Coaching in the digital age : how is digitalisation influencing executive coaching? : a grounded theory exploration

Digitalisation forces emerging from the fourth industrial revolution significantly impact executive coaches and the coaching industry. However, executive coaching literature has historically failed to acknowledge the impact of socio-contextual factors on the practice. Resultantly, a research gap has emerged wherein a holistic exploration of the effects of digitalisation on executive coaching and coaches remains unaddressed. This qualitative study of 25 experienced executive coaches using an exploratory interpretive approach and a constructivist grounded theory found that digitalisation significantly impacts executive coaching, but most coaches struggle to understand it holistically. The findings suggest that coaches experience a loss of depth driven by a disturbed presence, loss of physicality and blurred boundaries in a video coaching setup. The study found that coaches encounter digitalisation-driven change both directly and indirectly. As coaches prepare to navigate the future through their actions, they simultaneously experience both fears of obsolescence and confidence of significance regarding the probable effects of digital advancements. This study positions digitalisation as a significant socio-contextual factor, and the four-winged framework provides a map and starting vocabulary to engage with the anticipated impacts of digitalisation. The study introduces a coaching continuum framework for coaches operating in the digital age to enable effective management of diverse digital mediums. Keywords: digitalisation, executive coaching, socio-contextual factors, holistic exploration, constructivist grounded theory, coaching continuum framework, loss of depth, disturbed presence, loss of physicality, blurred boundaries, fears of obsolescence, the confidence of significance, anticipated impacts of digitalisation

Grantor dc:publisher

Oxford Brookes University

Year dc:date

2023

Author dc:creator

• Bajpai, Brajesh

Contributors dc:contributor

• Gannon, Judie
• Huber, Guy
• Cox, Elaine

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Language dc:language

en

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.24384/b4av-9g02

OAI identifier oai:identifier

tle:61986cc9-46fd-4b45-ab28-45f4fdde0229:d6bd9758-527a-46cd-bfe2-c433766e8fca:1