Attitudes of Coaches towards the Use of Computer-based Technology in Coaching

Coaching has become a widespread development practice. From executives to private individuals, people seek for help from professional coaches to achieve their goals. Computer technology might make coaching practice more efficient and more accessible. Parts of the coaching process could be automated and face-to-face sessions replaced by Web-based communication. However, coaches and clients might take a skeptical view toward the use of computer technology in coaching. For example, they might fear that it undermines the relationship between coach and client. We explored attitudes of coaches toward the use of computer technology. A sample of coaches (N 161) responded to an online questionnaire about their opinions on the coaching process in general and about computer use in coaching. Internet self-efficacy and the preference for a systematic coaching approach were correlated with positive attitudes toward computer use in coaching. No age or gender effects were found. Implications for further research are discussed, for example, the need to investigate the attitudes of clients toward computer use in coaching as well. Practical implications include increasing the Internet self-efficacy of coaches to foster more positive attitudes toward computer-based coaching tools. Furthermore, such tools should aim to support a systematic coaching approach.