Does coaching have added value?
The fact that coaching can be very effective when it comes to personality development, self-management, relationship building or professional challenges can not only be derived from the positive experiences of many coaches and coaching customers, but has now also been scientifically proven. For example, Hansjörg Künzli (in E. Lippmann (ed.): Coaching. Springer-Verlag) has evaluated a large number of studies on the effectiveness of coaching. He comes to the conclusion that coaching in the vast majority of cases helps to improve relationship behavior and increase role competence. To develop new perspectives and become more open to new experiences, to relieve yourself emotionally in challenging phases and to deal with stress better and to act and communicate more effectively.
Effectiveness of coaching: why?
We now know that coaching works. How and why it works has been the subject of research for about 10 years. In therapy research, Grawe has succeeded in identifying overarching effective factors that contribute to successful therapy, regardless of the type of therapy carried out. The so-called Berner effective factors include (1) quality of the relationship between therapist and client, (2) resource orientation, (3) actualization of the problem, (4) motivational clarification and support in (5) problem solving. One cannot simply assume that these effective factors can be easily transferred to coaching. Coaching differs from therapy, for example, in the (severity of) reasons, the shorter duration and the higher demands on the client's existing self-control skills.
However, since coaching is also practiced within the framework of different schools of thought and approaches, a similar research approach is obvious. Siegfried Greif (2008. Coaching and result-oriented self-reflection. Hogrefe Verlag) has compiled the available research on impact factors in coaching and designed a model of impact factors in coaching.
impact factors
Proven effective factors (similar to therapy) are the appreciative relationship between coach and coachee and a common, clear agreement on goals. Furthermore, according to the current state of research, the professional credibility of the coach. The perseverance of the coachee, as well as an individually tailored approach and the resource and solution orientation to present essential impact factors. Other effective factors are with some probability the coachee's already existing ability to reflect, the degree of motivation for change and an ongoing evaluation of the process in the course of the coaching. The promotion of self-reflection should also be important, but result-oriented and structured self-reflection is essential.
In the meantime, coaching has outgrown the “infancy” of the pioneers who developed and passed on coaching as knowledge based on experience. Coaching can also be represented as a solid and effective intervention to fact-oriented people. Contact us for a non-binding initial consultation.
