| In response to today's highly competitive, global marketplace, management practice is evolving to a more flexible facilitative style that can more fully leverage the performance of every employee to the organization's advantage. Coaching is one facilitative management strategy that is being touted as a means to unleash and align employee performance to achieve business goals.;This research study was designed to add to the literature about the managerial role and practice of coaching in business organizations. The research question guiding the study was: What are the critical incidents in coaching experienced by managers in a pharmacy benefit management organization?;The research design and methodology employed were adapted from Ellinger (1997) because of the facilitative nature of the manager-as-coach role. The case study research strategy was selected to describe the real-life context in which coaching interventions have occurred within the specific organization. The Critical Incident Technique (Flanagan, 1954) and in-depth interviewing (Merriam, 1988) were utilized in data-collection.;A two-tier nomination process was utilized to identify possible candidates who met three qualifications: (1) being a mid-level manager within the company, (2) having at least one direct report, and (3) being considered as an excellent coach. Ten managers were individually interviewed in person for approximately 90 minutes each.;Data analysis was conducted using an inductive process (Woolsey, 1986) following Flanagan's (1954) procedures for storing data. From the 45 critical incidents collected, 11 themes emerged. The themes were clustered to form three categories. The first category, Focus on People, included the themes of Employee Retention, Ongoing Development of Communication and Relationship Skills, Support of Employees through Their Challenges, and Sensitivity to Organizational Changes.;The second category, Focus on Work, included the themes of Performance Expectations, Accountabilities, Empowerment, and Experiences to Emulate.;The third category, Focus on Work Environment, included the themes of Service Orientation, Mutual Respect, and Mutual Success.;Receiving coaching, coaching others, having coaching role models, and having an organizational expectation to coach appear to be critical elements for becoming an effective coach. Additional research exploring coaching practices of other managerial populations and the financial impact of coaching could enhance coaching practice. |
