Nicky H.D. Terblanche

• PhD
• Professor (Associate) at Stellenbosch University

Coaching as a practice borrows from many related fields. The problem is that most of the coaching models in use have not been tested or validated for the coaching context. If coaching is to be taken seriously, it needs to derive its own models that are methodologically rigorous, theoretically grounded and empirically informed. The Coaching Model De...

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is making in-roads into many spheres of life, including workplace coaching. The introduction of a new class of support technologies (‘e-coaching systems’ or ‘AI Coaching’) promise to deliver personalised, timely, around-the-clock coaching in a wide variety of domains and to a broad audience. Chatbots as a ty...

There is on going debate about the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on humanity.The application of AI in the helping professions is an active research area, but not in organisational coaching. Guidelines for designing organisational AI Coaches adhering to international coaching standards, practices and ethics are needed. This concep...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is making inroads in the helping professions, including coaching. This conceptual paper considers the possible future of AI Coaching. We look at what is currently done in fields related to coaching and recommend chatbots as a promising technology for implementing AI Coaches. We describe what needs to be considered to im...

Artificial intelligence chatbots could scale coaching, however user adoption is a challenge. We investigate the effect of images on chatbot adoption and coaching efficacy by comparing a text-only coachbot (TextBot, n=126) with a text+images bot (ImageBot, n=116). We measure goal attainment and technology adoption one week apart, as well as users' p...

In an increasingly demanding and pressured work environment, employee resilience is acknowledged as a critical element to navigate adversity. There has been increased focus and interest in studying the nature of resilience in the workplace, however the mechanisms of developing and sustaining resilience are still under debate. Coaching is a promisin...

First-time graduate employees ¹ face numerous challenges in the workplace. Organizational coaching is a proven individual HR support intervention, however due to prohibitive cost, graduate employees typically don’t qualify for this type of assistance. This study investigated a cost effective, artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot coach to support gr...

The confluence of organizational coaching and artificial intelligence (AI), specifically generative AI is set to permanently change how employees are developed and supported. This could result in significant benefits to individual and organizational learning, wellness, and performance. The benefits of organizational coaching are well documented thr...

Workplace coaching is an established, proven personal development intervention relied on by human resource (HR) practitioners to improve individual growth and organizational performance. Numerous studies underscore coaching efficacy. However, in most coaching studies, there is a bias toward positive coaching experience. This points to a missed oppo...

Orientation: Women leaders face significant challenges because of the multifaceted nature of their lives. They need support to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Research purpose: This study aimed to explore the role of leadership coaching to support women in leadership positions with work-life balance. Motivation for the study: Leadership coach...

Despite the proliferation of chatbots (conversational agents) in increasingly varied contexts, user satisfaction with chatbot interactions remains a challenge. We do not yet fully understand chatbot usability and adoption factors or how to customize chatbots based on users' personality traits. One important and under researched aspect of chatbot de...

The chaotic initial stages of the Covid‐19 pandemic severely challenged organizations. Economies shut down and millions of people were confined to their homes. Human resource practitioners turned to organizational coaching, a trusted human resource development intervention for help, however, to remain relevant during the crisis coaches had to adapt...

Working alliance theory describes the therapist–client relationship in psychotherapy and has been adapted to study workplace coaching effectiveness. The application of this theory in workplace coaching research has produced mixed results suggesting that additional factors could be at play. In workplace coaching, the organization often pays for and...

There is limited empirical efficacy evidence on the confluence of artificial intelligence (AI) and organisational and life coaching. Coaching "works" but is often unavailable or unaffordable. AI could scale coaching to reach a wider audience, however, we do not yet know how well AI coaching "works". This replication randomised controlled trial long...

The rise of AI coaching could significantly reduce cost and increase the scale of coaching, however for AI coaching to succeed it is important to understand factors that promote or inhibit adoption. Students are a particular population who may benefit from coaching but cannot afford a human coach. This qualitative study investigated the perceptions...

Orientation: Organisational coaches operate in an increasingly complex environment where they regularly face ethical dilemmas. Because of the confidential nature of coaching, coaches may find themselves isolated with limited means to deal with ethical challenges. Research purpose: This research investigated the typical ethical dilemmas that coaches...

The history of artificial intelligence (AI) is filled with hype and inflated expectations. Notwithstanding, AI is finding its way into numerous aspects of humanity including the fast-growing helping profession of coaching. Coaching has been shown to be efficacious in a variety of human development facets. The application of AI in a narrow, specific...

Chatbots are increasingly applied in various contexts including helping professions, such as organizational and life coaching. Coaching facilitates individual wellness, behavioral change, and goal attainment in a reflective, non-directive manner, and is considered one of the fastest-growing professions. The use of knowledge imparting service chatbo...

Artificial Intelligence (AI) coaching platforms are now available for client use. This panel discussion brings together an AI coaching platform developer, a researcher in the field, a coaching organization facilitating the development of AI coaching standards, and an experienced coach working to integrate AI coaching into the mainstream coaching pr...

