Coaching a client with a different cultural background - does it matter?

Abstract

In today’s global economy, executive coaches might increasingly work with clients from other countries. This article asks whether it is important for effective coaching to pay attention to cultural differences. Using a qualitative approach, the study explores which experiences 11 executive coaches had when coaching a client with a distinctively different cultural background. They came to different, partly opposing assessments about cultural impacts on coaching. The findings suggest that culture in coaching is not an objective, defined fact but a subjectively interpreted concept. The findings also suggest that the impact of national culture might be overestimated in the discussion on cross-cultural coaching.

Keywords

• Cross-cultural coaching
• dimensions of culture
• cultural lens
• meaning making
• constructionism