ROI is a poor measure of coaching success: towards a more holistic approach using a well-being and engagement framework

In this article, it is argued that financial return on investment (ROI) is an unreliable and insufficient measure of coaching outcomes, and that an overemphasis on financial returns can restrict coaches’ and organisations’ awareness of the full range of positive outcomes possible through coaching. Furthermore, poorly targeted coaching interventions that myopically focus on maximising financial returns may actually inadvertently increase job-related stress and anxiety. The well-being and engagement framework (WBEF) is presented as an example of a potential approach for evaluating the impact of coaching in organisational settings that can give a richer overview of coaching outcomes than financial ROI. Although financial ROI may well be an attractive metric for some managers and organisations, it is proposed that frameworks such as the WBEF and goal attainment can provide a far more comprehensive and meaningful metric than financial ROI.