Centre for Equality

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E-COACHING FOR FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS Carianne
Hunt, Dr. Sandra Fielden, Prof. Marilyn Davidson
Dr. Helge Hoel Centre for Equality and
Diversity at Work,Manchester Business School,
The University of Manchestercarianne.hunt_at_mbs.a
c.uk/ 44 (0) 161 200 3482
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What does the literature say?

• Women are only half as likely to be involved in
  entrepreneurial activity as their male
  counterparts (Harding, 2008).
• The main barriers faced by female small business
  owners appear to be based on access to funding
  and finance, balancing domestic responsibilities
  and work, and a lack of human and social capital
  (Carter, Brush, Greene, Gatewood and Hart, 2003
  Shaw, Carter and Brierton, 2001 Shelton, 2006
  Aldrich, 1989 Carter and Williams, 2003
  Changanti and Parasuraman, 1996 Verheul, Uhlaner
  and Thurik, 2001).
• Reasons why women do not access support lack of
  confidence, childcare responsibilities and
  ethnicity (Fielden et al, 2003).
• A main cause of conflict for women business
  owners centres on balancing family and work roles
  (Parasuraman et al, 1996).
• A lack of self-confidence is generally viewed as
  a considerable barrier for women contemplating or
  operating a small business (Shragg et al., 1992
  Still and Guerin, 1991).

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What does the literature say? (contd)

• Coaching is a developmental intervention that can
  enable an individual to adjust to major changes
  (Whitmore, 2002 Zeus and Skiffington, 2003
  Giglio et al, 1998).
• Improving individual performance and development
  of skills is key to an effective coaching
  relationship (Gallwey, 1986).
• Coaching is centred on unlocking an individuals
  potential to maximise their performance
  (Whitmore, 2002).
• Unlike one off training activities, coaching can
  provide ongoing support for business development
  (Jarvis, 2004).
• Lack of empirical research examining coaching and
  entrepreneurship.
• There appears to be an increasing awareness
  among coaches of a need to ground their practice
  in a sold theoretical understanding and
  empirically tested models, rather than the
  standardised implementation of one size fits
  all (Grant and Cavanagh, 200412).
• Wasylyshyn, Gronsky and Haas (200676) state in
  the absence of empirical study, it will be
  difficult for this application of psychology in
  business to maintain a place of respect and
  credibility among leadership development
  resources.

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Pilot study

• Aim
• To develop and design an effective e-coaching
  programme as a means of overcoming the gap in
  business skill and knowledge that significantly
  inhibits the current creation and growth of women
  owned businesses in the North West of England.
• Objective
• To ascertain female business owners requirements
  of business support provision and to investigate
  the potential of an e-coaching programme for the
  provision of business support for female business
  owners in the North West of England.
• Methodology
• Qualitative
• Semi-structured interviews conducted with 30
  female small business owners.

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Pilot study

• Findings
• The need for tailored and focused support.
• Longer term relationships.
• The need for one-to-one support.
• Women need access to virtual networks.
• The importance of role models.
• Women have unique support needs.
• Coaching and coaching relationships.
• Coaching vs Business Support.
• Importance of online support.

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Main Study - Theoretical framework

• Social Learning Theory/Social Cognitive Theory
• Social Cognitive Theory has its origins in the
  field of psychology -stemmed from Social Learning
  Theory.
• A consequence of response will influence the
  likelihood that an individual will perform a
  particular form of behaviour again.
• Humans learn by observing others and also by
  participating in a certain act vicarious
  learning.
• Individuals are more likely to model behaviour
  which is observed by others who they can identify
  with.
• Self efficacy can be seen as the most effective
  indicator and predictor of performance (Bandura,
  1982 1986).
• The relationship between self-efficacy and
  behaviour is best demonstrated in challenging
  situations of risk and uncertainty, which are
  believed to typify entrepreneurship (Chen, 1998
  301).

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Main Study

• Aim
• To implement and evaluate an e-coaching programme
  for female entrepreneurs in the North West of
  England.
• Objectives
• To identify the impact of informal and formal
  support received by participants (coachees and
  coaches), compared to a control group.
• To investigate the impact of an e-coaching
  programme on the
• perceived abilities and entrepreneurial attitudes
  of participants (coachees and coaches), compared
  to a control group.
• To investigate the perceptions of coaches and
  coachees regarding the impact of the programme.
• To provide recommendations from the monitoring
  and evaluation of an e-coaching programme for the
  development of future e-coaching programmes.

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Main Study Methodology

• Qualitative and quantitative data.
• 60 participants (30 coaching pairs).
• 26 control group.
• Three time points
• T1 Baseline.
• T2 Six months (completion of programme).
• T3 9 months (three months following completion).

