Goal orientation in coaching differs according to region, experience, and education

S David, D Clutterbuck, D Megginson International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring 2014

Goal-setting remains a largely unquestioned element of coaching practice. This study examined the goal orientation of 194 coaches in the U.S. and Europe. An analysis of survey results revealed differences according to region, coaching experience, and education. Specifically, coaches in the USA are more goaloriented than European coaches, and those who have taken a long coaching course are more goal-oriented than those who have learned through experience alone. Goal orientation decreases for more experienced European coaches, but not for U.S. coaches. These findings provide researchers with a reliable measure of goal orientation, and raise questions for further research on goals in coaching.