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The training of managers as coaches: Inspiring excellence in self-management
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to develop, deliver and evaluate the effectiveness of a management development program aimed at improving capability to coach others in a way that inspired excellent performance and enhanced self-management. Eleven manufacturing middle managers completed this intensive six month program which combined group training sessions, one-on-one coaching and self-directed study. Pre and post questionnaires were used to measure the impact of the program. These included: a questionnaire based on Manz and Sim's (1987) work describing the behavior of leaders of self-managing teams, a measure taken from Hackman's (1986) studies of team effectiveness and leadership and Carew and Parisi-Carew's (1988) PERFORM questionnaire which assessed group performance and functioning. A series of T-test analyses were used to determine pre and post study differences in subordinate and boss ratings of the participants' behavior. Qualitative measures, including evaluation questionnaires and case studies were also used to understand the participants' experience of the program and changes in their thinking and behavior. The program produced important changes in the managerial style and practices of the participants. This was shown in boss and subordinate reports of increased uses of coaching style, greater sensitivity to interpersonal relations, increased self-control and greater encouragement of initiative and self-managing behavior by the participant managers. The T-test analyses provided limited statistically significant results supporting these reported changes. Self-evaluations from the participants showed major shifts in their awareness of the impact of their emotional states and use of language on others both at work and at home. This shift in their view of themselves as individuals, managers and coaches resulted in a sense of personal empowerment to improve their own performance and help others to do the same. This study demonstrates that management education for leaders of self-managing individuals and groups requires a new paradigm that emphasizes understanding oneself as a prerequisite to leadership effectiveness. It also shows how training managers in understanding an interpretive theoretical framework and language-as-action is powerful for changing behavior and producing inspiring management coaches.
Subject Area
Business education|Inservice training|Philosophy|Management
Recommended Citation
Curley, James Joseph, "The training of managers as coaches: Inspiring excellence in self-management" (1990). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9022675.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9022675