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The impact of executive coaching and 360 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Elizabeth C. Thach
Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California, USA
Introduction
In the last decade, executive coaching
combined with 360 feedback has been one of
the fastest growing executive development
options within global companies (Goldsmith
et al., 2000; Judge and Cowell, 1 997). It has
even become ``trendy’’ to have one’s own
executive coach ± similar to having a
personal trainer. Businesses i nvest large
sums of money in matching executives with
the right coach, yet, to date, there has been
little empirical research on the impact of
coaching on leadership effectiveness and
payback to the organization (Kilburg, 2000;
Hall et al., 1999).
Despite the lack of hard numbers on
coaching results, the literature is filled with
numerous articles on the types and processes
of coaching (Cunningham, 1991; Diedrich,
1996; Flah erty, 1999; Hargrove, 1995;
Goldsmith et al., 2000; Judge and Cowell, 1997;
Kilburg, 2000; Koonce, 1994; Saporito, 1996;
Thach and Heinselman, 2000), and in the last
few years many new organizations and
consulting firms have sprung up to offer
coaching as a service (Hall et al., 1999). In
anecdotal conversations with executives and
human resource professionals, most profess
to be pleased with the results, but are
hard-pressed to provide quantitative data to
support their viewpoint.
This study attempts to fill part of that gap
by describing the quantitative impact of a
coaching and 360 feedback process on the
leadership effectiveness of 281 executives. A
short review of the coaching and 360 feedback
literature is provided as background for the
development of the process.
Defining executive coaching
Kilburg (1996) defines executive coaching as:
A helping relationship formed betwee n a
client who has managerial authority . . . in an
organization and a c onsultant who uses a
wide variety of behavioral techniques and
methods to help the client achieve a mutually
identified set of goals . . . within a formally
defined coaching agreement.
He continues by stating that the goals
generally are for th e purpose of:
Improving (the client’s) professional
performance and personal satisfaction and,
consequently, to improve the effectiveness of
the client’s organization . . . .
This definition is very inclusive of most
concepts espoused in other descriptions
provided in the literature (Flaherty, 1999;
Hargrove, 1995; Goldsmith et al., 2000; Judge
and Cowell, 1997; Koonce, 1994; Thach and
Heinselman, 2000).
The literature clearly delineates between
two major types of coaching (Koonce, 1994;
Olivero et al., 1997; Snyder, 1995; Thach and
Heinselman, 2000). The first of these can be
described as performance based, and focuses
on practical and specific business issues.
Examples might be goal setting, pro ject
management, or a specific interpersonal skill
issue that is hindering the executive in
achieving high-quality busin ess
performance. These types of issues might be
a minor modifica tion that a high potential
manager needs to make, or be an issue that is
causing potential derailment problems. This
type of performance-based coaching is
generally more short-term in nature, and can
range from one to several meetings between
coach and client.
The second type of coaching can be defined
as in-depth coaching. This can be more
psychoanalytical in approach, attempting to
get at deep-seated issues and often exploring
personal values, motivations, and even
family issues. This type of coaching generally
lasts longer and is more costly. It is
interesting to note, however, that there are
The research register for this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregisters
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0143-7739.htm
[ 205 ]
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
# MCB UP Limited
[ISSN 0143-7739]
[DOI 10.1108/0143773021042907 0]
Keywords
Leadership, Coaching,
Management development ,
Feedback
Abstract
Does executive coaching really
work? Does it help improve
leadershi p effectiveness and
productivity ? Thi s action research
study answers these questions by
tracking the progress of 281
executive s participatin g in a
six-month coaching and 360
feedback process. Th e results
suggest that the combinatio n of
multi-rate r feedback and individual
coaching do increase leadershi p
effectivenes s up to 60 per cent ±
according to direct report and peer
post-survey feedback.
Implication s of the results for
future executive development
programs are discussed , and
specifi c recommendation s are
provided.
Received: November 2001
Accepted: January 2002
some experts who recommend that executive
coaching should not enter too far into the
realm of psychology due to time restrictions
and the fast-paced result-orientation of
business (Judge and Cowell, 1997; Levinson,
1996; Syn der, 1995). Regardless of the type of
coaching used, both are focused on helping
the executive achieve goals which will
enhance both organizational productivity
and personal job satisfaction.
