Coaching at the heart of managerial effectiveness: A cross-cultural study of managerial behaviours

Abstract

The concept of managers and managerial leaders assuming the developmental role of coaching has gained considerable attention in recent years as organizations seek to leverage learning by creating infrastructures that foster employee learning and development. However, despite the increasing focus on managerial coaching and the many contentions that coaching is an essential feature of really effective management, the literature remains predominantly practice-based and atheoretical. The present study attempts to address this lack of a sound and sufficient empirical base by presenting the results of a cross-cultural comparison of the empirical findings from several previous 'managerial coaching effectiveness' and 'managerial and leadership effectiveness' studies completed by the authors in their three respective countries. Its specific aim is to demonstrate empirically the extent to which being an effective coach is an essential feature of being an effective manager and/or managerial leader.