Executive Coaching Outcome Research: the Contribution of Common Factors Such as Relationship, Personality Match, and Self-efficacy

This article argues for a new way of studying executive-coaching outcomes, which is illustrated with a study based on data from 156 client–coach pairs. The argument accepts that we are unlikely to get robust data on coaching outcomes in the near future but assumes that we can expect similar effectiveness for coaching as that demonstrated in rigorous psychotherapy outcome research. Therefore, it is argued that it is more important now to (a) identify the “active ingredients” that predict the effectiveness of executive coaching, and (b) to determine the difference in predictive value of these active ingredients on coaching effectiveness. The outcome study examined some of these active ingredients, such as the working alliance between coach and client, the self-efficacy of the client, the personality of the client, and the “personality match” between client and coach. The results show that client perceptions of coaching outcome were significantly related to their perceptions of the working alliance, client self-efficacy, and to client perceptions of the range of techniques of the coach. The client–coach relationship mediated the impact of self-efficacy and range of techniques on coaching outcomes, suggesting that this relationship is the key factor in determining how clients perceive the outcome of coaching.