The coaching process
Many articles and books have been written
on the process of ``how to do coaching,’’ and
vary from three to six steps in length
(Cunningham, 1991; Flaherty , 1999; Ha rgrove,
1995; Hudson, 1999; Gold smith et al., 2000; Kiel
et al., 1996; Koonce, 1994; Kilburg, 1996, 2000).
Likewise, there are lists of coaching methods
and techniques, which range from 360
assessment and feedback to training,
simulations, role playing, and confrontations
± just to name a few. In general, however, the
process of coaching includes the following
three phrases:
1 contracting;
2 data collection; and
3 coaching.
In the contracting phase, the coach and clien t
(which can sometimes be the ind ividual
client and/or the organization) develop an
agreement regarding the coaching contract.
This generally includes the goals of the
coaching, estimated resources, time and
confidentiality commitment, potential
methods, and cost. Often several planning
conversations occur in order to come to
agreement on a written contract. The second
phase involves some sort of data collection.
This often takes th e form of 360 assessments,
personality and skill inventories, and/or
one-on-one interviews by the coach with
direct reports, peers, the manager, and
customers of the client. The amount and
length of the data collection phase is
determined by the goa ls of the coaching
relationship.
The largest amount of time is generally
devoted to the third phase ± the coaching
phase. Here the coach and client spend time
analyzing the results of the data and
designing a plan of action to overcome
identified issues. Depending on how
accepting the client is to the feedback, the
time involved can vary in length. The coach
may be required to use ``confrontation
techniques’’ in order to help the client
recognize and accept responsibility for the
issues (Hall et al., 1999; Judge and Cowell,
1997; Tha ch and Heinselman, 1999). The
coaching phase also inclu des follow-up
meetings to assess progress, observe client
interactions; offer advice and support; and ±
eventually ± to assist the client in evaluating
the results of th e coaching process and
terminate the relationship.
Another impact on process is the type of
coach used ± an internal or external coach.
Hall et al. (1999) report that there are pros
and cons to both types of coaches: externals
are usua lly more costly, but are perceived by
executives as being more objective; whereas
internal coaches usually cost less and
understand organizational culture, but are
perceived as a confidentiality risk. The key to
selecting the right coach and process appears
to be a c lear company goal around the use of
coaches ± connected to an overall strategy
with distinct expectations regarding results
(Goldsmith et al., 2000; Olivero et al., 1997;
Tanner, 1997). Other success factors
regarding executive coaching are linked
closely to concepts identified in the best
practices literature on executive
development. These include linkage to
business strategy, support and role-modeling
by the top executive team, involvement of
executives in design, implement as ongoing
process, not program, and measur e results
(Bolt, 1999, 1997, 1985; O’Reilly, 1993; Vicere,
1996; Rothwell and Kazanas, 2000).
The use of multi-rater (360) feedback with
coaching
According to Judge and Cowell (1997), the
best executive coaches use some form of 360
feedback with their client. Indeed, research
has confirmed that the use of 360 feedback is
one of the best methods to promote increased
self-awareness of skill strengths and
deficiencies in managers (Hagberg, 1996;
Rosti and Shipper, 1998; Shipper and Dillard,
2000). Multi-rater , or 360 feedback has been
defined as the process of:
Gathering information about a person’s
behavior from a boss or bosses, direct reports,
colleagues, . . . an d other key stakeholders,
such as customers and suppliers (Lepsinger
and Lucia, 1997).
Organizations that implement 360 feed back
processes effectively generally link it to a
specific business need , get top management
buy-in, and provide ongoing support and
follow-up (Waldman et al ., 1998; Lepsinger
and Lucia, 1997). One of the most common
follow-up methods is to use a personal coach.
It is also recommended that when first
implementing 360 feedback, that it b e do ne
for developmental rathe r than evaluative
purposes (London and Smither, 1995). A
coach is an ideal support tool to use in a
developmental situation.
[ 206 ]
Elizabeth C. Thach
The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
Issues with 360 feedback are an absence of
clear implementation purpose on the pa rt of
the organization, as well as empirical data on
results (Waldman et al., 1998). Another issue
is the potential problem for abuse of the
system by raters if they believe the data will
be used for evaluative purposes, or if the y
become overwhelmed with the extra work 360
processes can generate and cynical of any
real improvements. Because of this, careful
planning should occur before implementing
360 processes in order that they be linked
carefully to business needs and include
appropriate communication and follow-up.