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PROGRAMME MODEL
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
REGISTRATION JAN MARCH 2006
RESEARCH
MATCHING
QUESTIONNAIRES (T1)
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
WELCOME EVENT MAY/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS COMMENCE JUNE/JULY 2006

Centre for Equality Diversity at Work
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
COACHING RELATIONSHIPS FINISH NOV/DEC 2006
QUESTIONNAIRES (T2)
CLOSING EVENT JAN/FEB 2007
CLOSING EVENT JAN/FEB 2007
CLOSING EVENT JAN/FEB 2007
CLOSING EVENT JAN/FEB 2007
CLOSING EVENT JAN/FEB 2007
CLOSING EVENT JAN/FEB 2007
CLOSING EVENT JAN/FEB 2007
INTERVIEWS (T3)
FOLLOW UP MARCH/APRIL 2007
FOLLOW UP MARCH/APRIL 2007
FOLLOW UP MARCH/APRIL 2007
FOLLOW UP MARCH/APRIL 2007
FOLLOW UP MARCH/APRIL 2007
FOLLOW UP
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Main Study Findings - Business support (formal
and informal)

• No statistical significant findings in relation
  to the coachees and formal
• business support provision from T1 to T2.
• Control group statistically significantly more
  likely to rate formal business
• support provision at T2 compared with T1 in a
  number of areas, such as
• networking and work and home life balance.
  However, this was not
• reflected in responses to informal sources of
  support.

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• Findings - Entrepreneurial self-efficacy
  general entrepreneurial attitudes
• Coachees increased entrepreneurial Self-efficacy
  in the following areas from T1 to T2
• define my long term business goals, make business
  decisions under risk and uncertainty, define my
  short term business goals, conduct marketing,
  balance my work and home life, network with other
  business owners
• Control group no statistically significant
  findings from T1 to T2.
• Coaches increased general entrepreneurial
  attitudes in the following areas from T1 to T2
• Satisfied with work and home life balance, Self
  confident,
• Aware of business support, able to achieve my
  business goals,
• When I achieve goals usually because worked hard
  for it,
• Satisfied with business progress, I am able to
  motivate myself
• in business, Whether or not I am successful in
  business depends
• mostly on my ability, I feel in control of my
  business.

Main Study

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• Main Study
• Findings Impact of the programme
• Defining coaching On the whole, definitions had
  not changed from
• start to completion of the programme.
• Coachees Clarification of business goals
  enactive mastery
• validation verbal persuasion Shared experience
  
• vicarious experience Self discovery.
• Coaches validation, increased learning and
  increased networks.

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Carianne Hunt, Dr. Sandra Fielden, Prof. Marilyn
Davidson Dr. Helge Hoel Centre for Equality
and Diversity at Work, Manchester Business
School, The University of Manchester carianne.hun
t_at_mbs.ac.uk/ 44 (0) 161 200 3482
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Findings
Impact of programme - coachees
Validation verbal persuasion It gave me a
confidence boost She gave me validation and
underlined the belief in myself on a personal
level.
Clarification/ enactive mastery She was able to
take confused ideas and make it very plain
providing clarity and allowed me to see what I
was actually trying to do
Shared experience vicarious experience She
was willing to share her own experiences with
me. I benefited from her knowledge.
Coachees
Centre for Equality Diversity at Work
Self-discovery I think probably my
self-discovery me finding out the core truth
about myselflike peeling an onion really where
you thought there was a problem and then delving
a bit deeper until you get to that core.
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Main Study Findings Impact of the
programme Online element advantages
convenience, safety, method of recording, time
for reflection. online coaching is convenient,
sharp, and focused it some how... It seems more
practical, seems more action focused... Can do it
anytime, anywhere, as long as have PC access and
internet. (coach) I think having the email
helped because it gave you time to actually
think before she responded she was able to sit
back for a minute and possibly evolve her
thoughts more than you do when I think you
verbally converse. (coach) I found it really
useful for reviewing as well before the next
meeting, when I write notes they tend to be
scrawled so in terms of holding myself
accountable and making clear plansI thought it
was fantastic it really suited me. (coachee)

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• Main Study
• Findings Impact of the programme
• Disadvantages misinterpretation of the written
  word,
• slow to communicate.
• The main problem with the online method was the
  slowness of it,
• it wasnt really instant enough for a
  conversation. (coach)
• It is a little bit difficult because you can
  sometimes misunderstand
• the inference and I was ready for that when we
  started this I
• knew that was likely to occur.(coach)

Centre for Equality Diversity at Work