Developmental managers: Line managers as facilitators of workplace learning in voluntary organisations

This research aims to identify the behaviours used by voluntary sector senior and first line managers when facilitating employee learning in the workplace. The thesis also considers the inhibitory behaviours used by line managers. The research topic is growing in importance given the increasing drive to devolve Human Resource Development responsibilities to line managers. Yet we have limited theoretical and empirical understanding of how managers deal with such responsibilities. Following an extensive literature review of the voluntary sector, learning, and the line manager as developer, five research questions were identified. These are: i. What do line managers do to facilitate learning. ii. What do line managers do to inhibit learning. iii. What motivates line managers to develop staff. iv. What influence do individual factors have on developmental behaviours. V. What influence do organisational factors have on developmental behaviours. Case study methodology, within the traditions of phenomenology, has been used to address these research questions The empirical research was conducted in two social care organisations in the voluntary sector. The culture and values of voluntary organisations provide relatively unexplored territory for management research and may provide an environment conducive for line managers to act as developers. Furthermore, exploration of the voluntary sector helps address a significant deficit in management knowledge. The findings reveal that environmental drivers such as the 'contract' culture created demand for learning in both organisations. Organisational factors such as organisational history, mission, strategy, structure, culture, the nature of the workforce, HRD strategy and learning climate all contributed to the nature of developmental interactions and relationships, and influenced the behaviour of line managers. In particular, the role of supervision in social care was seen to be significant. Individual factors such as educational background, career experience, learning style, motivation to learn and/or to support learning also influenced the growth of developmental relationships and the behaviours used by managers. The study has identified nine categories of facilitative behaviours: caring, informing, being professional, advising, assessing, thinking, empowering, developing developers and challenging. Eight categories of inhibitory behaviours, which mirror some of the facilitative behaviours, were identified and these are; being unassertive, not giving time, being task-orientated, withholding information, being dogmatic, not assessing, not thinking and controlling. The thesis concludes by discussing implications for theory and practice that have emerged from this study. This includes the presentation of a Developmental Manager model, a future research agenda and lessons for stakeholders, such as employers, HRD specialists, managers and the academic community. In this final chapter the author also engages in a process of epistemic reflexivity

Toward a profession of coaching? A definitional examination of ‘coaching,’ ‘organization development,’ and ‘human resource development’

During the past few years, the growth of an emergent ‘coaching industry’ has resulted in some scholars calling for the development of a genuine coaching profession. Yet contemporary organization development (OD) and human resource development (HRD) practitioners conceive of coaching as an extant core component of their respective fields of study and practice. This paper reports the results of a qualitative study that examined different conceptualizations and definitions of ‘coaching,’ OD, and ‘HRD’ found in the respective literatures. The results suggest all three fields of practice are very similar, both in terms of their intended purpose and processes. This finding poses a dilemma and challenge for those who believe a genuine coaching profession with its own identity and unique body of empirically tested knowledge can be distinctly defined and delineated

Behavioural indicators of ineffective managerial coaching: a cross-national study.

Purpose – The concept of managers assuming developmental roles such as coaches and learning facilitators has received considerable attention in recent years. Yet, despite the growing body of expert opinion that suggests that coaching is an essential core activity of everyday management and leadership, the literature base remains largely atheoretical and devoid of empirical research. While there is some consensus about what effective coaching looks like, little if any empirical research has examined ineffective coaching behaviours. The purpose of this paper is to compare the empirical findings from three separately conducted studies to derive a comprehensive understanding of the ineffective behaviours associated with managerial coaching. Design/methodology/approach – The current study adopted a cross-national “etic” methodology based on the empirical findings generated by three previously conducted and purposefully selected “emic” studies. Drawing on Berry's and Lyons and Chryssochoous' “emic-etic” approach and cross-cultural comparisons, the researchers employed Guba and Lincoln's file card approach to analyze and compare the three behavioral datasets of the previously conducted studies. Findings – The findings from this cross-national comparative “etic” study revealed that the vast majority of ineffective coaching behaviours previously identified in the emic studies were held in common with each other. The predominant ineffective behaviours included using an autocratic, directive, controlling or dictatorial style, ineffective communication and dissemination of information, and inappropriate behaviours and approaches to working with employees. Of the 17 ineffective behaviours that were compared only three were not held in common. Research limitations/implications – Limitations associated with this cross-national study included minor variations in the use of data collection approaches and samples of managers in the previously conducted emic studies. Practical implications – The ineffective managerial coaching behaviours derived from the cross-national comparisons can be integrated as diagnostic tools into coaching training programmes and management and leadership development programmes to improve the practice of managerial coaching. They can also be used to increase managers' awareness of the behaviours that impede their coaching interventions with their respective employees. Originality/value – The literature base on coaching in general and managerial coaching in particular has been criticized for not being research-informed and evidence-based, but rather predominantly practice-driven and guru-led. The findings from the current cross-national etic study not only add to a sparse base of empirical research on managerial coaching, but also illuminate an underdeveloped area, namely that of ineffective managerial coaching practice. Furthermore, the findings provide a foundation on which to compare and contrast future empirical research that may be conducted on managerial coaching behaviours

Coaching at the heart of managerial effectiveness: A cross-cultural study of managerial behaviours

The concept of managers and managerial leaders assuming the developmental role of coaching has gained considerable attention in recent years as organizations seek to leverage learning by creating infrastructures that foster employee learning and development. However, despite the increasing focus on managerial coaching and the many contentions that coaching is an essential feature of really effective management, the literature remains predominantly practice-based and atheoretical. The present study attempts to address this lack of a sound and sufficient empirical base by presenting the results of a cross-cultural comparison of the empirical findings from several previous 'managerial coaching effectiveness' and 'managerial and leadership effectiveness' studies completed by the authors in their three respective countries. Its specific aim is to demonstrate empirically the extent to which being an effective coach is an essential feature of being an effective manager and/or managerial leader