Relationship, purpose, and change — An integrative model of coach behavior

Coaching is an effective intervention to achieve organizationally, professionally and personally beneficial goals. Although the coach-coachee working relationship constitutes the most critical indicator of coaching success, specific coach behaviors that create successful interaction are poorly understood. Using well-established psychological theories we have derived an integrative model of coach behavior that delineates three behavioral meta-categories, namely: (A) Relationship-oriented behavior fostering effective working relationships, providing structured guidance, personalized support and activating resources. (B) Purpose-oriented behavior directly supporting goal accomplishment, enhancing understanding, strengthening motivation, and facilitating implementation. (C) Change-warranting behavior fostering comprehensive information processing that sustains change and creates memorable experiences. Each meta-category is further specified by several concrete behaviors. Based on its underlying psychological theories, the integrative model of coach behavior provides concise categories with clear distinctions and relationships. Furthermore, the model’s theories generate numerous new hypotheses regarding the process of coach behavior effectiveness and its mediators or moderators. Thoroughly testing these hypotheses and overcoming problematic subjective surveys requires the development of objective behavioral measurements for coach behaviors, instant coachee reactions and the associated subsequent cognitive, emotional and behavioral changes.