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The purpose of this paper is to explore the ways a manager in a coaching role may influence employees to embrace a learning orientation based upon the growth mindset. Conceptual in nature, this paper uses recent research, interpretations, explanations and suggestions to propose how manager-as-coach can informally and formally apply basic interventions to assist employee learning and change.

Based upon a review of relevant literature of theory and practice using several search tools, the authors have isolated a few critical areas to explore to include role of the coach, performance appraisal – the stimulus for manager-as-coach interaction with an employee, feedback orientation and environment, the growth mindset and learning orientation and the dynamics of self-regulated learning. Information from these areas is integrated to inform practitioners of approaches to take in a manager-as-coach role.

Included for each of the main segments presented are specific, practitioner “Commitment advice/action agendas” for manager-as-coach to stimulate and guide employee learning. These agendas contribute sound, practical information to the body of information concerned with manager-as-coach.

A contribution this work makes is to propose how learning orientation and the growth mindset are intertwined to the extent they assist the manager-as-coach supply the motivational support for employee learning. The resultant learning may lead to one or more of: improved work performance, individual development, attitudes toward learning and increased employee commitment or engagement.

The purpose of this essay is the provision of a conceptual approach for a manager-as-coach to use for instructional purposes with an employee. Using scenistic materials (cases, incidents, stories), the aim of the essay is to assist the practitioner apply a practical and relatively adaptable instructional approach. While it is intended for application with a single employee, the approach, with modifications, may be used in a small group environment.

The methodology was directed to the study of manager-as-coach, application of a class of instructional tools, theories of constructivism and situated cognition and the joint (manager–employee) implementation of an action guide aimed at learning and performance improvement. Review and coordination of these areas resulted in a detailed guide for action.

Use of scenistic materials for instructional purposes adds to the repertoire of tools for a manager desiring to act in a coaching capacity. A step-by-step program of activities is offered for practical application. Created for experimentation and use is a research result-driven practical guide/action plan.

The design of the approach expressed requires the manager-as-coach to prepare for instruction and participate in it to the extent that the manager likely contributes to her/his own knowledge and skills in the areas under study. The step-by-step design not only guides the instructional process, it demands that the participants are fully engaged in creating new knowledge, assumptions and examples of practical implementation of what has been learned.

Currently, there is little information or research available to guide a manager in a coaching capacity in the use of situation-based (scenistic) instructional materials. The approach offered in this essay not only considers employee knowledge apprehension but also aims at performance3 improvement in a particular context. Additionally, the approach presented requires dialog, negotiation and focused application, all of which may help the participants improve the quality of their relationship.

The paper is practitioner-focused with a manager-as-coach applying experiential learning to aid an employee's learning and improve performance as well as helping to build employee commitment to both the job and organization. Reciprocity is intended as the learning and commitment of both the employee and manager are enhanced.

As a conceptual, not empirical, paper, the present study aimed at guiding manager behavior the methodology aims to examine the areas of manager-as-coach, efficacy of coaching, theoretical grounding of employee commitment and experiential learning processes. Study and coordination of information in these areas provided support for a detailed action plan for practical application.

It is possible to create a research results–driven practical guide/action plan for managers. The guide incorporates manager skills and commitment theory (investment) along with an experiential learning approach aimed at improving employee growth and building commitment.

There is clear evidence in empirical research that employee commitment positively relates to work performance, job engagement and job retention. This paper applies investment theory to build commitment as it is based on actual inputs and efforts of the employee.

There is very little research currently available that directly addresses manager-as-coach deliberately working to increase or build employee commitment to job, organization or the manager her/himself. This essay aims directly at how commitment may be enhanced.

Lens of conservation of resources (COR) theory has been used to study how organizations can create resource passageways for their employees via managers. This has been examined in cross-cultural virtual work teams distributed across time and space within the high-resource loss context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Longitudinal field design was used in a transnational organization involving data collection at three times over eight months. At Time 1, qualitative methodology was used to propose a conceptual model. At Time 2 and Time 3, an online survey was used to collect data for 205 virtual work teams across 10 countries in the Asia–Pacific region pre and post “manager as coach” training respectively.

