Performing versus adapting: how leader’s coaching style matters in Hong Kong

The purpose of this study was to investigate the personal factors that influence goal setting in the coaching process. In an experiment, we examined self-set goals as mediator and implicit theories of ability (ITA) as moderator of the impact of guidance versus facilitation styles of coaching on two types of performance, analogous and adaptive. Participants (n = 137) were coached to use one of two software programs, PowerPoint or Excel. We found that ITA moderated the mediating effects of self-set goals on the coaching style-performance relationship. Our findings support the importance of motivational fit by identifying the conditions under and process by which coaching enhances performance and adaptation. Implications for theory and management practice are discussed.