The use of executive coaches to work with
managers to decipher 360 results, as well as
post survey methodology is recommended as
an implementation option (Waldman et al.,
1998; Go ldsmith et al., 2000)
Method
Sample
A total sa mple of 281 executives and high
potential managers participated in this
action research. They were all members of a
mid-size, global, telecommunications firm
with headquarters in the western USA.
Specific criteria for the sample were set:
must hold title of director , vice-president,
or be identified as a high potential
manager via s uccession planning data;
must have worked in current position at
the company for at least six months; and
must volunteer to participate in the
leadership development process ± not be
coerced.
These criteria were developed as part of the
establishment of a new executive
development system within the company,
which included this 360 feedback and
coaching process.
Procedure
The procedure was designed based on best
practice literature in executive development
(Bolt, 1999; 1997; 1985; O’Reilly, 1993; Vicere,
1996; Rothw ell and Kazanas, 2000). This
included gaining the support of the CEO and
top executive team, and linking the 360
feedback process and coaching to a business
need of developing more leaders for the
future. Specifically, this entailed two goals:
1 increasing the percentage of overall
leadership effectiveness on a post 360
survey; and
2 increasing the number of ``ready no w’’
succession planning candidates from 1.0
to 2.0 leaders for the to p 60 strategic
positions in the firm.
The executive development system was also
designed to be linked to other human
resource systems in the organization, such as
performance management, recruiting,
staffing, and succession planning. However,
it was decided that for the first few years, the
360 feedback process would only be used for
developmental purposes and not be linked to
promotion and compensation.
The 360 feedback and coaching process was
designed to be the ``heart’’ of the executive
development system, but it was
supplemented by other development options,
such as a strategic forum series; exchange
dialogues with the CEO; shadow boards;
targeted external education programs; and a
series of on-the-job development options and
community service. Support to participate in
these other options was gained through the
developmental pla n created jointly by the
executive and coach after completing the 360
feedback process.
The procedure was implemented in three
phases over a period of almost three years.
Phase one: develop and pilot 360 feedback
process (eight months)
During phase one, the 360 feedback survey
was co-designed by an external consultant
and the top executive team, including the
CEO. The c onsultant interviewed each
member of the executive team to identify
leadership competencies needed to ac hieve
the organizational strategy for the next five
years. The consulting firm then wrote the
survey using an existing database of 360
competency questions which had a high rate
of validity and reliability, however, they did
include a few customized questions to
evaluate new competencies identified by the
executive team.
The final 360 survey included 76 items
measuring 17 leadership competencies using
a fiv e-point satisfaction scale, wit h 1 being
``very unsa tisfied,’’ and 5 being ``very
satisfied.’’ It took approximately 15-20
minutes to complete and was first published
in a paper format (later moved online to
Web-based format). It was completed by
peers, direct reports, manager, and self, and
then mailed to an external survey processing
firm to maintain confidentiality. Final
results were mailed directly to the executive
coach for review . The coach then met with
the executive for one hour, as part of a one
day training and survey debrief session. The
one hour meeting allowed the coach to assist
in the analysis of the 360 feedback and
preliminary draf ting of a development plan
based on the results
During phase one, the 360 survey was
piloted on 57 executives, including the CEO
and top executive team. These data were not
[ 207 ]
Elizabeth C. Thach
The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
included in the action research study of the
281 executives, because the process and some
of the survey questions were modified as a
result of pilot feedback. In order to obtain
pilot feedback, each of the 57 executives was
interviewed via phone or email
questionnaire six months after th e coaching
debrief to assess their reaction to the 360
survey, coaching process, and discuss results
of their development plan. Based on the pilot
feedback, it was decided that more follow-up
coaching sessions were necessary in ord er to
kee p the development plan ``on the front
burner,’’ rather than pushed to the back due
to the norma l hectic schedule of a busy
executive. In additio n, it was decided that
executives should only focus on one to three
development actions and one strength, rather
tha n a ``laundry list’’ of items which became
overwhelming. Finally, some minor
modifications were made to the 360 survey
items in order to enhance face validity.
Phase two: implement year one 360
feedback with coaching (12 months)
Phase two was launched with 168 executives
over a one year period. The process was
originally only budgeted corporately for 100
executives, but it became so popular that
many executives offered to fund it through
their department budgets. In this phase, the
modified 360 survey was used, and executives
not only received a one-hour coaching
debrief session during the one-d ay training
class, but also had three additional follow-up
sessions with their coaches over a period of
six months, before a mini 360 and email post
survey was administered. The co aching
sessions were scheduled as follows:
1 First coaching session. A one-hour debrief
of the 360 survey during the training class.