Using COR theory, the study highlights that “manager as coach” training is an effective resource for managers in the high resource depletion context of the pandemic. Access to timely support increases saliency for the resource-gain spiral and has a cross-over impact on virtual work team outcomes suggesting transferability of resources from managers to subordinates. Also, managers across all nationalities view coaching training as an equally valuable resource.

The study provides evidence for investment in timely and relevant support for managers to positively and swiftly impact virtual work teams during high-resource loss contexts.

The study expands COR crossover theory across space and time dimensions using a longitudinal field research design.

The purpose of this paper aims at manager-as-coach applying experiential learning processes to aid an employee to learn and improve performance ultimately resulting in a more skilled, work-engaged employee. The action guide presented offers activities for: positively influencing employee retention in the organization and improving the learning and performance of both manager and employee.

The methodology was directed to the study of the manager-as-coach, employee job engagement, performance and engagement, turnover intention and actual turnover and experiential learning processes. Analysis and coordination of these areas gave rise to an action guide for both practical use and experimentation.

The action guide provided presents a practical, phased approach (experiential learning process) to learning and change, grounded on conceptual and theoretical domains that encompass job engagement, commitment to the organization and the downplay of turnover intention. Activities (phases) included in the action guide promote learning opportunities for both participants.

Presently, there is clear evidence in empirical research that finds employee work engagement positively related to work performance, commitment to job and organization and job retention. The action guide presented in this essay is intended to involve the manager and employee in activities (such as, negotiation, feedback, reviews of progress, reinforcement of achievement) that should positively influence their relationship. A positive, growing relationship is helpful in stimulating future learning experiments.

At the present time, little research is available that directly addresses manager-as-coach deliberately working to increase or build employee job engagement and/or commitment to job or organization. This essay aims directly at how engagement and commitment may be enhanced while diminishing employee interest in turnover intention and actual turnover. The focus on employee and manager-as-coach working together in the development and reinforcement of engagement is somewhat novel and may provide some direction for further research.

The purpose of this paper is to use recent empirical research and theory to help explain how a manager may assume a coaching role to assist employee learning and growth. In the coaching role, performance appraisal and other information may be carefully used as feedback to reinforce growth mindset learning in the service of employee development and engagement in work tasks and in the organization.

Aided by search devices (Psych Articles, Google Scholar, etc.), this study explored several distinct areas of information to include: manager-as-coach, performance management/appraisal, engagement with work, mindsets – fixed and growth, feedback and self-regulation of learning. Across these domains, this study searched for linkages useful in guiding managers to assist employees to learn and change.

Coaching employees to embrace a growth mindset and one’s self-regulation of learning has been expressed as a means to improve performance, resiliency, persistence, ability to cope with change and motivation.

Explicit, grounded recommendations are offered to assist managers to guide employees to embrace a growth mindset and take charge of their own learning and development.

Through examination and coordination of streams of research and theory, the study are able to make reasonably clear some avenues for a manager to attempt to positively influence employee confidence, learning, success and growth.

The purpose of this paper is to reference academic publications and semi-structured interviews with management experts employing a coaching style within their teams to create a platform for evaluating specific coaching mechanisms, evolving insights to the characteristics required of a manager applying coaching to deal with team challenge. A practical perspective led by managers using critical incidents to explore and highlight areas of experience and expertise in dealing with team challenge.

This qualitative assessment was derived from 30 semi-structured interviews which were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed to assist in added insight for work-based management of dealing with team challenge. Data from 30 interviews were collected via Skype, FaceTime or Zoom to create the necessary rapport and capture the experience of dealing with team challenge. An audio record of each interview was captured to create a synchronised, fully indexed transcript from which characteristics and mechanisms could be identified.

Findings illustrated that the characteristics of the work-based manager themselves is an essential part of the mix when dealing with team challenge, the application of a coaching style accentuated the competencies and characteristics required of the manager to successfully address team challenge, demanding a specific coaching mindset. The starting point is the manager themselves knowing all the details before they intervene by utilising the traditional competencies of a professional coach.

Only one sample of 30 interviewees contributed to this research, a wider sample would be advisable, including a wider cultural base to assess characteristics in a variety of contexts. There was a wide sector representation in this research (public, private and third sector), but specific sector analysis would also be interesting to assess validity of results more rigorously.

