3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Factors influencing implementation of executive peer coaching(2014-01-14) Van Emmenis, AllisonPeer coaching within the South African context is not widely promoted or implemented. In the field of coaching, peer coaching is slowly entering the marketplace with a focus on career learning and self-driven leadership development. It is one of the options available to organisations in which to assist leaders with addressing development needs. This research set out to establish the factors behind the rationale to implement a peer coaching program at executive level. The research followed a qualitative design methodology making use of semi-structured interviews to gather data. The richness of the data lay in the semi-structured approach which allowed for the participants to air their views, yet for the researcher to remain true to the purpose of the study. The findings suggest that within the current South African context, there are more constraining factors present which may inhibit the decision to implement a peer coaching program than enabling factors. These include the perceived limited choice of peer coaches available; the challenges of setting up a coach-coachee relationship, which includes trust and confidentiality; the presence of dominant leaders; power dimensions within organisations; environments of mistrust, gossip and competitiveness and the presence of diversity discrimination. It further posits that the leaders of the organisations play a pivotal role in determining the rationale behind the decision to implement a peer coaching program.Item The executive's perceptions and experience of resilience as influenced by coaching interventions in South Africa(2013-08-28) Stevens, TanyaToday’s business world is dynamic and ever-changing, and for organisations and executives to survive and thrive, learning and self-development must be a vital component of their individual and business strategy (Luthans, Vogelgesang, & Lester, 2006). Linked to this, in their roles as leaders, executives have to navigate a constant onslaught of changes and challenges from the environment which makes their ability to ‘bounce back’ from negative events, and thus be resilient, crucial (Avolio & Gardner, 2005; Hamel & Valikangas, 2003). Continued learning and development is therefore required in order to enhance executives’ resilience and their ability to adjust to change and deal with the challenges they face (Moran, 2011; Passmore, 2010; Kaye, 2006). One method that has been identified to assist executives in their continued learning and self-development is Executive Coaching, which has emerged as one of the most important developmental and training tools for these individuals (Jones, Reafferty, & Griffin, 2006). This study aims to contribute to the field of Executive Coaching by investigating how executives who have been coached perceive and experience resilience and well as how executives who have not been coached perceive and experience resilience. The study explores the differences between the perceptions and experiences of resilience between the ‘coached’ and the ‘non-coached’ and examines the coaching interventions that played a part in influencing these perceptions. 18 South African executives were interviewed using an unstructured interview format for this study. These interviews were then transcribed and analysed using methods of thematic content analysis and several themes emerged as a result. The study found that, overall, coaching interventions do influence an executive’s perceptions and experience of resilience, most notably in the areas of increased self-confidence, selfawareness and emotional regulation and awareness. The findings further highlight that participants perceive resilience as a multi-dimensional process influenced by multiple factors, and although all the respondents who had been coached indicated they found Executive Coaching to be both helpful and useful, the influence of coaching interventions on resilience fluctuated across the themes that emerged. A significant recommendation from the study is the need for coaches to address coaching interventions and resilience holistically in order to provide comprehensive support and attention to all of the aspects that impact an executive’s resilience.Item An exploration of coaching practices in leading South African companies(2013-08-27) Attlee, Zia DelphineThis research uncovered the coaching practices of the leading South African companies. The objective of the study was to explore whether these companies use coaching in their organisations and to provide other South African organisations and coaches with an understanding of how the most successful South African companies manage the coaching process and whether they evaluate the outcomes of the coaching process. This study used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. The quantitative phase consisted of an online questionnaire completed by 49 of the top 100 companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The qualitative phase involved semi-structured interviews with 11 of the top 100 JSE listed companies. Coaching programmes in the leading companies of South Africa have been in place for one to three years and are predominantly used for leadership development and performance management. The main recipients of coaching in these companies are executives, senior managers and up-and-coming talent. Leading South African companies integrate coaching with the organisation’s talent management strategy or the organisation’s business