2026 Theses Doctoral

Developing Coaching Capability in First-Time Managers: An Experiential Learning Perspective in Dynamic Organizations

Lasseter, Micah

This study examined how first-time managers develop coaching capability in fast-paced organizational environments. While coaching is widely promoted as an essential leadership skill, existing literature has largely emphasized models and techniques, with limited attention to how managers learn to coach in the flow of everyday work. This study addressed this gap by exploring how early-career managers develop coaching capability through experience, reflection, and practice.

Guided by a constructivist approach, this qualitative case study investigated how first-time managers with 0 to 5 years of experience interpret, apply, and develop coaching within their day-to-day work. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews using the Interview to the Double (ITTD) method with eight managers in a European technology organization. Survey data from the Dimensions of the Learning Organization Questionnaire (DLOQ) provided additional context on organizational learning conditions. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify patterns across participants’ experiences.

Findings indicated that coaching capability does not develop primarily through the application of formal frameworks. Instead, it emerges through experience, reflection, and identity formation within the flow of work. Managers described learning to coach by navigating tensions between delivery and development, making situational judgments about when and how to engage in coaching and reflecting on the outcomes of their interactions over time. Organizational context also shaped this development, with environments that supported inquiry, feedback, and reflection enabling stronger coaching capability.

This study contributes to the literature by reframing coaching capability as a developmental process grounded in identity formation and judgment, rather than the sole application of prescribed techniques. It introduces an integrated conceptual perspective that highlights how managers come to see themselves as coaches and how this identity shapes their behavior in practice. The findings suggest that leadership development efforts should move beyond teaching coaching models to explicitly support identity development, contextual judgment, and reflective practice. Organizations should clearly define coaching as part of the managerial role and create opportunities for managers to practice coaching through real-world scenarios, simulations, and guided reflection to build capability over time.