The practical outputs from this research of the manager’s self-assessment can be used by managers as a check list when dealing with team challenge or by HR managers as an assessment tool to decide which managers to invest in coaching training. The characteristics may be a means of deciphering the skills of the managers. Finally the self-assessment could be used as a training tool to support work-based learning or coach training on how to address team challenge and offer a discussion prompt around these elements as being essential.

Coaching dialogue is a social interaction and this research contributes to enhancing the quality and purpose of social interactions in the workplace. By employing a coaching style of listening, questioning and reflecting managers can utliise a standard framework for solving issues in the workplace.

Dealing with challenge in teams through the analysis of the coaching style applied by 30 managers is unique, the value added through this research has been an enhanced appreciation of the manager as coach role and an appreciation to the established team models of Fleishman, Katzenbach and Smith, Hackman and Edmondson. This added layer enabling managers to deal with team challenge associated with our ever changing work environment.

The purpose of this paper is to compare the impact of a long‐term (13‐week, spaced learning) with a short‐term (two‐day, block intensive) coaching skills training programme on participants' coaching skills and emotional intelligence.

In the study 23 participants completed a 13‐week coaching skills training course which consisted of weekly 2.5‐hour workshops and action learning. In comparison, 20 participants completed a two‐day “Manager as Coach” training programme, with a three‐week action learning break between day one and day two. Both training programmes used the same coaching frameworks, with the two‐day programme being more condensed.

Participation in the 13‐week training course was associated with increases in both goal‐focused coaching skills and emotional intelligence, whereas the two‐day block intensive training was associated with increased goal‐focused coaching skills, but not emotional intelligence. Further, the magnitude of the increase in goal‐focused coaching skills was less for the two‐day programme than for the 13‐week programme.

These studies used a quasi‐experimental pre‐post design, and the long‐term effects were not measured. Future research should use control groups and random assignment to short‐ or long‐term training.

The main implications of these findings are that, while short, intensive programmes may improve participants' goal‐focused coaching skills, organisations seeking to deepen the impact of “Manager as Coach” training programmes and improve the underlying emotional intelligence of participants should use a spaced learning approach over a number of weeks.

This is the first study to examine the impact of different approaches to coaching skills training and their impact on emotional intelligence.

The purpose of this manuscript is the presentation of: (1) a reciprocal learning process for coach and employee, and (2) a practical implementation guide.

Various search tools were used to explore the areas of manager in coaching role, learning orientation, reciprocal learning, integrative pedagogy (IP) and experiential learning. Coordination and integration of the areas examined resulted in a guide for manager application.

A method (guide, action plan) was created for use by a manager in a coaching role and the employee being coached. The method serves the information and learning needs of both participants. The collaborative relationship is grounded in mutual support, and participants help each other grow and change.

Following completion of one action plan, research may be conducted to address areas such as coach self-perception of competence and self-efficacy; and employee perceptions of coach’s interest, helpfulness and effectiveness. It is also possible to study perceptions of participants with regard to the quality of the coach–employee relationship.

Application of the proposed method/approach is intended, in part, to stimulate employee engagement and motivation, and it provides the manager with some new platforms to interact with employees in the coaching role.

The role of manager-as-coach has been wedded to the possibilities of reciprocal learning in which both, manager and employee, gain knowledge, skill and personal development from a focused approach. In addition, the approach or method presented combines elements of IP with experiential learning.

As a part of a larger study, the purpose of this study was to explore the learning outcomes for the “manager as coach” when exemplary managers are engaged in coaching their respective employees.

A qualitative, multi-case study using an adaptation of the critical incident technique (CIT) and semistructured interviews was employed with 12 managers and their respective direct reports totaling 24 interviews. Content and constant comparative analyses were used to analyze the data.

A total of five themes and 19 subthemes were identified regarding managers’ learning outcomes from managers’ perspectives. From the perspectives of their employees as coachees regarding their managers’ learning outcomes, one theme with three subthemes emerged.

Limited empirical research has explored the developmental outcomes for managers who serve as coaches for their employees. This study examined the outcomes associated with managerial coaching from both the perspectives of the managers who coach and their direct reports. The findings of this research provide more insight into the benefits managers derive from coaching their employees.