The Value of Executive Coaching

Book excerpt: The explosive growth of coaching over the past decade has been accompanied by comparable growth in coach training as well as in membership of professional bodies representing the industry. Yet philosophical and intellectual debates over executive coaching and its measurable value and outcomes appear limited in much of the existing literature. Many practitioners appear uncomfortable with the hard measurement of real return on investment, preferring softer, more qualitative approaches to evaluation. To challenge the self-perpetuating myth of value which has grown up around executive coaching, The Value of Executive Coaching critically explores the discourses surrounding this aspect of leadership development and considers different ways of thinking about its growth, development and application outside its established functionalist perspective. Using case study evidence, this exciting new text enhances our understanding of how and why the value proposition of executive coaching is perceived and perpetuated, and provides readers with the opportunity to explore some of the issues which influence perceptions of value. This book will be valuable reading for practising coaches and students on postgraduate coaching courses.