RHETORIC AND REALITIES IN EXECUTIVE COACHING

The popularity of management development programs, such as mentoring, counseling and coaching, has grown within the organizations as an alternative for the improvement of their executives skills and aptitudes. However, no common understanding is found among scholars and consultants as for conceptual differences involving such programs and their goals and expected results. This thesis seeks to investigate patterns of perception reported by different social agents involved in distinct Executive Coaching (EC) programs: the firm engaging and sponsoring this service; the executive; and the external executive coach. Data analysis aims to provide answers to the research question "How do different social agents perceive EC programs sponsored by their own organizations? Are there (in)congruencies among these perceptions?" Results point out that there is no congruence in the perception of the goals of taking on an EC program; in the perception of the typical features of an EC program, participants reportedly equating coaching to mentoring and primarily to counseling activities; there is no congruence in the reports of EC stages as well of result assessment and monitoring.