People from a variety of backgrounds become executive coaches, lured by the promise of flexible work hours, a more balanced lifestyle, and a reprieve from corporate politics. While anecdotal evidence suggests that it is not easy to make a living purely as an executive coach, research on the topic – which would be more conclusive – is sparse. The em...

Purpose This research investigates how the Covid-19 pandemic initially affected organisational managers, as seen from their executive coaches' perspective by asking: (1) What challenges did managers experience during the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic? and (2) How did coaching foster crisis management skills during this time? Executive coa...

Purpose: More context-specific research regarding the praxis of organisational coaching was needed for increased understanding of this emerging profession. Whilst progress was being made internationally, African coaching practice research was sparse, leading to potentially false assumptions about local praxis based on international trends. The aim...

Insights into the learning environment are required especially when applying action learning commonly used in management development programmes (MDPs). The study reports on an emerging action learning conceptual framework that fosters an environment for individual transformative learning in an MDP. The purpose of this research was to make clear the...

Purpose This study aims to investigate the aspects that influence reflective practice during an action learning approach to management development programmes (MDPs). Design/methodology/approach A narrative inquiry approach was used to gather interview and pictorial data from 16 participants who had attended an action learning oriented MDP. Data we...

Career development and transitions are forms of learning integral to human resource development (HRD). Understanding these phenomena is becoming critical due to the changing nature of work. Transition coaching, an individualized HRD learning intervention, is gaining traction as a career support mechanism, yet the details of how this type of coachin...

Working women who fulfil multiple roles face demands which test their resilience. The purpose of this research paper is to report on how postgraduate studies in executive coaching at a South African Business School, had a spill-over effect that assisted women with their resilience in their triple roles of business leaders, mothers at home and postg...

Orientation: Coaching continues to grow in importance as a learning and developmental intervention in organisations. It is therefore important to understand what makes coaching successful. Research purpose: The coaching relationship is a known predictor of coaching success, and trust is a key ingredient of a high-quality coach–coachee relationship....

Corporate leaders are frequently promoted into senior positions without the requisite capabilities to be successful in such career transitions. A significant proportion fails with substantial negative personal and organisational implications. Incumbents need to adapt through a flexible learning process that transcends superficial change. Transforma...

Work engagement contributes positively to individual and organisational performance. Empowering leadership increases employee engagement, and coaching as a management style is an important aspect of empowering leadership. This study aimed to explore the influence of management's application of coaching practices on work engagement of employees. A q...

Work engagement contributes positively to individual and organisational performance. Empowering leadership increases employee engagement, and coaching as a management style is an important aspect of empowering leadership. This study aimed to explore the influence of management’s application of coaching practices on work engagement of employees. A q...

A survey on African Coaching Practice and comparison to a similar study in Europe

Background: The executive coaching industry is growing internationally and in South Africa. As is typical of small businesses, many struggle to survive. Factors contributing to small business success have been researched, but research in the context of the executive coaching industry in South Africa is sparse. Aim: The aim of this study was to inv...

Facilitating reflection for personal growth in a business context requires careful thought and planning. As a learning process, Business-Driven Action Learning (BDAL) has two points of focus. It aims to firstly identify and make recommendations regarding a business challenge, whist secondly facilitating potentially significant individual personal l...

Orientation: Organisational network analysis (ONA) examines relationships between people and is a potential diagnostic tool to use during team coaching interventions. Research purpose: The objective of this research was to investigate how ONA can be used during a team coaching intervention aimed at addressing business challenges. Motivation for t...

Senior leadership transitions present daunting challenges. To promote inclusive development and comply with equal opportunity legislation, South African companies often fast-track careers of high-potential previously disadvantaged individuals. Organisations typically do not sufficiently support transitioning leaders, possibly acting unethically. Th...

The need for social transformation in South Africa is intrinsically linked to the transformation of corporate South Africa. Strong senior leadership is required to ensure that organisations remain sustainable during this transformation. There is, however, a shortage of skilled senior leaders, hence the need for leadership development. When leaders...

Senior leadership transitions present daunting challenges. To promote inclusive development and comply with equal opportunity legislation, South African companies often fasttrack careers of high-potential previously disadvantaged individuals. Organisations typically do not sufficiently support transitioning leaders, possibly acting unethically. The...

Background: To address the low success rate in information system (IS) projects, organisations in South Africa are adopting agile implementation methodologies. Agile delivery environments advocate an iterative approach where autonomous, self-organising teams share project management (PM) activities. This encroaches on the traditional project manage...

Orientation: Coaching is sometimes used in organisations to assist and support people when they are promoted into senior leadership positions. These coaching interventions are not optimally designed. Research purpose: The objective of this research was to investigate how a transition coaching intervention should be designed to cater specifically f...

Knowledge sharing between employees is a critical success factor in knowledge intensive organisations and depends on the quality of an employee’s relationships with co-workers. Relatively little research has been done on how to incorporate relationship aspects into a coaching intervention. This paper describes an organisational coaching interventio...