Invited Reaction: The Contrasting Effects of Coaching Style on Task Performance: The Mediating Roles of Subjective Task Complexity and Self‐Set Goal

• Author: Sewon Kim,Toby Egan
• Published date: 01 December 2013
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21177
• Date: 01 December 2013

Invited Reaction: The Contrasting

Effects of Coaching Style on Task

Performance: The Mediating

Roles of Subjective Task

Complexity and Self-Set Goal

Sewon Kim, Toby Egan

Although part of managerial development and practice for some time,

managerial coaching is an emerging area of research. Given the relative lack

of empirical research, the study by Hui, Sue-Chan, and Wood in this issue of

HRDQ contributes to our understanding of the infl uence of coaching style

on in-role performance, and presents a mediating mechanism. Using the

sample of 127 participants, this study used an experimental design to

examine the impact of two different coaching styles (guidance and

facilitation) on two different types of task performance (coached task

and transfer task). Mediating roles of two cognitive variables (subjective

task complexity and self-set goal) also have been explored. The approach

taken by Hui et al. led to interesting fi ndings and insights toward fruitful

prospective studies in this underresearched topic area. Concurrently, the

sampling frame utilized and other limitations offered by the authors present

opportunities for future exploration in other organizational contexts.

Key Words: coaching style, in-role performance, mediation, experimental

design, contingency factor, management development

Coaching is becoming an increasingly important area for human resource

development (HRD) professionals, and managerial coaching has been identi-

fi ed as an important set of behaviors for manager and employee success. HRD

researchers and practitioners, organizational psychologists, and training-

related specialists have begun to probe more deeply into the nature and effec-

tiveness of managerial coaching and related outcomes. Although not a wholly

new practice, coaching is a long-standing managerial and developmental

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT QUARTERLY, vol. 24, no. 4, Winter 2013 © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21177 459