This included analysis of results,
discussion, and preliminary preparation
of a development plan. The coach also
helped the executive narrow down the list
of one to three development actions and
one strength. During the training class,
the execu tive was instructed on how to
follow-up with their manager, peers, and
direct reports to thank them for the 360
feedback and seek their assistance in
identifying specific actions to resolve the
one to three identified development items.
The executive was also instructed to show
their draft development plan to their
manager, in order that the manager could
provide input to the plan and provide
approval. However, the actual 360 da ta
was not shown to the executive’s
manager, but was kept confid ential
between the executive and co ach.
2 Second coaching session one month later. A
one-hour face-to-face or phone coaching
session in which the coach discussed with
the executive how the follow-up
conversations went and finalized the
development plan, including specific
actions the executive would begin to
implement. Examples of development
actions could include behavior changes as
simple as saying thank you to direct
reports, or as time consuming as
attending a two week intensive seminar
on financial analysis in order to improve
financial acumen.
3 Third coaching session three months later.
A one-hour face-to-face coaching session
in which the coach and executive assessed
the results of implementing the
development plan to date, identified any
obstacles or issues; modified the plan if
necessary; and prepared again for the
executive to follow-up informally with
peers, direct reports, and manager again
to seek feedback on results to date. It is
important to note that this type of
informal follow-up with 360 feedback
raters assists in validating the
improvement efforts of the executive as
perceived by the raters (Thach and
Heinselman, 2000).
4 Fourth coaching session five months later.
A one hour face-to-face or phone coachi ng
conversation in which the coach and
executive repeated the same steps as
outlined in the above coaching session,
plus prepared for the mini 360 post and
email surveys.
5 Mini 360 an d email post surveys
administered at six months. At six months,
the external survey processing firm
mailed mini 360 post surveys to the
executive to distribute to peers, direct
reports, and managers again. The mini 360
survey was composed only of the one to
three items the executive had selected for
development, as well as three standard
questions which were used as the basis of
this action research. Thes e questions
focused on percentage increase in
leadership effectiveness and follow-up
frequency. In addition, an email post
survey was sent from the corporate
executive development offi ce to each
executive to seek feedba ck on the number
of times the executive met with the coach,
self-assessed progress, and pros/cons of
the process.
Although the procedure called for the coach
and executive to meet for a total of four times,
there were some cases where the coach and
executive had many more contacts via
voicemail and email ± especially to schedule
follow-up meetings, given the very crowded
[ 208 ]
Elizabeth C. Thach
The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
schedules of most executives. Also funding
was made available through the corporate
executive development offi ce for four
coaching sessions, however executives had
the option of contracting with their coach for
additional sessions if they paid for it from
their own budget.
Phase three: implement year two 360
feedback with coaching (12 months)
Phase three was launched with 113
executives during the third year. Again, the
corporate budget funded 100 executives for
the year, but due to budget cuts across the
company during the third year, fewer
executives elected to fund the process from
their own department budgets. Phase three
followed the identical procedure outlined in
phase two, with the exception of some minor
modifications to the one-day training session,
which had received some process
improvement s uggestions via the post survey
feedback from the previous year. Also, the
coaches were urged to counsel the executives
to complete the mini 360 post survey. This
had not been very well emphasized in phase
two, resulting in a lower percentage response
rate.
Analysis
The data resulting from the mini 360 and
email post surveys were analyzed in two
ways. The individual mini 360 post survey
data were analyzed by the external survey
firm using descriptive statistics on the six
items and mailed back in report format to the
executive and coach. Then a compilation of
all the data was prepared for the company,
using the first three items. In addition, they
correlated the impact of follow-up frequency
on leadership effectiveness. The data
resulting from the email post survey were
compiled by the corporate executive
development office using descriptive
statistics for the first three items. A
qualitative methodology of thematic cod ing
and frequency was used to analyze the last
two items regarding what worked well and
areas for improvement regarding the overall
process.
Results
Results for thi s action research study are
provided in three areas:
1 participation rates;
2 leadership effectiveness; and
3 coaching impact.
Each of these are described in the following
sections.
