Exploring the meaning and experience of coaching in relation to the learning and development of non-executive directors: A grounded theory study

In recent years, boards have been faced with increasing pressure from governments, regulators and company stakeholders to upgrade their performance. In addition to measures related to board composition and structure, the learning and development of non-executive directors has been advocated as a promising avenue for boards to reach higher levels of effectiveness. In fact, however, very little is known about experiences with the learning and development of non-executive directors. In this context, many scholars have referred to the world of boards as a ‘black box’. The present study aims to shed more light on the learning and development of non- executive directors by conducting an in-depth investigation into what role coaching plays and how both clients and providers make sense of their coaching experiences. The choice to focus on coaching is partly inspired by suggestions made by various researchers that non-executive directors should develop the capacity to self-reflect and engage in meaningful and effective dialogues about their work in order to increase their effectiveness. Coaching would be an ideal instrument to facilitate this. However, limited research exists in the field of either corporate governance or the social sciences that specifically elaborates on experiences with the use of coaching for non-executives or boards. The present study provides empirical evidence pertaining to the relevance of coaching for non-executive directors and the approaches that match their needs and attributes. The study has been designed from a critical realist perspective, adopting a qualitative approach to gain insight into events, their deeper meanings and the social mechanisms that may be influencing them. Data consisted of actual coaching experiences, collected via semi-structured interviews with sixteen participants – a combination of coaches and non-executive directors from various countries. The grounded theory methodology has been applied for data collection and analysis in order to ultimately arrive at a model for the coaching of non-executive directors. This study contributes empirically based insights into how coaching with non- executive directors is being practised and how these clients make sense of what coaching is or what it can do for them. New evidence is provided to suggest that the 5 coaching of non-executive directors is characterised by ambivalence, and that this has a strong impact on how coaching is structured and delivered. Furthermore, this study provides new evidence that approaches currently in use for the coaching of top executives are not fully applicable to non-executive directors or the boards they are part of. The findings suggest that the best match for this clientele are approaches that are situational, intuitive and pragmatic. The study contributes to coaching practice by providing an empirically based framework for the coaching of non-executive directors and boards. It is constructed based on the insight that the working alliance becomes the most important factor in positioning the coaching, defining the agenda and achieving meaningful results. The framework provides guidance to practitioners on how to set up the coaching and which aspects to focus on in each stage of the relationship. Practical implications are included for how professional bodies can educate and prepare coaches who aspire to engage with this client group. Finally, the study prompts corporate learning and development professionals to identify non-executive directors as a client group and to explore how they can contribute to their learning and development