Thesis

"COACHING – A VEHICLE FOR MANAGERS’ LEARNING AND MOTIVATION TO TRANSFER LEARNING TO THE WORK ENVIRONMENT”

ABSTRACT

This thesis extends the management development literature by establishing how coaching influences managers’ learning and their motivation to transfer learning to the work environment. Current knowledge about transfer of learning from management development initiatives to the workplace is limited and there is a growing body of evidence that suggests formal training programmes do not provide managers with sufficient real world learning to develop their proficiency.

This study examined the process of coaching to understand what facilitated managers’ learning and their motivation to transfer their learning to their work environment. The research explored the input factors identified in Baldwin and Ford’s (1988) Model of the Transfer Process to understand if it was an adequate framework for explaining managers’ learning processes and motivation to transfer.

Thirty nine managers from public, private and the not-for-profit sector provided qualitative data on their experiences of being coached. The methods of data collection included semi-structured interviews that were collected in two phases over an eighteen month period.

The findings established that there are six elements within the coaching process that influenced managers’ motivation to transfer learning to the work environment. They included: coaching relationship, dialogue, experiential learning, critical reflection, feedback and empowerment. A Model of Managers’ Learning Processes and Motivation to Transfer is developed to extend Baldwin and Ford’s (1988) training transfer framework based on Bandura’s (1986) Triadic Reciprocal Causation Model which explains how the coaching process facilitates managers’ learning processes and motivation to transfer.

I was awarded the degree of Doctor of Business with Distinction from The University of Western Australia late March 2007 and gave the valedictory address.http://catalogue.library.uwa.edu.au/search~S1?/aHowe/ahowe/101%2C439%2C1144%2CB/frameset&FF=ahowe+nicola+jayne&1%2C1%2C