Participation rates
Overall, participation rates were higher than
expected, with more executives volunteering
to complete the process than the corporate
budget would merit. Positive reaction was
attributed to the role-modeling and
encouragement of the CEO and executive
team to complete the process. Drop out rates
were low (13 per cent in phase two and 7 per
cent in phase three), and had to do with
transfers within the company or
resignations. Participation in completing th e
mini 360 and email post surveys was not
mandatory, and therefore the overall
response rates ± 47 per cent and 45 per cent
respectively ± were considered good. A tota l
of 537 raters, including direct reports, peers,
and the manager of the executive,
participated in the mini 360 post survey.
Leadership effectiveness
Table I illustrates the results from the mini
360 post survey. It shows that the overall
impact on leadership effectiveness, due to the
six mont h coaching and 360 survey process,
was an average increase of 55 per cent with
the phase two executives and 60 per cent with
the phase three executives ± as perceived by
others. Self leadership effectiveness ratings
at the end of the six mo nths coaching and 360
feedback process were slightly lower at 52 per
cent and 56 per cent, respectively.
From Table I it is obvious that fewer peers
responded to the mini 360 post survey than
direct reports. The reason for this is because
the executives were instructed to send the
post s urvey to only those raters who were
directly impacted by the one to three
development items upon which they were
working. In many cases, the development
items addressed interactions with direct
reports, rather than peers. Likewise, the
number of overall raters on the mini 360 post
survey is smaller than th e number who
responded to the original 76 item 360 survey,
because ± again ± the executive was focusing
on rater’s perceptions on only the one to
three development items. Rater response
requirements were that at least three raters
had to respond to an item, before it could be
compiled and reported.
The data were also analyzed to examine
frequency of follow-up, as well as the impact
of follow-up on per cent increase in
leadership effectiveness. Executives were
urged to follow-up with impacted raters ±
either direct reports and/or peers ± on three
occasions, as well as to keep their manager
informed of progress. The first occasion was
discussing the 360 feedback with raters and
thanking them for participating within at
least 30 days o f receiving the feedback report.
[ 209 ]
Elizabeth C. Thach
The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
Executives were then counseled to follow-up
informally with raters to as sess progress on
the one to thre e identified development areas
on two more occasions ± generally every 60
days, before the mini 360 post survey was
distributed at six months. Table II and
Figure 1 illustrate these results.
The data illustrate that there is a positive
correlation to follow-up frequency and per
cent increase of leadership ef fectiveness.
However there is a disturbing trend of
outliers in both phase two (n = 2) and phase
three (n = 4) where per cent increase in
leadership effectiveness is rated at 65 per
cent and 60 per cent respectively with no
follow-up.
Coaching impact
The impact of coaching was primarily
measured on th e email post survey in which
executives were asked to report the number
of times they actually met with their coach;
whether or not they completed their
development plan, and their self-reported
increase in leadership effectiveness.
Interestingly enough, executives reported
lower self-assessment on p er cent increase in
leadership effectiveness on the email post
survey (3 6 per cent average) than they did on
the mini 360 post survey (53 per cent). The
average number of times they met with their
coach was 3.6, versus the actual four times
outlined in the process. This was consistent
for both phase two and three participants and
speaks to the hectic schedule of executives.
Finally, of the 114 executives responding to
this post survey, 108 (95 per cent) reported
tha t they completed implementing their
development plan.
With this survey, it was also possible to
correlate the number o f times an executive
met with their coach to self-reported per cent
increase in leadership effectiveness. Figure 2
illustrates these results below.
Since only 17 executives exceeded four
coaching sessions, it is difficult to claim a
positive correlation in this analysis, however
it is possible to state that completing three to
five coaching sessions appears to have a
much more positive impact on self-reported
per cent increase in leadership effectiveness
tha n only one or two coaching sessions.
Thematic analysis ± what worked well?
The thematic analysis of the qualitative data
provided much more rich detail on the
benefit of the coaching process. In the
descriptive section regarding ``what worked
well,’’ a total of 125 comments were coded
into seven major themes, utilizing a
decision rule of at least two coded items to
create a theme. Tab le III illustrates these
themes.
The major theme that emerged as being the
most positive part of the process was the
coach at 43 items, or 34 per cent of the
responses. Examples of some of the
comments include:
It is great having a coach with an outside
perspective giving candid feedback.
[The coach’s] honest, direct input has been
very valuable over the past months.
It is helpful to have someone to talk to that is
independent and provides another point of
view.
[My] coach is knowledgeable, professional,
and helpful in providing support and
direction.
The one-on-one with the coaches helped me
the most.
