Ashridge Centre for Coaching

The largest ever coaching outcome research – preliminary findings

Data collection is now completed on this project.

The Ashridge Centre for Coaching is proud to present the Greatest Coaching Outcome Research Project in history, which has already drawn exactly 2,018 completed client questionnaires, 1,880 matching coach questionnaires and 130 matching coaching sponsor questionnaires. These numbers are at least ten times more than most existing coaching outcome studies and larger than any study that we know of in this field.

At the moment we are writing up a substantial article about our main findings.

We have already analysed about 75% of the complete dataset. So far we have found:

• There are substantial correlations between different independent estimates of coaching outcome (between client and coach and between client and sponsor, but not between coach and sponsor)
• The coaching relationship remains the best predictor of outcome
• Client self-efficacy seems an active ingredient as well, as it correlates with coaching outcome, both as rated by the client and as rated by the coach
• Coach self-efficacy does not correlate with client-rated outcome
• Only small correlations between personality in terms of MBTI and the other variables above.

In other words: (1) clients, coaches and sponsors agree on what they see as coaching outcome, (2) the coaching relationship is a very important factor in effectiveness and (3) client self-efficacy (the client’s self-motivation) is an important active ingredient as well.

We expect these findings to be robust, because of the large sample sizes.

Relational Coaching Conference 2013

After the great success of the first Relational Coaching Conference in July 2012, Ashridge is delighted to announce the date for their Relational Coaching Conference 2013 as Thursday 10 October 2013. For more information please visit the event page.

New book - Behind Closed Doors: Stories from the Coaching Room

Behind Closed Doors is a ground-breaking exploration of executive coaching, based on a wide range of real-life case studies of coaching in action. Despite the enormous growth of executive coaching over the last 20 years, very few case studies are available which can be used to guide practicing coaches - and those who retain their services - and which reveal the reality of coaching in action. Yet when the curtain is pulled back, we can learn much about the impact of different interventions and different styles; where change happens for the better and where potential pitfalls may occur. Written by skilled and experienced practitioners, and showing what happens 'inside' coaching relationships and the values it can have for the development of coach and client alike, this book provides just such guidance.

Relational Coaching workshops

We are putting on a series of workshops exploring different perspectives on relational coaching. The first of the workshops in the series is entitled Relational Psychodynamics and is led by Erik de Haan and Andrew Day. The second is entitled Relational Transactional Analysis and is led by Charlotte Sills and Graeme Summers. The third in the series is entitled Relational Gestalt and is led by Bill Critchley.