Coaching in the Digital Age: Exploring Digitalisation's Impact on Executive Coaching: A Theoretical Framework and Proposed Agenda Shift

Abstract

Digitalisation forces emerging from the fourth industrial revolution significantly impact executive coaches and the coaching industry. Despite this, executive coaching literature has historically overlooked the impact of socio-contextual factors on the practice, leaving a research gap. A qualitative study of 25 executive coaches through constructivist grounded theory found that digitalisation significantly impacts executive coaching, but most coaches struggle to understand it holistically. Coaches encounter digitalisation-driven changes directly and indirectly, suggesting a need to adapt the coaching agenda towards the challenges of the digital age. This study positions digitalisation as a crucial socio-contextual factor, proposing a theoretical model to comprehend its impact holistically and initiate discussions on its anticipated effects.

Keywords

• digitalisation
• executive coaching
• grounded theory
• theoretical model
• empathy