Although coaching is widely being used as a means for leadership development very
little is known regarding CEOs’ perceived value of coaching and those factors that
influence these perceptions. Using 583 complete surveys from a national US survey of
hospitals this article examines the relationship of organisational and individual
characteristics to the value CEOs have of coaching. National survey data of hospital
CEOs in the USA were used in this research. Analyses included means correlations a
Duncan–Waller test comparing multiple means and regression analyses. Overall this
research shows that CEOs value coaching more for staff improvement than for
succession planning. Organisational factors that appear to increase the value of
coaching include size of hospital and system affiliation. CEOs working for for-profit
companies perceive less value in coaching. Males and CEOs with more direct reports
have significantly lower values for coaching. Leaders should be more aware of the
value of coaching and look for means to increase the use of this valuable tool to
improve leadership skills. This research adds to the growing literature on how to
understand and encourage more effective coaching in organisations.
Citation:
Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice, 2014 Vol. 7, No. 2, 115 – 131