Impacts of adopting a new management practice: Operational Coaching

PurposeThis article reports the results of a randomized field experiment that tested the effects of a new business intervention among managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in England.Design/methodology/approachIndividual managers (learners) were randomly assigned in clusters (compan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Work-Applied Management 2023-04, Vol.15 (1), p.148-165
Main Authors: Tinelli, Michela, Ashley-Timms, Dominic, Ashley-Timms, Laura, Phillips, Ruth
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Coaching
Distance learning
Learning
Management
Organizational change
Productivity
Teaching
Training
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Summary:PurposeThis article reports the results of a randomized field experiment that tested the effects of a new business intervention among managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in England.Design/methodology/approachIndividual managers (learners) were randomly assigned in clusters (companies) to either an intervention group (265 learners; 40 SMEs) receiving a novel virtual, blended training program designed to stimulate a change in management behavior or a no-intervention group (118 learners; 22 SMEs).FindingsThe results show that the primary objective of changing management behavior to use more of an Operational Coaching™ style of management has been achieved (to a statistically significant level), and this is against the backdrop of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. Positive trends in SME productivity metrics were also observed in the intervention group companies.Originality/valueThese important results could be indicative of the economic and productivity impact that a change in management behavior could have, and they warrant serious further investigation.
ISSN:2205-2062
2205-149X
DOI:10.1108/JWAM-12-2022-0084