Entrepreneurial Coaching: A Two‐Dimensional Framework in Context

Abstract

Coaching is increasingly used to support entrepreneurs across different stages of the entrepreneurial process. Due to its custom-tailored, active, and reflectionoriented approach, it has been suggested that it is particularly well suited to entrepreneurs' complex job demands. However, in the entrepreneurial context, the term coaching lacks a clear definition and is frequently used interchangeably with other types of support. We therefore sought to characterize entrepreneurial coaching (EC) and to position it relative to related interventions. We conducted 67 interviews with coaches (n = 44) and early-stage entrepreneurs (n = 23) experienced in EC. Using qualitative content analysis, we specify outcomes, input, process, and contextual factors for EC. Among process factors, we identify seven coach functions that reflect specific coach behaviors. Contextual factors include entrepreneurial job demands and institutional boundary conditions of "embedded" EC. Based on our findings, we position EC within a two-dimensional framework, consisting of the expert-versus process-consultation approach and the individual-work-venture focus. We locate the seven coach functions within this framework. Relative to other interventions, EC stands between classical workplace coaching and start-up consultancy, closer to, yet distinct from, entrepreneurial mentoring and executive coaching. We derive practical implications for coaches, entrepreneurs, and organizational stakeholders and propose directions for future research. Silja Kotte and Isabell Diermann share the first authorship. This work was supported by a research fund of the University of Kassel (P/76). Grateful acknowledgements are owed to our research assistants, Isabel Meyer zu Riemsloh and Sina Rogge, for their help with conducting and coding interviews. We thank Michael Mandahl and Frédéric Martin as well as the special issue editor, Rebecca Jones, and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Kontext im Coaching: Einblicke in den Stand der Forschung zur Bedeutung des Kontexts für berufsbezogenes Coaching

“…Schermuly et al 2021). In einer Interviewstudie mit Coaches und Gründer:innen (Kotte et al 2021) wurde zwei übergreifenden Fragen nachgegangen: (1) Was sind die Spezifika von Gründer:innen-Coaching? (2) Wie unterscheidet sich Gründer:innen-Caoching von anderen, verwandten Unterstützungsformaten im Bereich der Entrepreneurial Education?…”

“…Untersucht wurden bisher insbesondere das Top-Management bzw. Unterschiede zwischen dem Coaching für Führungskräfte auf verschiedenen Führungsebenen (Berman 2019;Böning 2018) sowie Gründer:innen als Zielgruppe von Coaching (Kotte et al 2021;Schermuly et al 2021).…”

Cognitive Neuroscience and Entrepreneurship: cross-disciplinary review and future potential

“…For example, researchers have explored the 'coachability' of entrepreneurs, i.e. how they seek, consider and implement feedback and advice from others in their decision-making (Ciuchta et al, 2018) and how the way in which they interact shapes entrepreneurs' readiness to consider advice (Kotte et al, 2020). To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no empirical work that looks to the social cognitive neuroscience underlying the influence of social advice and interaction on entrepreneurs' decisions and tolerance of uncertainty.…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on Advances in the Psychology of Workplace Coaching

“…The research studies in our special issue all meet the demanding requirements of a stringent scientific research, so that they can be regarded as “low risk” studies (Grover & Furnham, 2016). For example, studies in our special issue include two randomized controlled trials in realistic workplace settings (Fontes & Dello Russo, 2021; Jones, Woods, & Zhou, 2021), hard objective measures (Schermuly et al, 2021), and the incorporation of multi‐stakeholder data (Fontes & Dello Russo, 2021; Jones et al, 2021; Kotte, Diermann, Rosing, & Möller, 2021; Lai & Smith, 2021).…”

“…cortisol and cortisone stress hormones, and a cognitive performance test) that add to the external validity of the findings. Similar to Kotte et al (2021), the authors respond to the call for taking a closer look at coaching as a context-sensitive intervention by examining the impact of coaching on a specific target group in a specific context, namely, coachee entrepreneurs who face business insolvency.…”