Balancing Development With Day-to-Day Task Demands: A Multiple-Goal Approach to Executive Coaching

Abstract

In the focal article, McKenna and Davis (2009) emphasize the unique value that industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists bring to the practice of executive coaching, noting specifically our tools, which are steeped in theory and research. Although these authors make a case for our ''education and experience as psychologists'' (p. 245), they focus primarily on relating the practice of coaching to psychotherapy. Although we agree with this comparison, we also believe that the tools unique to the I-O psychologist's toolkit warrant more detailed exploration. In this response, we hope to demonstrate how research exploring the ways in which individuals respond to competing demands can be applied to the practice of executive coaching.Developmental goals-those that address both short-and long-term personal and professional growth-are common elements of executive coaching relationships

Changing behaviour: Increasing the effectiveness of workplace interventions in creating pro‐environmental behaviour change

“…People are more likely to allocate resources to accomplishing goals that are more likely to be achieved (Beck, Gregory, & Carr, 2009;Kernan & Lord, 1990;Schmidt & DeShon, 2007;Schmidt & Dolis, 2009;Vancouver et al, 2010); the flip-side of this is that background goals are more likely to come into awareness and be pursued when the focal goal is either very likely, or very unlikely, to be completed (Louro et al, 2007). Therefore, in our model, an employee is more likely to pursue intervention-related pro-environmental goals when their other important goals, such as their performance goals, are either very close or very far away from being achieved.…”

What Is the Active Ingredients Equation for Success in Executive Coaching?

“…Beck et al's (2009) focus on goals, feedback, and incentives provides useful, deeper thinking about how multiple goals and feedback can be used to strengthen the working alliance or relationship with the client. Although we have concerns about linking monetary incentives directly to the achievement of coaching goals (e.g., gamesmanship, undermining intrinsic motivation to learn and grow), we appreciate their exploration of this aspect of the environmental forces that may help or hinder the coaching process and its outcomes.…”

“…From an individual client perspective, it would follow from any of our motivation theories that an expectation of success would be beneficial to a coaching effort. But it is also true, as Beck et al (2009) maintain in their commentary, that we challenge clients with increasingly difficult but achievable goals.…”

“…Consequently, we will begin our response by considering differences between psychotherapy and executive coaching that could impact our ability to generalize about the four active ingredients. Then, we conclude with a brief response to those who hit the green light and sped ahead to bolster our hypotheses with their own data (Frisch & Lee, 2009), to extend our ideas to other vehicles for leadership development (Avolio & Hannah, 2009), or to drill down on elements of the four ingredients (Avolio & Hannah, 2009;Beck, Gregory, & Carr, 2009).…”

Examining Occupational Stress, Sources of Stress and Stress Management Strategies through the Eyes of Management Consultants: A Multiple Correspondence Analysis for Latent Constructs

“…Furthermore, consulting is a proximate, yet distinct, from other concepts such as coaching, mentoring and training. As regards to a coach, this professional aims at identifying the skills and capabilities that are within the person and enabling people to use them to the best of their ability (Beck, Gregory, & Carr, 2009;Gregory, Beck, & Carr, 2011;Rogers, 2008;Sperry, 2008). In fact, whereas consulting is largely informational, coaching is heavily inspirational and focused on skill development.…”