| Summary: | Thesis (M.M. (Entrepreneurship and New Venture Creation))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Wits Business School, 2016. === The purpose of the study was to explore expert performance in business and executive coaching.
Although it is an unregulated field, executive coaching continues to grow as an industry with
recent estimates suggesting earnings of $2-billion per year (Fillery-Travis & Lane, 2006). Despite
the growth of the coaching industry in the last decade there is still a lack of clarity in coaching
science as to how performance should be measured; what constitutes expert performance in
executive coaching and how it is acquired (Côté, Young, Duffy, & North, 2007).
The primary research question is, ‘what is expert performance in business and executive
coaching?’ The research also explores what expert performance is, how expert performance can
be recognised and how people in the industry recognise expert performance in business and
executive coaches in South Africa today. This study aims to fills the gap in research regarding
what constitutes expert performance in executive coaching and how it is acquired.
This literature review explores the definition of coaching, methods and approaches to coaching,
the coaching industry, expert performance per se and expert performance in executive coaching.
Expert performance can be defined in many ways. It is the ability to perform at any time with
limited preparation (Ericsson, 2008) and is demonstrated by consistent superior performance on a
specific task in the person’s field of expertise (Ericsson & Charness, 1994).
Chapter 3 documents the research methodology process that was used to conduct this research.
The researcher used a qualitative research methodology and the research paradigm for this
dissertation was interpretivism. The research design was phenomenology, used to explore the
phenomenon of expert performance in business and executive coaching. The population included
6 registered executive coaches in South Africa, 6 executives from various organisations, and 6
heads of Human Resources (HR) or learning and development. 18 semi-structured interviews
were used to conduct the research. Deliberate sampling was used until data saturation occurred.
This research aimed to deepen the understanding of expert performance in business and
executive coaching, and as a secondary focus, to explore what is required to have expert
performance as an executive coach, and how it is recognised.
Chapter 4 is a breakdown of the categories identified through the findings of the research and
provides the reader access to some direct quotes from the respondents through the interviews.
There was a consensus that, for coaching to be successful, the individual having coaching needs
to a) want coaching, b) initiate it, and c) assume responsibility for choosing the coach.
The criteria for choosing a coach are to check testimonials and references, to get clarity on the
coach’s qualifications and experience, and to establish the coach’s processes and niche.
Moreover, the coach’s motivation for coaching should be assessed. The coach needs to build
trust and rapport immediately and exude confidence and passion. A key subject of enquiry of this
study was to establish the criteria deemed to be essential for expert executive coaching. Sixteen
criteria emerged, they were: 1) relationship skills; 2) willingness to challenge; 3) presence; 4)
walks-the-talk; 5) continuous development; 6) self-awareness; 7) can say no to work; 8) can
express what they do; 9) has experience; 10) is qualified; 11) can easily unlock potential and
depth; 12) can go with the flow and not know; 13) creates powerful results; 14) client centric; 15)
referrals and returning coaches and 16) shifts between theory and reality.
Chapter 5 compares the literature and the outcomes of the interviews conducted to assess if the
findings from this research are consistent with, or contradictory to, the literature on the topic. The
outcomes of this chapter reflected key aspects to expert performance in business and executive
coaching. To demonstrate expert performance as an executive coach the executive coach needs
to have a high degree of authenticity, which builds trust that forms the foundation for a successful
coaching intervention. To achieve this they need to have superior levels of self-awareness and
social intelligence which provides an array of positive consequences. Expert executive coaches
have context specific expertise that is relevant to the area in which they work. Expert executive
coaches have clearly defined roles and identities heightening their levels of professionalism and
enabling them to articulate what they do, and also to decline work where they recognise it is not
their area of expertise. Expert executive coaches have extensive coaching experience and hence
high levels of self-efficacy which communicates presence and credibility. To fulfil the
requirements for deliberate practice, expert executive coaches have real passion for what they do
which enables them to continuously develop themselves professionally and personally so they
reach these levels of exceptional coaching.
The conclusions chapter reverts back to the original research questions posed for this research
and draws conclusions and recommendations for further research. This research showed expert
performance in executive coaching was demonstrated by executive coaches who had been in the
industry for ten years or more and had vast experience. They had been directly or indirectly
applying deliberate practice in the form of continuous professional and personal development,
involving supervision, mentoring, and additional coach-specific training. On a personal level they
had continued to develop self-awareness by attending consciousness development seminars or
retreats or by engaging in their own coaching process with a professional coach. === DH2016
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