Table I
Average percentage increase in leadership effectiveness
Per c ent averag e increase
Phase R ater No . respe ctively in lead ership e ffect
Two Self 38 5 2
a
Two D irect repo rts 116 55
Two Peers 74 55
Two M anage r 38 56
Two Total 266 5 5
a
Three Sel f 80 5 6
a
Three Direct repo rts 114 60
Three Peers 86 57
Three M anag e r 80 63
Three Tota l 360 6 0
a
N ote:
a
Self rating not in clude d in total le adersh ip effec tiveness percentage ra ting
Table II
Correlation of follow-up frequency on leadership effectiveness
F ollow -up Ph ase 2 Pha se 3
freque ncy Averag e % leadership incr ease No . raters Avera ge % le adership incr ease N o. raters
N on e 65 2 60 4
Little 37 7 40 20
S om e 57 39 58 76
F re que nt 70 42 71 68
C on sistent 85 19 88 23
T otal N A 10 9 NA 191
[ 210 ]
Elizabeth C. Thach
The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
The second highest scoring category was the
360 feedback. Here respondents reported that
receiving the feedback was very useful. Some
comments include:
I like the feedback process from my peers and
direct reports, and that this portion of it is
confidential so that they can be honest and
direct.
I appreciated receiving the feedback,
particularly from my Direct Reports.
Direct feedback provides the best basis for
personal growth.
Other useful categories included the overall
process and the focus on a few specific
development items. Another item that
supported the benefit of the coaching was a
category coded as goad, in which executives
reported they appreciated th e fact tha t the
coach was there to ``goad’’ them into
implementing their development plan and
follow-up with raters. As one participant
stated:
[You are] compelled to complete [the
process] ± as you knew your coach would be
following-up.
Thematic analysis ± areas for improvement
The qualitative comments regarding
improvement are tabulated in Table IV. Here
eight themes appeared, but only totaling 49
comments, compared to the 125 comments
volunteered in the ``what works category.’’ In
this section, the major theme was none ± or
no areas for improvement, with the second
area being coach match and the third theme
as organizational changes. This third
category had to do with cha nges in staff, new
assignments, or large organizational change
issues that interfered with completing the six
month process.
Regarding the coach match theme, some of
the executives had a ``match issue’’ with their
coach:
My coach seemed too affirming and may not
have been candid enough.
I’m not sure how effective the coach is. It may
depend on the particular coach.
Some of my staff felt they didn’t have a good
match with a coach, therefore value was not
as high for them.
The overall process attempted to deal with
these issues up front during the first training
Table III
Qualitative themes on what worked well
T hem e s Description Ph ase 2 Ph ase 3 T otal
C oa ch U se of a private fee dbac k c oach w as positive 20 23 43
F eedba ck R eceiving objective 3 60 data w as very helpfu l 21 10 31
Proc ess The co m ple te process wa s sim ple to fo llow 10 7 17
F ocus Focu sing only o n one to three area s w as re alistic 10 1 11
G oa d H ave the co ach to ``goad’’ you o n w as helpful 4 4 8
D ev . plan C reatin g a w ritten dev . plan to follo w w as u seful 4 4 8
Gaps/skills B ein g ab le to identify skills a nd g aps useful 2 5 7
T otal N A 71 54 1 25
Figure 1
Correlation of follow-up frequency on
leadership effectiveness
Figure 2
Correlation of numb er of coaching sessions with leadership effectiveness
c
!
[ 211 ]
Elizabeth C. Thach
The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
session in which executives were encouraged
to request a new coach if this occurred.
However, based on the comment, it is clear
tha t not all of the executives felt comfortable
in requesting a change of coach.
A final category that reflected positively on
the impact of the coach had to do with the
code more coach, in which executives
expressed the need to have more coaching
sessions than just the four sessions funded
under the corporate executive development
process.
Discussion and conclusions
This action research demonstrates the
positive effect executive coaching and 360
feedback have on increasing leadership
effectiveness. On the mini 360 post survey,
direct reports, peers, and managers rated
leadership effectiveness as having increased
an average of 55 per cent and 60 per cent
respectively during the two phases, as a
result of the overall coaching and 360
feedback process. Furthermore, this study
illustrates that more frequent follow-up and
interaction with 360 raters during the
coaching and improvement cycle, results in
higher ratings of leadership effectiveness on
the post 360 survey. Final ly, this study
supports the po sitive impact of coaching in
terms of developing leaders. The themes
identified in the qualitative data illustrate
this, and the coaching correlation graph
suggests that their may be a connection to the
number of coaching sessions and self
perceived leadership effectiveness.
