Abstract

Over the last twenty years coaching has emerged as a leading personal and professional development tool for individuals and corporations. The recent popularity in coaching stems from employees' needs for greater goal achievement or individuals' needs to enhance growth, implement change, and to reach greater fulfillment in their business or personal lives. This study looked at the coaching preferences of Generation "Y". As coaches prepare to work with Generation "Y" clients, it is important to understand how this new generation differs from previous generations. This knowledge could assist coaches in customizing their approach to address client needs and expectations, and lead to greater results for increased client capability. The data used to support this research were gathered from surveys conducted with 51 members of Generation "Y." The results were reviewed in structured interviews with three subject matter experts (SMEs) who were experienced providers of coaching services to Generation "Y." After the data were analyzed, several key themes were extracted and summarized. It was found that members of Generation "Y" preferred: coaching from someone outside of their workplace, that is, a professional/executive coach or expert in his or her chosen field; coaching that occurred face to face, once a month, performed during business hours and which lasted less than an hour; coaching that relates to their profession, that is, communication skills, leadership, and how to build productive relationships and obtain promotions (career guidance); coaching around professional/personal growth; and also around creative problem solving. Small sample size limited the validity of findings. The questionnaire was only completed by 51 respondents and as such cannot be used to generalize about the Generation "Y" population at large.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Research projects (MSOD); Employees -- Coaching of; Generation Y

Date of Award

2010

School Affiliation

Graziadio Business School

Department/Program

Business

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Masters

Faculty Advisor

Egan, Terri

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