Facilitating strategic change and employee engagement- the role of coaching

Abstract

This study investigates how strategic change can be effectively implemented by equipping middle managers with coaching skills. While existing literature provides structured, mechanistic models for executing strategic change, many organisations fail to achieve their intended objectives. A key gap in the literature is the lack of guidance on fostering employee engagement as a driver of successful strategic change. This research integrates two distinct fields - strategy and coaching - to explore how their intersection can unlock human potential within organisations. The study focuses on leveraging employee engagement at the middle management level, arguing that the success of strategic change depends significantly on middle managers’ skills, expertise, and ability to mobilise employees...To address this, a theoretical framework was developed, introducing coaching as an additional tool to enhance middle managers’ capacity to facilitate strategic change. This study uses the lens of Social Exchange Theory as well and the research approach of Social Constructivism. To test the framework’s effectiveness, the study employed an empirical, qualitative research design. Two Interactive Qualitative Analysis (IQA) studies were conducted, supplemented by semi-structured interviews with senior and top management professionals across various industries. The findings confirmed that coaching equips middle managers with the ability to drive strategic change by enhancing employee engagement - an aspect often overlooked by traditional, mechanistic change models. This study makes two key contributions. First, it challenges the prevailing assumption that strategic change can be achieved solely through structured models, highlighting the critical role of employee engagement in this process. Second, it provides empirical evidence that equipping middle managers with coaching skills can serve as a catalyst for more effective strategic transformation. The research underscores the need for organisations to adopt a more people-centred approach to change management. Future research should consider longitudinal studies to examine the sustained impact of coaching-based interventions on strategic change outcome.