Regarding the achievement of the
identified goals for the corporation, both
were accomp lished. As verified by the post
surveys, leadership effectiveness did
improve among executives as perceiv ed by
stakeholders, and als o the number of ``ready
now’’ candi dates was increased from 1.0 to 2.0
at the end of the first two years.
Limitations of the study
The positive results demonstrated in this
study are hamp ered, however, by its action
research design. No effort was made to
isolate variables, since a ``complete process’’
was being implemented. Therefore it is
difficult to separate the impact of the 360
feedback from the executive coaching. One
wonders what the results would have been if
executives had only received their 360
feedback report and no coaching. This
question was partially answered at the end of
phase one when the 57 executives in the pilot
study suggested that more co aching be
included, but no quantitative baseline was
established.
Another issue had to do with the follow-up
process. Here the step of followin g-up at least
three times over six months with direct
reports, peers, and managers to discuss the
feedback and assess progress on the
identified action items appears to have had a
very positive impact on rater’s perceptions of
leadership effectiveness. Obviously a few
executives c hose to skip this step or do less
follow-up, and this had a somewhat negative
effect on leadership effectiveness ± but not in
all cases, since there were a few outliers .
Why is this? What would happen if the
follow-up step were eliminated from the
complete process?
Another handicap was the
``modifications ’’ made to the process over
the two-year and eight-month period.
Obviously in a business setting this type of
process improve ment is normal, but it does
make it more d ifficult to report on action
research. It is for this reason that the data
had to be differentiated into phases,
however, in the final analysis, there was not
much difference in the overall results
between participants in phase two verses
phase three. A final limitation of this study
is that it was conducted in only one
organization.
Table IV
Qualitative themes on areas for improvement
T hem e s Description Ph ase 2 Ph ase 3 T otal
N on e N o a reas fo r im prove m ent 4 8 12
C oa ch m atch C hem istry with the coa ch wa s no t g oo d 5 4 9
O rg . c hang e C hange s in the org aniza tion m a de it diffic ult 4 2 6
Proc ess Som e process im prov em e nt still neede d 5 1 6
M ore co ach I’d lik e to hav e m ore coa chin g sessio ns th an four 4 1 5
S ched ule M y crazy sche dule m ade thin g s diffic ult 1 3 4
D R /da ta M y direct report d ata w as confu sing 2 2 4
B oss M y boss d idn ’t support the pro cess 1 2 3
T otal N A 26 23 49
[ 212 ]
Elizabeth C. Thach
The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
Implications and recommendations for
executive development
Despite the drawbacks of a ction research,
and the lack of ``pure study design,’’ it is
rewarding to observe this type of progress on
leadership development within a business
setting. These positive results suggest that
this type of simple, yet effective executive
coaching and 360 feedback process should be
implemented in other settings. Obviously the
process would need to be adjusted to fit
different organiz ational cultures and goals,
but it appears that the combination of the
three elements emphasized in this study ± 360
feedback; coaching; and follow-up with
stakeholders ± are a winning combination.
It ma y be useful for organizations to
experiment with the difference between
using internal versus external coaches in
order to preserve costs. However, this should
be done with respect towards maintaining
confidentiality and quality of coaching.
Organizations could also experimen t with
the number of coaching sessions, as well as
the length of time between the pre and post
360. Final ly, there is the question of how
often executives should participate in this
type of process ± on ce a year or more often.
Should one consider implementing a
philosophy of continu ous improvement of
leadership skills through this typ e of ongoing
process?
Conclusion
In conclusion, this study supports previous
findings on the positive impact of 360
feedback and executive coaching (Shipper
and Dillard, 2000; Olivero et al., 1997;
Hagberg, 1996). It also reinforces themes
identified in the best practice literature on
executive development regarding the need to
involve the top executive team in designing
and role-modeling the process, as well as
linking it to strategic organizational goals
(Bolt, 1997). By implementing these types of
leadership development processes which
emphasize 360 feedback to promote self-
awareness combined with the support of a
talented coach, leaders can be developed;
high potentials managers can continue to
hone their skills; and derailing executives
can be saved.
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The impact of executive
coaching and 36 0 feedback
on leadership effectiveness
Leadership & Organization
Development Journal
23/4 [2002] 205±214