strategy. The leading South African companies select external coaches based on coaching experience, business experience, recommendations and qualifications and contract them to work with executive and senior management levels. They also use internal coaches but mostly to coach up-and-coming talent and graduates. They do not enforce the supervision of coaches and engaging in supervision is mostly decided by the coaches themselves. Measuring of coaching outcomes is important to the leading companies of South Africa and therefore most of these companies measure its impact. This research provides key insights into the coaching practices of the leading South African companies. The research also provides guidance to coaches and organisations in South Africa on how coaching can be used to develop individuals and organisations.Item Developing core coaching competencies using theatre-based techniques(2013-08-22) Ketz, ArleneLeaders in the 21st century face many challenges. To be effective they need to be visionaries and leaders of change, who realise their visions and goals through others. To do this they need to know who they are, be confident of their own abilities and lead with integrity and conviction, maximising the capabilities of their followers to realise their potential while achieving company goals. A coaching style of leadership could help them to do this. However, coaching does not necessarily come easily to leaders and coaching skills may need to be developed. This research explores the use of theatre-based techniques to develop core coaching competencies in leaders who coach. These techniques, founded on the rigorous training that actors have to undertake, are simple, fun and engaging, yet provocative and transformational. They could help leaders to improve their communication skills, build their emotional intelligence and develop the trust and integrity needed for an authentic, credible presence, which is necessary in leaders who coach. To determine whether theatre-based techniques do develop coaching competencies in leaders who coach, several international and local experts, who use these techniques in training leaders and coaches, were interviewed. In addition, theatre-based workshops were observed and feedback was obtained from delegates. Findings were analysed, using inductive content analysis, and these findings were compared to the relevant literature and to the coaching competencies outlined by international coach federations, to determine the relevance of theatre-based techniques for coach education. The findings from this research show that theatre-based techniques develop key coaching competencies such as presence, emotional intelligence, effective expressive communication, trust and integrity, development and transformation, and creativity in leaders who coach and coaches. It is concluded, therefore, that theatre-based techniques do have a role to play within the context of coach education, and combined with other more formal methods of training that include coaching models, could be useful in developing core coaching competencies in leaders who coach and coaches.Item The impact of group coaching on leadership effectiveness for South African women managers(2013-02-18) Reid, M. AlisonEffective leadership is crucial for organisational survival and growth, especially in demanding modern business environments. It is particularly challenging for women leaders who may function in gendered organisations that do not necessarily support their development. Group coaching is more time and cost-effective than individual coaching, is scalable and sustainable and is appropriate for the relational context of leadership. It is, however, in its infancy in terms of cohesive and differentiated research. This study investigated the impact of group coaching on leadership effectiveness in South African women managers. Data was gathered from pre-and-post questionnaire administrations as well as interviews and was analysed using mixed methods in comparative t-tests and thematic analysis. The findings indicated that leadership effectiveness did change significantly over a six month leadership development programme, most notably in the areas of enabling self, enabling others and self-confidence. Specific impacts of group coaching on leadership effectiveness were by increasing awareness of self and values; enabling learning through external input; enabling sharing and support through safety and a sense of direction. These themes relate to factors inherent in a group context: multiple interactions to explore identity and self, multiple feedback inputs and collective sharing and support. The respondents reported less impact in the achievement of personal goals or results. It is possible that there is a trade-off in focus on the individual’s objectives for the learning advantages of multiple interactions and exchanges in group coaching. The effects of group coaching, however, appear to be relevant for current business realities that demand modern leaders to be authentic and confident in complex and hyper-connected social environments. Women who work in male-dominated organisations may benefit particularly from alternative groups that provide safe feedback, validation and a sense of identification with similarly positioned women. This study deepened understanding of how group coaching adds value in a leadership development context. The results add to the body of knowledge on group coaching and leadership effectiveness and help to inform the practice of effective leadership in organisations, particularly for women managers.