AI, Team Coaching and The Human Element®: Exploring Team Leaders’ Preferences for an AI Team Coaching Tool Informed by Human-Centered Principles

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into organizational life, its potential applications in team development and coaching are emerging as a focus of interest and concern. This thesis explores the preferences and perspectives of Team Leaders regarding the use of an AI Team Coaching tool, investigating whether Team Leaders would consider using an AI Team Coaching tool, what functionality they would find most useful, and what concerns or hesitations they might have. Using a survey, responses were collected from a diverse sample of Team Leaders across multiple industries and cultural contexts. The survey consisted of both closed-ended and open-ended questions. It was designed to elicit participants’ views on the role of coaching in team development, their attitudes toward AI integration in relational and emotional domains, and their expectations or hesitations about an AI Team Coaching tool. The questions were informed by the principles of Will Schutz’s (1994) The Human Element® which were used as a conceptual foundation for some of the either/or questions. Survey invitations were sent to eighty (80) potential participants. Thirty-seven (37) individuals completed the survey. Respondents came from a wide range of organizational contexts, including corporate, nonprofit and educational institutions, and represented multiple cultures on four continents. While the survey was administered in English, not all respondents were native English speakers. All responses were anonymous to promote candid feedback and to reduce bias. The data gathered through the survey provides insight into the perceived readiness of Team Leaders for an AI Team Coaching tool and offers guidance for future tool development and implementation. The findings suggest a cautious openness to using an AI Team Coaching tool, especially if the tool can foster psychologically safe team environments and promote deeper interpersonal understanding. Key concerns included confidentiality, emotional sensitivity, trustworthiness, and the potential displacement of human coaches. Team Leaders emphasized the need for the tool to be not only technically competent but also capable of facilitating honest, constructive dialogue and enhancing human connection. The study concludes by outlining implications for the ethical design of an AI Team Coaching tool and proposes a conceptual foundation for creating technology that augments rather than replaces human leadership and team coaching.

Author dc:creator

• Forst, Marcia, Louise

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Walinga, Jennifer

• School of executive education

Language dc:language.iso

en_US

Identifier URI

https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20430

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:null:10613/28865