The Development Center
Leadership Development
The Differences in Transactional
and Transformational
Coaching
This chart delineates some of the differences between
Transactional and Transformational Coaching.
At The Development Center, we work in the vein of Transformational
Coaching.
| Transactional Coaching |
Transformational Coaching |
Characteristics:
- Focuses on current
- Emphasizes personal change
- Person-centered
- Works with individual
- Offers models of effective behavior
- Cognitive/behavioral
orientation
- Change happens through cognitive learning
and action
|
Characteristics: - Focuses on current and long term
- Emphasizes leadership growth
- Role-centered
- Works with person in system and context
- Offers a framework for thinking about leadership
- Depth/ systems psychodynamic perspective
- Growth happens through thinking and application
|
Coach's Stance/Approach:
- Counsels an individual
- Accountability Partner
- Coach puts emphasis on coaching skills
- Highly interactive/possibly directive
- Coaching seen as series of sessions
- Sessions structured
- Homework important
- Short term
|
Coach's Stance/Approach:
- Consults to leader's experience
- Thinking Parner
- Coach puts emphasis on knowledge of people, leadership
theory and practice, organizations and groups
- Listening, leader finds own way
- Coaching seen as engagement
- Sessions free flowing
- Insight and application important
- Length varies with work to be done
|
Common Outcomes:
- Specific behavioral change
- Better priorty setting, decision making, efficiency
- Improved interpersonal skills
- Increased resiliency or agility
- Work is executed quicker and more smoothly
- Not exhausted due to transactional challenges
|
Common Outcomes:
- Growth in leadership capacities
- Creation of effective leadership role
- Leader has creative vision and begins to institute
organizational innovations
- Leader develops capacity to lead and manage organizational
change
- Person feels new flexibility and freedom in work
life
|
Who is likely to benefit?
- Employees at all levels in organization, especially
middle managers and below where execution and transactions
are central to success
- A person whose behavior prevents them from reaching
their full work potential
|
Who is likely to benefit?
- Leaders with broad leadership and organizational responsibilities
- Leaders whose work demands they see the big picture
- Leaders who are responsible for innovation, strategy,
and creative planning
- Persons whose success depends on leading people,
teams, or organizations
- Leaders with a great deal of latitude in their work life
|
by Frances Unsell
August 2007