Executive coaching research in the Ashridge Centre for Coaching

Executive coaching research

The focus of research in the Ashridge Centre for Coaching is on executive coaching as it takes place in real settings with real clients. Although we have undertaken some outcome research (quantitative research into the effectiveness of the intervention) within the fields of executive coaching and action learning, we believe that it is important to learn from the much more extensive outcome research in the fields of psychotherapy and counselling. This has a statistical power that we will not be able to equal in this field.

We believe that much more relevant now is research into change through coaching and how this change comes about. We concur with Rice & Greenberg in the book, Patterns of Change, when they say: "What is needed is a research method that can tap the rich clinical experience of skilled practitioners in a way that will also push them to explicate what they know, yielding a rigorous description of the important regularities they have observed."

Rather than taking one number out of a whole relationship, we prefer taking a whole story out of one moment of coaching and gather evidence in a large number of such stories.

Here are some of our key areas of research with an update of our main findings:

• General outcome research: what are the factors that really matter in effectiveness?
• Moment by moment outcome research: which are the 'sub-outcomes' achieved within and between sessions?
• Organisational coaching: what is the impact of one-to-one coaching in the larger organisation?
• Developing psychometric tools for coaches and coaching researchers.

Recent Publications

Ten latest articles, publications and downloads on Coaching.

• Differences between critical moments for clients, coaches, and sponsors of coaching
• Begelneidingskunde in de 21e eeuw
• De werkzame elementen van coaching: relatie coach-coachee belangrijkste sleutel effectiviteit
• Leaders in Crisis - Attending to the Shadow Side
• Relational principles in coaching, therapy and supervision
• The shadow side of boards - and how team coaches can help
• Winning Formula, Man Management
• Ist das Coaching von Fuhrungskraften effektiv?
• Ist das Coaching von Fuhrungskraften effektiv?
• Werkt executive coaching? En zo ja, wat werkt en voor wie?

See list of all publications on Coaching.