AN EXPLORATION OF MANAGERS AND LEADERS USING COACHING SKILLS

The use of coaching skills by managers and leaders, often termed managerial coaching, has become popular in recent years. Despite this trend, a scarcity of research exists on the topic. Researchers continue to debate how best to conceptualize, define, and measure the use of coaching skills by managers and leaders, how effective it is, and how it should be used. Existing scales attempting to measure the phenomenon suffer from a number of limitations. The current study examines these topics using a mixed-methods approach and includes a comprehensive literature review, semistructured interviews, and a team-member survey. Results suggest the use of coaching skills by managers and leaders should best be conceptualized as a style of participative management or leadership. A scale called the Manager and Leader Coaching Composite (MLCC) was created from a group of team-member survey items. The MLCC was correlated with several validated measures that suggest that the use of coaching skills by managers and leaders is related to higher team-member engagement, better working relationships, and reduced intention to quit. A new definition, which integrates these findings, is presented. What's It Mean? Implications for Consulting Psychology Consulting psychologists frequently work with organizations to enhance employee engagement and relationships, and to reduce turnover. This research provides insight into measurable elements of managers and leaders' use of coaching skills and their relationship to employee engagement, strength of working alliance, and intention to quit, as well as other measures.