22
  factors)
• .continued
• Careful matching of coach and participant 3.8
• Sponsor/supervisor support and engagement 3.7
• Allowing coaches considerable flexibility to
  individually
• tailor program content 3.6
• Rigorous coach selection procedures 3.5
• Careful participant selection 3.5

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What factors have less effect?

• For each of the following program factors please
  indicate the relative importance of each using a
  4 to 1 scale, with 4 meaning CRITICALLY
  IMPORTANT and 1 meaning NOT IMPORTANT (22
  factors)
• Participant choice in the selection of the
  coach 2.8
• Formal measurement and reporting processes 2.8
• Having a standard structure for coaching
  programs 2.4
• Use of psychometric tools and inventories in the
  content of
• each program 2.2
• Collation and presentation of EC results 2.2
• Having a standard model for the delivery of
  content 1.9

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What makes EC effective?
4.0
3.3
2.0
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Interesting stuff

• Defining coaching
• Goal-setting
• Concern about reporting

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Fascinating contrasts

• Efficacy vs interest
• Individual vs organisational gains
• Larger vs smaller programs
• Value of structure vs measurement support

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The bind
Complexity uncertainty
Pressure for structure
Individual vs organisational benefits
EC gtgt
Expensive
Strong interest
Limited options
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Hypothesis

• Extraordinary executive coaching functions in a
  niche
• in which results are difficult to measure
• that sometimes produces extraordinary changes
• that is otherwise largely inaccessible

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Foundations
Conviction Talent develop gtgt Org performance
Tension The bind
Method Options agendas
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Best practice
Individual development
Executives
Delivery structures
Relationship
Coaches
Organisational performance
Reporting
Environment
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Contact details

• Gavin Dagley
• gavin.dagley_at_bigpond.com
• PO Box 55
• St Kilda VIC 3182
• 0425 795 675