The challenges presented in this chapter will develop an understanding for the coaching practitioners to bring in improvement in their existing practices. This will also help various organizations to understand the relevance of EC and its role in further strengthening leadership learning and development. The viewpoints of researchers presented may help the practicing coaches to be more thoughtful on their practice. This may further inspire independence and continuous relentless learning of coachees. Coachees becoming independent learners and coaches of themselves and others can help practitioners to justify their practice. This study emphasised the importance of role of leadership, organizational culture and support for interventions, training and development of coaches, motivation and self-efficacy to achieve positive outcome in coaching. The study also recommends ways to overcome these challenges to create an optimistic coaching knowledge and experience to further facilitate independence and self-directed continuous learning.
TopIntroduction
Coaching is fundamentally a process to facilitate change and also a process of learning, which in other words, signifies development (Kram & Ting, 2006). Historically and perceptually, the term coaching finds its roots and association within the field of sports (Kilburg, 1996). Since last few years, a range of coaching forms have been evolving and emerging in the field of health, career and life (Hudson, 2014). Life coaching canters on supporting individuals who feel they have drifted from their internal sense of purpose, while emphasizing on personal growth and development. This approach is found to help individuals readjust with their core values and goals, fostering a journey of self-improvement and accomplishment (Hudson, 2014). Focusing on an individual's work-related roles and responsibilities is achieved through career coaching and executive coaching (hereinafter, EC) (Kilburg, 1996, 2004a, 2004b; Lowman, 1993, 2005).
The ever changing nature of business has necessitated the need for business and executive coaching. Executive coaching has dual benefits because it aims to improve the performance of the both, individual as well as the performance of a particular organization (Utrilla, Grande, & Lorenzo, 2015) elucidates that most corporates have identified executive coaching as an effective tool for individualised performance improvement. Executive coaching provides an opportunity for deeper relationships to develop between the client and the coach, and the relationships transition from goal setting to action and results and finally to accountability (Gavin, 2018). Relating to this idea, Trevillion (2018) points out that executive coaching is a tool for development of leaders that has clear, actionable goals and outcomes that are important for organisational productivity. Aldrin and Utama (2019) emphasise that organisations have realised that for them to remain competitive, it is essential to increase employees’ productivity, through executive coaching. The above changes in the economy and globalisation have necessitated the need for change in the way businesses operate, and this has necessitated the need for executive coaching (Dobrea & Maiorescu, 2015).
Executive Coaching Objectives
Executive Coaching has a clear objective to coach the senior leadership into roles of effective management, decision-making, transition and success, management of change, performance enhancement, and self-actualized motivation. On the other hand, in other Coaching Forms, the objectives are more specific, individual-based, personal-specific, life-specific, and more quantifiable.