offers some conclusions and recommendations from the data analysis phase In

this chapter it is suggested that the data provide sufficient evidence to form a conceptual model of the stages involved in the Executive Coaching process and a typology of Executive Coaching relationships.

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Figure 1.2 Structure of the thesis

•Sets out the purpose and scope of the study, its aims and objectives. Illustrates the context of the research within the theoretical environment, identifies the authors personal aims and summarizes the structure of the thesis

Chapter 1. Introduction

•A review of the current thinking in the development of leaders, the theory on adult learning and the use of dyadic learning interventions. Provides overview of how the literature on the theories of learning and dyadic relationships relates to the research so far on Executive Coaching. Establishment of the research questions.

Chapter 2. Review of the literature

•Shows the overall research strategy to gather appropriate data to answer the research questions. Provides an argument for the research design, the choice of case study methodology and the selection of methods for data collection. Describes the data collection protocol and the specific design of the fieldwork.

Chapter 3. Research design and methodology

•Presents the results of the data collection in response to the stated research questions.

Chapter 4. Presentation of

findings

•Following the research questions raised, presents a summary of the data in a reflective way in order to be able to derive meaning from the results and to organize them so as to offer structured outcomes. The suggested models are offered and described in detail.

Chapter 5. Analysis and discussion of

results

•Draws together the interpretation of the results so as to provide conclusions on the findings of the research. The resultant contribution to theory, methodology and the impact on the practitioner environment is shown. Limitations of the research are discussed as are opportunities for further study.

Chapter 6. Conclusions and recommendations

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Chapter 2

Review of the Literature

2.1

Introduction

Leaders are those who ‘by word and/or personal example, markedly influence the behavio[u]rs, thoughts and/or feelings of a significant number of their fellow human

beings’.

Howard Gardner (1995:8)

2.1.1 Objectives of the literature review

The objective of the literature review is to give a context of the theory on the subject areas relevant to this study in order to establish the current level of knowledge in this field. It also seeks to establish what theories already exist, what concepts are presently discussed and what methodological approaches have been applied to date. By undertaking this level of examination it is possible to identify areas of agreement or inconsistency and to engage in the debate on the area of study so as to discover gaps in the existing field of knowledge. The literature review aims to set out the current territory and identify areas so far unaddressed so as to propose research and ultimately to offer new theoretical ideas.

The subject of the thesis is the exploration of the Executive Coaching relationship so as to build new theories on this development intervention which is of relatively recent

development. Before setting out the current level of understanding on Executive Coaching, the literature review presents some of the areas of theory that form the landscape for coaching to take place.

Firstly, the literature on adult learning is discussed. The context of the study is to explore specific aspects of the development of the coachees who are adults in leadership positions and, therefore, the underlying theories of how adults effect personal developmental change is an essential foundation to understanding the overall context. This section

15 demonstrates the progression of thinking through the origins of behavioural learning to experiential learning theories (Kolb and Fry, 1975; Kolb, 1984) and on to transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 1991), in which the learner is assumed to guide and direct their own learning. It introduces the concept that much of effective adult learning takes place in a one-to-one relationship with a teacher acting as a personal facilitator of learning.

The next section defines and discusses leadership and leadership development, focusing on leadership behaviours and attributes. It acknowledges that leadership and leadership development continue to attract growing attention and that the behavioural attributes of leaders and the impact they have on followers and organizational success are of

increasing interest in the mainstream academic literature (Smith and Foti, 1998).

A view of dyadic development relationships is provided including description of a number of types of intervention all focused on developing the skills or changing the behaviours of the participant. These cover personal interventions for change such as psychological therapies and personal consultancy, as well as dyadic interventions recognized more widely in organizational settings for the development of senior executives such as mentoring and Executive Coaching.

The adoption of Executive Coaching is growing rapidly and there is an increasing body of literature examining its characteristics and outcomes (Fisher Turesky and Gallagher, 2011). In considering all of the different dimensions of coaching practice, much work has been or is being carried out on the process of coaching, the attributes of the coach and coachee, and on coaching outcomes (Kauffman and Scoular, 2004). In looking at other behavioural change or one-to-one interventions, some research has been conducted on the importance of the dyadic relationship itself and this work will be discussed in order to draw some reliable parallels for the coaching process (O'Broin and Palmer, 2009).

16 Within the element of the dyadic relationship more specifically there is little study of the phases of the relationship from formation to conclusion. At the organizational level there may be a view forming of how matching and selection processes are carried out

(Wycherley and Cox, 2008), but the majority of this work is anecdotal with little empirical evidence being available. Moreover, the intuitive factor of chemistry (or rapport) and its role in the matching process appear to be under-researched. The literature on the substance of the relationship has only recently begun to emerge (De Haan, 2008). The peer-reviewed papers and academic books available tend to focus on specific aspects such as reflection or assessment, or are process-focused according to a style of coaching based on different psychological approaches (Palmer and Whybrow, 2007). Still, there is little scrutiny of why the coaching relationship is important and what form such a relationship takes. These were the issues that form the focus of this study. The following diagram (Figure 2.1) summarizes the approach to the literature review described above.

2.1.2 How the literature search was conducted

The literature review was constructed from a variety of sources comprising primarily peer-reviewed journal articles and academic books on the various topics covered by the chapter. These sources were gathered using various standard search techniques which included academic databases such as ABI/Inform Global, PsychInfo and PubMed. Due to the inter-disciplinary nature of the research, databases covering business topics and psychology were interrogated. The electronic resources of the University of Warwick were primarily used for this purpose.

The literature on Executive Coaching is expanding rapidly and during the period of this research, a number of dedicated peer-reviewed journals have emerged (see Appendix I). The entire database of these journals was interrogated for relevant resources.

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Figure 2.1 Summary of approach to the review of literature

2.2

Adult learning

Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught.

Winston Churchill 1874–1965

2.2.1 Adult learning: Rationale in connection with this research

This section begins the overall literature review by exploring the relevant work to date on adult learning. The coaching intervention under investigation is often used for its efficacy in generating behaviour changes in the learner; therefore, the literature related to

behaviour change will also be introduced. The section will then explore the more recent work looking at the relationship of psychological processes and leadership development. Some of the main models of adult learning will be identified, described and contrasted to

• Experiential learning • Learning styles • Situated learning • Transformative learning • Dynamic and reflective learning

Adult learning

theory