Understanding the Managerial Coaching Practice in The Kingdom Of
Bahrain
Nehal El Naggar*
Royal University for Women

Abstract: Since the 1880’s, coaching has been associated with Sports yet it has been used in organizations and transformed overtime to extend to focus more on directing, instructing and training either individuals or groups of people to attain certain goals and objectives. While coaching is becoming popular and widely used in practice, scholarly investigation into coaching showed that it is still in its infancy comprising a knowledge gap. The aim of this research is to address this knowledge gap and to overview Coaching programs and practices in Bahrain, understand the perception of coaching and identity challenge. This research presents an understanding of the coaching practices in Bahrain and also discusses practical implications for coach training. In-Depth Interviews were conducted with HR managers, practitioners and Coaches. In addition to a survey which was conducted with 51 employees working in Bahrain to assess their perception of training in general and coaching in specific.  The results indicated that the majority of employees have high self-awareness resulting in clear objectives and goals with an emphasis on the significance of coaching and mentoring in today’s workplace. The main findings were that coaching programs are in demand as coaching has the potential to substantially improve employees’ and organizational performance. This research identifies key issues faced by either internal and/or external coaches in professional developing individuals. Recognizes the importance of adequate training of managers in coaching skills as an important issue for organizations to tackle. Furthermore the development of a supportive coaching culture should not be underestimated in facilitating managers to apply their coaching skills on a daily basis.

Keywords: Coaching, Coaching Effectiveness, Executive Coaching, Coaching Perception, Leadership Development, Coaching in Bahrain