Leadership coaching and transformation in the South African mining sector

Abstract

Transformation in the South African mining sector is moving at a slow pace. This study was to determine how the sector used leadership coaching to resolve its reported transformation challenges. The data for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis was used for the data analysis. The population consisted of human resources managers, coaches and coachees from the mining sector. The key findings from the research were that leadership coaching is used as a support structure for Historically Disadvantaged South Africans (HDSA) identified for transformation vacancies. However, leadership coaching was not the only intervention used and there are other success factors necessary for leadership coaching and transformation to thrive. There are also barriers that hinder transformation and coaching within the mining sector. While research has been conducted on transformation and coaching, it has mostly focused broadly on all industries and not specifically on the mining sector. It is envisioned that this research will contribute towards the body of knowledge in this regard. It is also envisaged that this study will provide a better understanding of the impact of coaching on sustainable transformation in the mining sector.